Worsted vs DK yarn
Worsted and DK sit one step apart on the ball band and make visibly different fabric. Which to reach for, with the hook, the gauge and what each is used for.
They sit one step apart on the ball band, and the step is visible in the finished fabric. Worsted is weight 4, takes a 5–5.5mm hook and gives 11–14 single crochet over four inches; 100g runs to roughly 190–220 yards. DK is weight 3, takes a 4–4.5mm hook, gives 12–17 sc over four inches, and runs to roughly 250–290 yards for the same 100g. Worsted covers ground faster and holds a shape, which suits blankets, hats and larger stuffed pieces. DK gives a finer stitch and more fall, which suits baby pieces, small creatures and light garments. Substituting across the step works if the hook moves with it: a worsted pattern worked in DK on the next hook up finishes about a tenth smaller, and a DK pattern worked in worsted on the next hook down finishes about a tenth larger. Swatch either way before a measurement matters.
What the step actually changes
One bracket of yarn weight is not a small difference once it has been multiplied by a few thousand stitches. The strand is thinner, so the stitch is smaller in both directions, so a piece worked to the same stitch count comes out smaller in both directions. A creature that measures 20cm in worsted measures around 18cm in DK from the identical pattern, with nothing changed but the ball and the hook.
Yardage moves the other way, and that is the part that catches people at the till. The same 100g of DK holds noticeably more yarn than 100g of worsted, because a thinner strand goes further. But the finer fabric needs more stitches to cover the same area, so the two effects fight each other and the honest answer is that a DK version of a worsted pattern usually takes about the same weight of yarn and considerably more time.
| In practice | Worsted (4) | DK (3) |
|---|---|---|
| Ball-band number | 4, medium | 3, light |
| Sold as, US | Worsted, aran | DK, light worsted |
| Sold as, UK | Aran | DK |
| Hook | 5–5.5mm (H/I) | 4–4.5mm (G/7) |
| sc over 4 in. | 11–14 | 12–17 |
| Yards per 100g | About 190–220 | About 250–290 |
| Fabric | Substantial, holds shape | Finer, falls more |
| Rows for a given height | Fewer | More |
| Used for | Blankets, hats, scarves, larger creatures | Baby pieces, small creatures, light garments |
| First yarn to learn on | Yes | Workable |
Working a worsted pattern in DK
Take the hook up one step from what the pattern names — a 5mm pattern becomes a 4.5mm pattern — and work a swatch before committing. The looser hook puts back some of the size the thinner yarn took away, and what remains is roughly a tenth off every measurement.
For a flat piece a tenth is usually no trouble. For a hat, a sleeve or anything that has to fit a real head or arm, a tenth is the difference between wearing it and giving it away, which is the case where the swatch pays for itself. For a stuffed piece, take the hook down instead of up, keep the fabric tight, and accept a smaller creature: a closed fabric matters more than a target measurement.
Where DK is the better answer
Small work, first. A smaller stitch means a face can carry an expression at 8cm rather than needing 15cm to hold it. Anything that will be handled close — a keyring piece, a small ornament, a set of miniatures — reads better in DK simply because the stitches are not competing with the features.
Baby pieces are the other case, for a plain reason: weight. A blanket in worsted is warm and heavy, and heavy is not what a cot wants. The same blanket in DK is lighter, falls better over a small body, and washes and dries faster — which is the property that actually gets used.
And where worsted stays the right answer
Where worsted stays the right answer is anything large and plain. A full-size blanket in DK is a season of work for a fabric nobody will notice is finer.
Two weights, six questions
Which of the two is the thinner strand?
DK, by one bracket on the ball band: DK is 3, worsted is 4. The same 100g gives roughly 250–290 yards of DK against 190–220 of worsted.
Can a worsted pattern be worked in DK?
Yes, with the hook moved up one step and a swatch worked first. Expect the finished piece to come out around a tenth smaller, and to take longer than the pattern suggests.
Which hook does DK take?
4mm, US G/6, for ordinary fabric. Drop to 3.5mm for anything that will be stuffed, so the filling stays behind the stitches.
Is aran simply the British word for worsted?
In the US they name the same bracket and swap freely. In the UK, aran means the heavy end of it, so a UK aran is closer to a US heavy worsted than to a US light one.
For a first creature, which weight is kinder?
Worsted for a first one — larger stitches, faster progress, easier to see what your hands are doing. DK once you want smaller pieces or finer faces. Both work; it is a question of the size you mean to end up with.
What does worsted come out at, per inch?
Roughly 3 to 3.5 single crochet per inch on a 5mm hook, which is the 11 to 14 over four inches the ball band quotes. On the smaller hook a stuffed piece wants, closer to 4.