Understanding The Jargon: UK Vs US Knitting And Crochet Patterns — 4 Essential Differences You Must Know

If you’ve ever followed a pattern and ended up with something going really wrong, the chances are that the difference between UK vs US knitting and crochet patterns could be the reason. Here I hope to clear up the confusion once and for all.

1. The Yarn Weight Predicament in UK vs US knitting and crochet patterns

In the UK, yarn weight categories are often described as 4-ply, double knitting (DK), Aran, and chunky. In contrast, the US uses both a descriptive and a numerical scale from 0 to 6.

For instance, DK (Double Knitting) yarn in the UK is considered a category 3 or Light Worsted yarn in the US.

UK vs US knitting and crochet patterns - yarn weights

2. WPI stands for “Wraps Per Inch.”

WPI is a term used more predominantly in the USA, it is a measurement used in the textile industry to determine the thickness or weight of a yarn.

WPI is used more in the US than the UK and it is calculated by wrapping the yarn around a ruler and counting the number of wraps within an inch (2.5 cm). This measurement helps in determining the yarn weight category, which in turn can guide the appropriate choice of knitting needles or crochet hooks.

WPI is particularly useful if you are buying from a market or buying hand spun yarns. Of course, you may not have a ruler with you, but as a very rough guide, the top segment of your thumb is approx. an inch. (And it is approx. a yard/meter from your nose to your wrist – just in case you also happen to be buying fabric!)

UK vs US knitting and crochet patterns - yarn thickness

3. Needles and Hook Sizes

Back in the ‘old’ days the UK had a numerical way of describing hook sizes, but then when the country converted to metric, hook sizes also changed to metric. So, in the UK there is the ‘old’ or traditional size, and the metric size. Countries such as Australia and Canada have traditionally followed the UK system.

In the US they didn’t change to metric but kept to their system, which includes both a letter and a number. So UK vs US knitting and crochet patterns have different hook sizes.

You will need to use a UK/US conversion chart to work out your hook or needle sizes.

Knitting Needle Sizes – Conversion Chart

UK vs US knitting and crochet patterns needle sizes

Crochet Hook Sizes – Conversion Chart

UK vs US knitting and crochet patterns -crochet hook sizes

4. Crochet Stitch Names and Abbreviations

Crocheting is a hugely popular craft. But many people feel daunted by the task of learning to crochet. For those just stepping into the crochet world, they may encounter a perplexing challenge: the subtle yet significant differences in terminology between UK vs US knitting and crochet patterns.

Whatever the complexity of the pattern, these differences in terminology create an initial hurdle that the newbie must negotiate. This difference starts right at the initial ‘choosing a pattern’ stage.

Because of this confusion you will need to know the country of origin for the pattern you are following before leaping into a project. You can probably find this by looking at the hook size ( is it a US hook Size or a Metric Size) , or the publisher address.

Common crochet stitches are named differently in the UK and the US. However they are just similar enough to cause confusion. If you are working on a US crochet pattern and come across the term ‘double crochet’ (dc) it will mean something completely different to that found in a UK crochet pattern.

In the table below you can see these differences

UK vs US knitting and crochet patterns - crochet abbreviations