by AD Staff July 01, 2018 1 min read

Choosing the right needle size or crochet hook size is critical to how you project will turn out.  I often will change the size recommended by a specific pattern to make a tighter fabric or adjust the fabric for a specific yarn. Here is an example project where I adapted a pattern designed for chunky alpaca to work with a lighter weight alpaca yarn. 

The diameter of your knitting needle or crochet hook determines the size of the resulting knitted/crocheted stitches. Needles and hooks usually include both US needle sizes and metric sized (mm). However, sometimes patterns will only specify one or the other, that is were this conversion chart comes in handy. In some cases, the needle size may rub off the handle on the needle or crochet hook or it may be too small to easily see. For these reasons, we recommend keeping a needle gauge in your knitting/crochet bag. 

Metric/Millimeters (mm) US Needle Sizes US Crochet Hook Sizes
2.0 0 ---
2.25 1 B-1
2.75 2 C-2
3.25 3 D-3
3.5 4 E-4
3.75 5 F-5
4.0 6 G-6
4.5 7 7
5.0 8 H-8
5.5 9 I-9
6.0 10 J-10
6.5 10.5 K-10.5
8.0 11 L-11
9.0 13 M/N-13
10.0 15 N/P-15
12.0 17 ---
16.0 19 Q
19.0 35 S
25.0 50 ---

AD Staff
AD Staff


Leave a comment

Comments will be approved before showing up.


Also in Alpaca Direct Blog

Textured Alpaca Socks Pattern Guide
Textured Alpaca Socks Pattern Guide

by Kelley Hobart August 07, 2026 9 min read

Read More
21 Graduation Crochet Gift Ideas for 2026
21 Graduation Crochet Gift Ideas for 2026

by Kelley Hobart August 06, 2026 21 min read

Read More
Free Cowl Patterns for Short Circular Needles
Free Cowl Patterns for Short Circular Needles

by Kelley Hobart August 05, 2026 11 min read

Read More