5. Read the yarn label

Gründl Knitting School - Your first scarf

Learning to knit: Reading the yarn label

Learning to knit: Reading the yarn label

Watch video

Understanding yarn labels

After selecting the right yarn, the type of needles, and determining the needle size, we will now look at the yarn label.
A yarn label is the part – usually made of paper – of a ball of yarn wrapped around it. A yarn label contains a lot of important information about the specific yarn. To help you understand the structure of a yarn label, we've taken a closer look at the Gründl yarn Sylt...

Yarn composition - Example: 80% polyacrylic, 20% wool

By looking at the individual ingredients of your yarn, you can roughly estimate what projects the ball of yarn is suitable for. If the yarn contains virgin wool – as in our example – this is an indication of warm DIY projects. Cotton, on the other hand, would be a sign of airy, breathable summer fashion.

Needle size – Example: 7 mm - 8 mm

Material consumption – Example: Sweater (size 38) = 600 g

What does consumption mean? For a sweater in size 38, according to our example, you would need 600 g, i.e. six balls of the 100-gram Sylt yarn. Since the information serves as a rough guide, please note the instructions in your respective pattern. Sweaters can be shorter or longer and knitted with different patterns. Cable patterns, for example, have a higher yarn consumption than projects knitted in stockinette stitch.

Gauge – Example: 13 sts x 19 rows = 10 x 10 cm

The indicated gauge on a yarn label always refers to a stockinette stitch piece and indicates how many stitches and rows must be knitted to achieve a surface of 10 x 10 cm. In this case, it would be 12 stitches by 19 rows. Attention: Every gauge provides a guideline. We recommend that you make your own gauge swatch in the pattern according to your instructions so that you end up with a suitable knitted project. We will show you how to make a gauge swatch in another video.

Possible care instructions

Wool wash cycle at 30 degrees

Do not bleach

Do not tumble dry

Do not iron

Dry cleaning possible

Dry flat

Weight to yardage ratio of the yarn – Example: 100 g / 130 m

This means that if you unwind a 100 g ball of yarn – as in our example – you get a 130 m long thread. This information allows you to roughly estimate how thick your wool is. So, if your yarn weighs 100 g but has a yardage of 300 meters, your thread is thinner than that of a 100 g ball with a yardage of 70 meters. In the latter case, it would be thicker and more voluminous. This information serves as a good guideline for the stitch pattern you can expect. In principle, it can be said: The higher the yardage, the thinner the thread. The needle size to be used can also be roughly derived from this.

Needle size – Example: 7 mm - 8 mm

Material consumption – Example: Sweater (size 38) = 600 g

What does consumption mean? For a sweater in size 38, according to our example, you would need 600 g, i.e. six balls of the 100-gram Sylt yarn. Since the information serves as a rough guide, please note the instructions in your respective pattern. Sweaters can be shorter or longer and knitted with different patterns. Cable patterns, for example, have a higher yarn consumption than projects knitted in stockinette stitch.

Certification – Example: OEKO-TEX®

What do certifications mean? The OEKO-TEX® label, for example, indicates the tested skin compatibility of a wool. With the help of the respective number, you can check the status of the certificate on the website of the OEKO-TEX® Label Check. Would you like to know more about the certifications of Gründl yarns? Then take a look at our blog article on toy-safe wool.

Color number

In total, Gründl yarn Sylt currently comes in 14 different colors; the vibrant cobalt blue has the color number 07.

Dye lot number

What does dye lot number mean?

The dye lot number refers to the dyeing process of your ball of yarn. It indicates which dye bath your ball of yarn was dyed in. Because the composition of each dye bath and the quality and texture of the respective material – especially with natural fibers like wool – can vary, we therefore advise you to use only yarns with the same dye lot number for a project. This avoids color differences. Our Gründl tip: To ensure that the amount of yarn is sufficient for your project, we advise you to buy one or two extra balls of the required yarn. This is because it is usually difficult to get yarns of the same dye lot number later on. If you still need to reorder yarn, it is advisable to keep the yarn label with the dye lot number so that you can refer back to this information.

Download knitting pattern and order yarn online

You can download the free pattern here and at the same time order the matching yarn in the colors of your choice.