Sirdar Jewelspun Aran
About Sirdar Jewelspun Aran Yarn
Sirdar Jewelspun is an Aran weight yarn and works up nice and quickly compared to a double knit weight yarn.
What's this 'weight' thing I hear you say? Yarn is classified by thickness but this is referred to as 'weight', it can get quite confusing with all the different references as the UK, US and other countries use their own terms!
Is Aran the same as Worsted weight?
A common question. As knitters and crocheters we often find a pattern that we want to make, then we set about looking for the yarn to use. Many of us start looking for substitutes as the recommended yarn may no longer be available or maybe too expensive. Worsted is a term used in America and is the closest to our Aran yarn in weight. So if the UK aran and US worsted are corrected labelled then yes they can be substituted for each other.
Can I use DK instead of Aran?
In the UK we confusingly use a mix of names and plys to classify the thickness of our yarns.
As many of us use website sources for patterns we frequently use American patterns and yes you guessed it they use a different weight system for their yarns.
Some are similar in weight to UK yarns but some are not. So you'll not surprised to hear that I often get asked 'Can I use an double knit yarn instead of an aran yarn'?
If you want a simple Yes or No reply I would have to say No you can not use double knit instead of aran.
UK and international knitting terms
I've put together this handy table to give you a quick reference for UK, US and Australian knitting terms.
| UK terms | US terms | Australian terms | Needle size |
| 1 ply | Lace | 2 ply | 1.5 - 2mm |
| 2 ply | Fingering | 3 ply | 2.25 - 3.25mm |
| 3 ply | Sock | 3 ply | 2.25 - 3.25mm |
| 4 ply | Sport/Baby | 5 ply | 3.25 - 3.75mm |
| Double knit | DK/Light Worsted | 8 ply | 4 - 4.5mm |
| Aran | Worsted/Aran | 10 ply | 5mm |
| Chunky | Chunky/Bulky | 12 ply | 6 - 8mm |
| Super Chunky | Super bulky | 14 ply | 9 - 12mm |
Substituting yarns and needles
Knitting patterns are designed with exact numbers of stitches and rows, needle size and yarn weight in mind to achieve the desired size, drape and handle.
Substituting yarns and needles may lead to loose, tight, small or oversized finished pieces. With experience and patience you can work out how to adapt a pattern to use a different yarn but it is not for the newbie crafter.
Check out all our Sirdar Jewelspun knitting kits, knitting patterns, and the Sirdar Jewelspun yarn range in the Knit One Kits online store.