Held-together yarn has a weight class of its own, and the labels already know it: per meter, the bundle weighs what its strands weigh together. Enter each strand’s label numbers; the combined class comes back with the math shown.
Your Strands
From each label: the skein’s grams and its length. Leave strand 3 empty unless you’re holding three.
Held Together, This Knits As
Medium
2 strands · 224 yd per 100 g combined
Swatch the bundle at the class’s usual needles: loft and halo knit lighter than grams suggest.
- Strand 10.250 g/m (437 yd/100 g)
- Strand 20.238 g/m (460 yd/100 g)
- Combined density0.488 g per meter
- Combined224 yd / 100 g → class 4
The Formula
combined grams per meter = strand 1’s + strand 2’s (+ strand 3’s) · combined yd per 100 g = 100 ÷ grams per meter × 1.0936A meter of the held bundle contains a meter of every strand, so the weights per meter simply add. The combined yards-per-100-grams then reads against the same density ranges that class single yarns.
Worked Example
Fingering (100 g / 437 yd) held with lace-weight mohair silk (50 g / 230 yd):
- Fingering: 0.25 g per meter. Mohair: 0.238 g per meter. Together: 0.488 g/m → about 224 yd per 100 g.
- That density reads as light worsted / DK: exactly the class knitters report for this famous combination.
- Swatch anyway: mohair’s halo knits loftier than its grams suggest, so many knitters needle it as DK-to-worsted.
The Quick Rules, Checked by the Math
| Held together | Knits as, roughly |
|---|---|
| 2 × fingering | DK |
| 2 × sport | Worsted |
| 2 × DK | Aran / chunky |
| 2 × worsted | Chunky / super bulky |
| Fingering + lace mohair | DK |
| 3 × fingering | Worsted |
How to Measure Your Inputs
- Both numbers from each label: grams and length. Meters? Multiply by 1.0936 for yards, or let the conversion calculator do it.
- No label: weigh the skein, measure ten yards, weigh those if your scale reads tenths, or wrap for WPI and borrow a same-class label.
- Yardage planning: each strand spends its full length: a 1,000 yd project held double needs 1,000 yd of each strand.
Assumptions and Defaults
- Class boundaries use typical yd/100 g densities; fibers bend them: lofty wool knits lighter than its grams, dense cotton heavier.
- Two strands don’t double the WPI: the bundle rounds, landing near single-strand WPI ÷ 1.4.
- The gauge swatch outranks the class: hold the strands, knit, measure.
Held-Together Questions, Answered
What weight are two strands of fingering yarn held together?
Two strands of fingering yarn held together come out at about DK weight: two 437 yd / 100 g strands combine to roughly 218 yd per 100 g, squarely in the DK range. The math tab confirms any specific pair, since base yarns vary enough to shift the result by a class.
What weight is fingering plus mohair held together?
Fingering plus mohair held together comes out at DK by density, although it is often knit at worsted gauge because the mohair’s halo fills the fabric. The worked example uses this exact pair, and as with any mohair combination, a swatch gives the final answer.
Do I need the same yardage of both strands?
Yes, you need the same yardage of both strands, because each one travels the whole project. A sweater that needs 1,200 yd held double needs 1,200 yd of the wool and 1,200 yd of the mohair, so budget for the thinner strand too, since running out of it stops the project just as surely.
What needle size should I use for held-together yarn?
For held-together yarn, start with the usual needles for the combined weight class, US 5 to 7 for DK when holding two strands of fingering, and then swatch. Marled and haloed combinations often look best a needle size up, which gives them more drape.
Weight classes: Craft Yarn Council standards.