What’s Fingering Weight Yarn?

Yarn is divided into groups depending on the thickness of the yarn, and fingering is one of these groups. Each group is called a yarn weight, referring to the thickness of the yarn rather than the actual weight. 

In the fingering category, you will find thin yarns that are very popular to knit with. Due to its popularity, you will find a lot of yarns in this category made from different fibers, spun in different ways, and in all the colors and multicolored options you could imagine!

You will recognize a fingering yarn by these characteristics:

• The recommended needle size is usually US 0–3 / 2–3mm
• The recommended gauge in stockinette is 28–32 stitches per 10 cm / 4 inches
• It’s between 350 and 490 meters per 100 gram
• Or, 360 to 480 yards per 100 gram
• WPI: 14–24. This means that if you wrap the yarn around your needle a fingering yarn will have between 14 and 24 wraps per inch. 

The origin of the term “fingering” is rather unclear. Norman of Nimble Needles has an interesting post about fingering yarn where he has dived into the origin of the name as well as the yarn itself. You can find Normans’s post here!

Other names for fingering yarn

3 Ply and 4 Ply

In Australia and the UK, these yarns are called 3 Ply and 4 Ply. 3 Ply refers to the thinner yarns in the group which are sometimes called light fingering. 

4 Ply is referring to fingering yarn. But it can also refer to sport weight yarns, which are thicker than fingering yarns. It’s a good idea to be careful when buying Australian and UK yarns so you’re getting the weight you had in mind!

Sock and Baby

Fingering yarn can also be called sock yarn. Be sure to separate sock weight yarn from sock yarn. 

The first refers to the weight of the yarn, while the latter is a term for yarn durable enough to last the wear and tear of socks. 

Sock yarn is often made of wool combined with nylon to get the best of both fibers. Other combinations may be merino + nylon or wool + nettles.

Fingering yarn can also be called baby yarn because this thin yarn weight is great for knitting up baby clothes. But as with sock, baby yarn can sometimes refer to the weight of the yarn and at other times the qualities of the yarn.

For example, It’s common to knit baby garments with acrylic because it’s easy to wash, soft to the touch, and comes in many pretty baby pastels. 

1 Super fine

In the American yarn weight standard created by The Craft Yarn Council in collaboration with the American yarn industry, the term used for fingering weight yarns is group 1, Super Fine.

What needles to use with fingering yarn?

The recommended size is US 0–3 / 2–3 mm, but that doesn’t mean that you have to always stick to those sizes. 

Every knitter knits differently. Some of us knit tight and need a larger needle to get a good gauge while others knit loosely and need smaller needles. 

If you’re going to knit baby clothes you will probably end up using the recommended needles or at least one close to that. Baby clothes should not be too tight and stiff, but they shouldn’t be too loose either. You don’t want to risk making holes that can snag little fingers!

When knitting socks you may want to use super thin needles to achieve a tight and more durable fabric. 

Shawls and scarves don’t get as much tear as a sock and can be knit on bigger needles, This also creates a softer fabric with more drape. 

For lace patterns to really pop you will want to use a significantly larger size of needles.

Knit fingering yarn with other yarns

Fingering yarns can be knit both as single strands and held together with another strand of yarn. 

Knitting a fingering yarn double equals a DK weight yarn. But you can also knit with more than two strands of fingering yarn held together to get a heavier weight. Four strands of fingering are about the same weight as one strand of worsted or aran.

This post has a table for doubling yarn to get heavier weights if you’re curious!

It’s also popular to knit with several strands in different colors to get a multicolored fabric, this is called marling.

You can read more about marling yarns in this article.

And here’s my free pattern for knitting a marled beanie!

But you can also combine fingering yarn with other yarn weights and with different fiber content and textures. The possibilities are endless! But you can never be sure of the result so swatching is recommended 🙂

What is Fingering yarn used for?

Fingering yarn is most commonly used for socks, hats, mittens, baby clothing, and shawls.

But it can be used for knitting anything from elegant sweaters to blankets and dresses. 

These big projects in fingering yarn turn out beautiful, just think of the fine details you can make!

I have gathered some patterns, yarns, and kits to give you some ideas of what you can knit and crochet with fingering yarn!

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Finger weight knitting kits

Finger weight crochet kits

Finger weight yarn