KNITmuch Issue 2 | Page 42

Weight Comfort Sport’s weight is right in the name of the yarn; sport weight. For those who haven’t heard a lot about sport weight yarn, it's heavier than fingering weight and lighter than a DK or worsted weight. It's an excellent medium for those transitioning from heavier yarns into lighter weight yarns. The needle size recommended for this yarn is US7 [4mm]. I like this needle size for this yarn. As a loose knitter, I generally go down one or two needle sizes to get gauge, but this needle size was perfect. Soft Baby Steps in color Elephant ready to be knit up! Soft Baby Steps is the heaviest of the three yarns; it's a medium weight yarn. The recommended needle size for this yarn is US8 [5mm]. When I was knitting my swatch with this size needle, the swatch was a little bit airy. I had to go down a needle size in order to get a really good fabric I liked. As I said before though, my gauge is a little bit loose, I usually have to go down the needle size. Cutie Pie yarn is the lightest weight, although the chenille feel makes it seem thicker. Many knitters are scared of knitting with lightweight yarn because they think the projects will take them forever. This yarn is a great place to start, it will feel like a thicker yarn but you're actually knitting with lightweight yarn. The recommended needle size for this yarn is US5 [3.75mm]. Again, this is an excellent suggestion, when I started knitting with the recommended needle size my gauge was perfect. The fabric was not too open nor able to stand up on its own. Fiber Composition All three yarns are made from synthetic fibers. Comfort Sport and Soft Baby Steps are made from acrylic, while Cutie Pie is made from polyester. In this respect, these yarns are very similar. Cutie Pie ready to become a baby bootie. 42 KNITmuch | issue 2 The synthetic fiber makes it washer and dryer friendly, while not giving up a lovely texture.