Unfortunately there
is more than one version of English and more than one weights'n'measures
system, at times it all gets very confusing.
As everything we deal with is in UK English, we thought it was
about time we had something set down somewhere so people using
other forms of English can work out what we are talking about.
For example, we have discovered that when someone speaking UK English (like us) talks about 4 ply yarn, they aren't talking about the same thing as someone speaking US English.
In the UK - 4 ply
refers to the thickness of a yarn.
In the US - 4 ply is how many strands the yarn has.
In the UK - the
higher the number is, the finer the knitting needle.
In the US - the lower the number, the finer the needle.
| UK | US | Australian | Approx Needle Size in mm |
| 2 ply | Light fingering / Laceweight | - | 1.75 |
| 3 ply | Fingering | - | 2.75 |
| 4 ply | Fingering / Sport | 4 ply | 3.25 |
| Double knitting | Sport / Worsted | 8 ply | 4 |
| Aran | Fisherman / Medium | 12 ply | 5 |
| Chunky | Bulky | 14 ply | 6 |
Yarn Thicknesses when buying on the cone
| Thread Count | UK Thickness |
| 2/36 | Very fine 1 ply |
| 2/34 | Fine 1 ply |
| 2/32 | 1 ply |
| 2/30 | Full 1 ply |
| 2/28 | Full 1 ply |
| 2/24 | 1 1/2 ply |
| 2/20 | Fine 2 ply |
| 2/16 | Full 2 ply |
| 2/12 | 3 ply |
| 2/10 | Fine 4 ply |
| 2/8 | Full 4 ply |
| UK | US | Metric (mm) |
| - | 50 | 25.0 |
| - | 35 | 19.0 |
| - | 19 | 16.0 |
| - | 17 | 12.0 |
| 000 | 15 | 10.0 |
| 00 | 13 | 9.0 |
| 0 | 11 | 8.0 |
| 1 | - | 7.5 |
| 2 | - | 7.0 |
| 3 | 10 1/2 | 6.5 |
| 4 | 10 | 6.0 |
| 5 | 9 | 5.5 |
| 6 | 8 | 5.0 |
| 7 | 7 | 4.5 |
| 8 | 6 | 4.0 |
| 9 | 5 | 3.75 |
| - | 4 | 3.5 |
| 10 | 3 | 3.25 |
| 11 | - | 3.0 |
| 12 | 2 | 2.75 |
| 13 | 1 | 2.25 |
| 14 | 0 | 2.0 |
| 15 | 00 | 1.75 |
| Imperial | Metric |
|
|
|
| 1 oz | 28.35 gms |
| 16 oz / 1 pound (lb) | 0.45 kilograms (kg) |
| 2.204 lb | 1 kg (1,000 gms) |
| Imperial | Metric |
| 0.039 inch | 1 millimetre (mm) |
| 0.39 inch | 1 centimetre (cm) |
| 39.37 inches / 1 yard 3 inches | 1 metre |
| 1 inch | 2.54 cm |
| 12 inch / 1 foot | 30.48 cm |
| 1 yard | 91.44 cm / 0.91 m |
| UK | US |
| Tension | Gauge |
| Cast on | Bind on |
| Cast off | Bind off |
| Stocking stitch | Stockinette stitch |
| Moss stitch | Seed stitch |
Unfortunately exchange rates changes
all the time.
We'll let the experts sort that out and ask you to use their Currency Converter
It covers most currencies and opens up in a pop-up box
- as long as you don't use a pop-up killer, in which case it wont.
Hope that lot helps.
If you can think of anything else that needs adding, email
us and let us know
Crochet Patterns
Conversion Tables - UK, US, imperial, metric (and some Australian)