What Is the Light Worsted Weight of Yarn?

The words "light worsted" don't imply anything about the quality of a skein of yarn. Instead, it conveys information about the yarn's weight, thickness and what sort of items it's suitable for crafting. Weight is a means of classifying similar yarns together.

Symbols

• Although there is no convention that requires a yarn maker to do so, many manufacturers follow the Craft Yarn Council's guidelines and symbols. The CYC symbol of a skein of yarn, with a number "3" on it, may appear on yarn labels. This designates the yarn as either a light-worsted or DK yarn. The yarn might also be simply labeled as "light worsted."

Needle and Hook Size

• According to the CYC standards, light-worsted yarn is best knit with size US 5 to US 7 knitting needles, or 3.75 mm to 4.5 mm metric needles. Light-worsted yarn is typically crocheted with a size 7 to I-9 crochet hook, or 4.5mm to 5.5mm metric-size crochet hook.

Gauge

• With most light-worsted weight yarns, using the recommended needle sizes, you can knit between 20 and 22 stockinette-style stitches into a 4-inch swatch or you can work 12 to 17 single crochets into a 4-inch swatch. Gauge will vary somewhat from crafter to crafter, depending on how you personally knit or crochet.

Literal Weight vs. Weight Classification

• Light-worsted weight yarns are both light in the literal sense and also classified as a "light" weight yarn. This means that light-worsted yarn shares similar characteristics of gauge and recommended needle size with other "light" yarns. There's no uniform way of determining yarn weight for yourself, but since yarn weight and type is almost always printed clearly on the skein label, it's usually not an issue.