Apologies if this seems a silly question but as a new weaver I'm struggling a little with the complexity of differing yarn weights/gauges/ply and a Google search hasn't proven fruitful!

I'm just after a gauge match in linen for 8/2 cotton. I'm UK based and not all outlets offer the same info (namely WPI) to help me get a good idea of what I'm buying. Any tips would be most welcome!

Have you had a chance to watch the episodes on sett and yarn in Season 1? Season 1 is useful to go back to and review over and over again. It helps you understand the “tools” of the full weaving process.

Hi Mathew, I don’t have an easy answer for you :-( The linens we are familiar with are the ones that Jane uses and they are a different size than 8/2 cotton - one a lot finer and one a tad bigger. That’s why I suggested rewatching Season 1 Episode 4 where Jane demonstrates how she does the ruler wrap and comes up a sett using the yarn she has on hand. Episode 4 also has a blank Master Sett Chart that you can use for making notes on the setts you want to try, after doing the wrap. Also, make a note on your chart about the final hand of the cloth you’ve woven after it’s been finished. Also, here is a link to an article in our Knowledge Base where Jane explains the numbering system in different yarns depending on their fibre count. You might find it interesting. Hope some of this helps. https://janestaffordtextiles.com/knowledge-base/what-do-the-numbers-in-yarn-sizes-mean/

Just a thought, have you looked at a master yarn sett chart like the one handwoven magazine has for free? You could compare the setts for linen to the 8/2. Maybe 16/2, 20/2, 14/2? (Have no clue what they look like).

I have little experience with linen since I’ve been using cotton for samples due to cost but worth looking at the chart? I’ve been eyeballing the chart myself as I summon the courage to try drafts from Vav which often use yarns. Unfamiliar to me.
Vav might even have something on yarn.

You could also ask in a Ravelry forum like warped weavers or email Glimakra ? The one in the US is probably bilingual in Yarn Speak/numbers.

Good luck!!

Oh yes, I have been there too. So overwhelming all these numbers.

What I found out: 1NeL = 0.604Nm
8/2 Cotton is approx. 6700m/kg
Cottolin is approx 6000m/kg and corresponds to Nm12/2., you can combine them perfectly as we know.
Linen NeL 16/2 = Nm 10/2 = approx. 5000m/kg.

My supplier in Switzerland recommends 8-14 epcm for the 16/2 Linen, for the 8/2 cotton and cottolin 8-12epcm so that should be fine.

In UK I could find 16/2 linen here https://weavingyarn.co.uk/product/garnhuset-linen-16-2-candy-46/
What I am struggling with is their sett recommandation as 16 -20EPI for sure isn't the same as 11-18epcm....

Ok I think I've cracked it. Thanks to Catherine for directing me to a UK store listing with lea nm and sett!

Their cottolin match for 8/2 is listed at 22/2 lea with a sett of 20-28 epi.

I checked out the calculations from the article shared about and it works. So ne x2.8 to get the lea and then lea x0.6 for metric.

I feel a bit more confident ordering a few to test now. Thanks everybody!! 😊

Great!
And I learned that NeL isn't an english expression as I thought. My NeL is your Lea.

And be careful with the sett conversion of this UK shop. For Wool 20/2 sett they write EPI 30/36/40 and epcm 5/6/7 which is obviousely something completely different. Same with the 16/2 linen sett as I mentioned above.