Tip 3 -- Standard Yarn Weight System

Speaking of the Standard Yarn Weight System, I figured I'd better go a little more in depth about it.  A number of manufacturers of yarn have adopted the system to help knitters and crocheters know what size hook to use with various yarns and approximately how many stitches will result within a 4-inch span.  Often, these manufacturers will put the appropriate symbol from the chart below on the label of a skein of yarn to tell you its weight (i.e., the thickness of the yarn).

No matter what is marked on the yarn skein label, though, you should still work up a "gauge swatch" in order to see what your style of crocheting (e.g., are you a loose crocheter or do you make your stitches tightly?) yields.