Yarn Types
| (US) Yarn Number | Modern Needle Recomendation (mm) | Modern Name (s) | Modern Ply (aproximate) | Historical Names | Historical Needle Recomendation (mm) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 2.25 – 3.25 | Lace Weight | 2-3 | shetland, pyrenees, coarse cotton, lady betty, persian, strutts no 8 | 1.65-2.0 |
| 1 | 2.5 – 3.5 | Sock, Fingering | 4 | zephyr1, andalusian, single berlin, 2 ply fleecy, 3 ply lady betty | 2.25-3.75 |
| 2 | 2.75 – 3.75 | Sport, Baby | 5 | andalusian, worsted wool, lambs wool, 4 thread fleecy, shetland | 3.5-4.5 |
| 3 | 3.75 – 4.5 | DK, Light Worsted | 8 | double berlin, fleecy, 6 thread fleecy | 3.25-5.0 |
| 4 | 4.5 – 5.5 | Worsted, Aran | 10 | 12 ply fleecy, worsted tapestry, petticoat yarn, merino yarn | 4.5-5.5 |
| 5 | 5.5 – 8 | Chunky, Bulky | 12 | carpet yarn, shetland wool | 6.0-7.5 |
| 6 | 8 – 12.75 | Super Bulky | 14 | – | – |
| 7 | 12.75+ | Jumbo | 15 | – | = |
1 – Zephyr is a blend of wool and silk
I will continue to update this chart whenever I get the chance.
Brand Specifics
From Period Articles
Strutts Crochet cotton ranged from 6 to 50
Strutts Knitting cotton ranged from 4 to 12
I have no way to guage how large any of the sizes were or modern equivilents but it’s some information for you.
From My Collection
Substituting Vintage and Historical Yarn and Thread
Columbian Knitting Silk – 16 wpcm
Carlson-Currier Co. 25 yards ; Belding Heminway Co., crochet silk, shade 402 – 13 wpcm
J&P Coats Pure Silk, 30 yards; Mending 206 A – 30 wpcm
Corticelli Silk Mills; Corticelli crochet and knitting silk (J?W Robinson co), Fast Color 140 yards – 13 wpcm
J&P Coats Crochet cord
“Silkateen”
I just have started posting these so the links will be updated whenever possible.
Thread Types and Sizes
For some references in terms of thread size I’m going to use wraps per centimeter (wpcm) which is normally a lacemaking unit, but works well at this scale. Todays yarn sizes generally cover a range of wraps per inch (wpi), but that is a rant for another time.
Unfortunately I don’t have the access to or the funds to get samples of Victorian yarns, if I did I would do something a’la Brenda Paternoster’s “Threads for Lace” which is a survey of about 1900 threads, organized by size, in wraps per centimeter, manufacturer, and fiber type.
The charts below are drop down due to their length.
Commonly Available Modern Crochet Thread
chart
| Thread | WPCM |
|---|---|
| DMC Cotton Perle, no 3 | 8 wpcm |
| Aunt Lydia’s Fashion Crochet, no 3 | 9 wpcm |
| Red Heart Fashion Crochet, no 5 | 11 wpcm |
| DMC Cotton Perle, no 5 | 12 wpcm |
| DMC Baroque Crochet, no 10 | 13 wpcm |
| Aunt Lydia’s Classic Crochet, no 10 | 13 wpcm |
| Anchor Freccia, no 12 | 13 wpcm |
| HH Lizbeth Cotton Crochet, no 10 | 14 wpcm |
| Anchor Freccia, no 16 | 16 wpcm |
| DMC Cotton Perle, no 8 | 17 wpcm |
| Aunt Lydia’s Fine Crochet, no 20 | 20 wpcm |
| HH Lizbeth Cotton Crochet, no 20 | 20 wpcm |
| DMC Cotton Perle, no 12 | 21 wpcm |
| Aunt Lydia’s Extra Fine Crochet, no 30 | 24 wpcm |
Vintage And Historical Crochet Thread
chart
| Thread | WPCM |
|---|---|
| American Thread Co. Star Pearl Twist, no 8 | 14 wpcm |
| American Thread Co. Star merc cotton, no 8 | 19 wpcm |
| American Thread Co. Silkateen merc cotton | 15 wpcm |
| American Thread Co. Trojan merc cotton | 12 wpcm |
| American Thread Co. Star Silkine crochet cotton, no 50 | 14 wpcm |
| Coats & Clark, Speed Cro-Sheen | 8 wpcm |
| Coats & Clark, Cotton a Broder, no 18 | 15 wpcm |
| Coats Aida, no 10 | 15 wpcm |
| Clarks Warrented Lustre Crochet Cotton | 15 wpcm |
| JT Raworth, Leicester Cotton crochet, no 12 | 16 wpcm |
| WG & J Strutt’s Macrame thread | 10 wpcm |
| Barbours Linen Crochet, no 40 | 17 wpcm |
| Barbours Linen Crochet, no 50 | 18 wpcm |
| Barbours Linen Crochet, no 60 | 19 wpcm |
| W Barbour & Son Sphinx Linen, no 40 | 17 wpcm |
| Coats Floretta, no 20 | 17 wpcm |
| Coats Virtuoso | 13 wpcm |
| Coats Musica, no 8 | 13 wpcm |
| Lily, all linen yarn 30/2 | 18 wpcm |
| DMC Coton Retors Mat, no 4 | 8 wpcm |
| DMC Cordonnet Special, no 1 | 8 wpcm |
| DMC Cordonnet Special, no 2 | 10 wpcm |
| DMC Cordonnet Special, no 3 | 13 wpcm |
| DMC Cordonnet Special, no 15 | 16 wpcm |
| Anchor Artiste crochet cotton, no 10 | 14 wpcm |
| Anchor Artiste crochet cotton, no 20 | 17 wpcm |
| Anchor Artiste crochet cotton, no 30 | 20 wpcm |
| Anchor Soft Embroidery | 8 wpcm |
| Struts Milford Knitting, no 8 | 11 wpcm |
| Struts Lustre Knitting, no 5 | 10 wpcm |
Modern(ish) Purse Twists/ Silk
chart
| Thread | WPCM |
|---|---|
| The Winner Extra Super Legee Twist | 24 wpcm |
| The Winner Ex Stout Button Hole Twist | 21 wpcm |
| Aurora Knitting Silk, 5/2 | 7 wpcm |
| Aurora Heavy Knitting Silk, 4/2 | 6 wpcm |
| Aurora 5ply Bulky Silk, 4/5 | 4 wpcm |
| Aurora Bulky Tussah knitting silk, 5 ply | 4 wpcm |
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