Author Topic: wraps/inch vs dpi.... weaving question (Read 2849 times)

Anke · « **on:** January 10, 2018, 05:36:23 pm »

Please bear with me - I have lost my weaving reference book...

So I found a single cone of Shetland weaving yearn in my wooly treasure chest (probably ordered at least three years ago)... it is Jamieson's Shetland. It says count 2/21 - so what does this mean? It wraps up to 15 wraps per inch, so should use either the 10 or 7.5 reed, which I have got. 10 looks better.

Question: The weaving yarn for sale on their website is listed as single ply, 12c (4.8nm)... is this the same as the 2/21? Am a bit "foggy brained" at the moment..., and it would make sense if I ordered from them if it is the same...

Buttermilk · « **Reply #1 on:** January 10, 2018, 07:07:41 pm »

Send them an email to ask, I have found them very helpful.

Dogwalker · « **Reply #2 on:** January 10, 2018, 07:19:23 pm »

I can never work out those numbers either, somewhere I've got a chart saved which explains them but of course can't find it now I want it.

Remember the wool will bloom when washed so something that looks very open on the loom will fill in a lot when wet finished. If it's plain weave your doing, 7.5 should be right but best to do a sample and wash it to check before starting the project.

SallyintNorth · « **Reply #3 on:** January 12, 2018, 10:20:15 am »

The one thing that’s certain is that the 2/21 is a two ply, so no it’s not the same as the singles listed on their website.

Asking their advice is certainly best, but as I’m trying to get my head around all the different measuring systems too, I’ve done a bit of work on this.

The single at 4.8nm would give you 4.8 * 1000m of yarn for every kilo in weight.

I though it likely that the 21 is a worsted count, 21 being the number of 560yd lengths in a lb of yarn. It relates to the singles, and the 2 tells you it’s got two plies, so if my maths is right, one pound weight of this yarn should give you 560 * 21 /2 = 5880 yds. However, that’s very fine and would be considerably more than 15 wpi, so either that’s not a worsted count or my maths is wrong!

I googled and discovered that Shetland yarns were spun
to a Gala count (Gala being short for Galashiels, where the wool sorting depot is). Gala count is the number 200yd hanks in a pound, so if I adjust my sum accordingly, it would give 200 * 21 /2 = 2100 yds in a pound weight of yarn. (=4265m in a kilo.)

The article I found said that Gala 2/21 is the weight of Shetland 2-ply jumper weight yarn (which is equivalent to a 4-ply knitting yarn, as if you weren’t confused enough already), and the New Metric count is 2/8.4nm. So from that and my calc on yardage, it’s a little heavier than the 4.8Nm single.

Anke · « **Reply #4 on:** January 12, 2018, 05:15:24 pm »

I am confused... but will read through it tonight after milking and maybe can make more sense of it... not helping that I am currently on some medication which makes me a touch loopy and hyper, but hopefully will be reducing dose soon...

I phoned Jamieson's and the lady - in a lovely Shetland accent -said that the yarns can be used together, so I will see. I ordered some black, grey and light blue, so hopefully with the white I can put something together... if not, the white yearn does look good for socks, so it will not be wasted.