Hi knitters.
I just recently noticed on Ravelry that the patterns include (along with gauge) WPI or wraps per inch. What is this? I must know. It sounds so much better/faster than knitting up a gauge. Do I really need a special tool? Couldn't I just use a needle? What size?
Please share your expertise with me!!
Yours truly,
Rani
5 comments:
It's for handspun, a way to determine if you've spun baby or fingering weight, for instance. There are little gadgets for measuring this, but basically they're a 1" wide notch. You wrap your handspun round and round in that 1" span - not too tightly, not too loosely - to determine how many wraps per inch/wpi, to know if your yarn is suitable for that project.
Here are some guidelines about it:
http://www.fiber2yarn.com/info/wpigauge.htm
Sorry, Charlie, but you still need to knit a swatch. That's a whole 'nother ball of wax!
Thank you, thank you for your contribution! No donation is too small! You rock!!
wpi? I usually see this with handspun yarns. I bet someone else has more information, but I would just wrap your yarn around a ruler or something and count wraps (strands) that cover 1 inch. There are cute little tools available...but I don't know if they're mandatory. I think it's mostly supposed to help equate a particular handspun to a commercial weight yarn...i.e. if wpi are similar perhaps they'd both qualify as fingering weight. Sadly, I'd still do a gauge swatch as that defines your knitting tension...(ducking and running for cover!) :)
You don't need a tool, just a ruler. The tools are handy because a lot of them have little grooves for the yarn to sit in. Really though, just wrap the yarn around a ruler (not tugging), and count how many wraps there are. Or, use a ruler to mark out a one inch section of a pencil or something like that that you can use/reuse and wrap/count away.
WPI is a term used to figure out how much yarn is need using specific knitting needle size. The yarn is wrapped around the needle next to each other for an inch. Count the wraps and that is the WPI. If it take 12 turns with the yarn to make an inch on the needle then WPI=12
Being a spinner, everything said already is correct. However, it is also used for commercial yarns as well. Think about it, Cascade 220 is classified as a worsted but it's thinner than say Classy. It does help equate your handspun to a commercial. If you plan on using it a lot, a wpi tool is useful. The ones with a one inch notch are the easiest. It makes sure you're not slightly over the line. The biggest thing I can say is to read up on the guidelines on how to wrap. The wraps should just touch one another and not squish but you shouldn't see space either. Good luck!
Post a Comment