Yarn Label Example and Descriptions

As a beginner, yarn labels can be difficult to decipher. Here is a handy guide!

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The yarn brand and logo are self-explanatory.

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"Yarn line" is what "model" is to a car (make and model). Most yarn companies have multiple "yarn lines". For example Lion Brand Yarn has both "Feels Like Alpaca" (a DK weight yarn made with mostly acrylic fiber) and "Wool-Ease" (a worsted weight yarn made with acrylic and wool fiber).

These yarns come from the same company and brand but are vastly different "lines".

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Fiber content (or composition) is the the type(s) of fiber that are in the yarn.

Some yarns are made purely from a single fiber type. This will be denoted "100% FIBER" such as my yarn label example says "100% Homemade Fun" or some might say "100% Acrylic".

However, many yarns will be fiber blends with more than one source of fiber. This will be denoted with the percentages of each. For example, I could have made my example label to say "60% Homemade Fun, 40% Wrapped Joy". In another example, Lion Brand Wool-Ease yarn is made of 80% Acrylic and 20% Wool.

(look for another blog post soon about fiber types!)

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The next part of the label shows how much yarn there is in whatever bundle type. The amounts are shown in different units, usually US standard and metric. In this case the example yarn consists of 120 yards = 110 meters and 3.5 ounces = 100 grams.

The amounts of yarn can be vastly different dependent on the yarn line. For example, Lion Brand's "Feels Like Alpaca" has 273 yards and 3.5 ounces of yarn in its package and "Wool-Ease" has 197 yards and 3.0 ounces.

(look for another blog post soon about the relationships between weights and lengths)

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The big "5" in the yarn skein icon is the "weight" of the yarn. The weight is a standardized way of indicating the thickness of the yarn. The weight numbers are on a numerical scale from 0 to 7, with an extra large weight being "hand gauge". The smallest number on the scale indicates a small yarn.

(look for another blog post soon about yarn weights)

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The two squares next on the label are gauge guides. It shows what the suggested "gauge" is for that yarn. The details show what size hook is recommended and how the ideal 4-inch by 4-inch square is made.

(gauge is a more complex topic, look for another blog post soon)

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The next part of the label shows the washing instructions for the label. These icons will give an idea of how to care for the yarn and anything made using that yarn. This is highly dependent on the fiber content of the yarn.

(look for another blog post soon for the infographic with all the icon definitions)

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Usually the barcode will be around this area.

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The last two components of the yarn label go together. The yarn color and dye lot. Yarns will almost always have a "colorway", where the color or color palette will be named. Then in association with the colorway there might be a dye lot (usually a number). This is basically a log of what yarns were color-dyed at the same time. The assumption is that if the dye lot is the same, there will be less variation of the colors. This especially matters in smaller batch dye-operations. It can be difficult to recreate the color and colorway factors exactly. If making a larger project, it is advised to get the same dye lot for the whole project

(there are ways to minimize the effects of different dye lots, but that is a more advanced topic).