Beginner seeks help with knitting!

[Confusedknitter]

Hello!
I am a beginner knitter. I really want to make these bears:
m.youtube.com/watch?v=M0xehCq2nsg

The pattern says 100% Acrylic, 4 ply, DK, worsted yarn. In the video she says (and repeats in the comments) “make sure it’s 4 ply”.
Well I am super confused because apparently 4 ply, DK and worsted are all different?!
What’s more I have just gone and bought four balls of King Cole big value baby 4 ply yarn, only to find when it arrived that it has just 3 strands (it SAYS 4 ply on it though!!) The wool I have bought seems much finer than the wool she is using in the video. I have no idea what to try next, DK? Will it have 4 strands though?! Apparently DK is 10 ply though, and worsted even more!!

Pretty please, can an experienced knitter help me out and just let me know what wool I need for this?!

I will be forever grateful.

[Confusedknitter]

(The pattern is in the video description by the way!)

[Gremlinsateit]

You should be ok with your wool that says 4 ply. 4 ply can also be called DK or worsted ... sometimes ... the US weight-based wool descriptions are very confusing to me as an old fashioned type! Don’t worry about the number of strands if the wool says it is 4 ply.

[Confusedknitter]

Thanks for answering! I just think that my piece of knitting seems very small in comparison to the knitting she is doing?

[Confusedknitter]

I’m using this: www.woolwarehouse.co.uk/yarn/king-cole-big-value-baby-dk-all-colours

[Confusedknitter]

Oops no I’m NOT using that sorry...

[Confusedknitter]

THIS is what I’m using...
www.woolwarehouse.co.uk/yarn/king-cole-big-value-baby-4-ply-all-colours

(4 ply, not DK like the last one)

[TheWoollybacksWife]

The number 4 on the ball band is an American yarn grade and equates to worsted (I don't think there is an exact UK equivalent - possibly Aran) - worsted is a bit thicker than DK

Don't worry about using the yarn that you've bought. As long as you use the same type of yarn for everything it will be fine. It will be smaller than her version but everything will be in proportion.

[Confusedknitter]

Oh, okay. Thank you! If it will be in proportion then I guess it’a okay, I hope it will be just as durable? And the holes won’t be too big? I have 3mm needles like she said...

[ThisIsntMeHonestGuv]

That is confusing, as 4ply, dk and worsted are three different thicknesses of yarn. But the needn't size mentioned suits 4ply best out of those.

The worst case scenario is that the bears are a little smaller than you are hoping, but the yarn will work fine.

[TheWoollybacksWife]

You might need to use even thinner needles than she suggests. She's using thinner needles than the recommended size for the thickness of yarn so that the stitches in the knitted fabric are close together and the fabric doesn't have as much give as it would if she used the bigger needles. This prevents the stuffing coming out of the bigger gaps and gives the finish product a stiffer feel.

[Bargebill19]

So long as your teddy is knitted in all the same weight yarn (4ply or dk etc) it will be fine. All that happens is the overall finished size will differ. So if your knitted one in 4ply one in Dk and one in chunky, you would get three different sized bears.
Join ravelry for free - lots of knitting advice/forums/chats and patterns. I think lovecrafts also has lots of ‘how to’ blog pages. If you can get to a wool shop, they may help you and be able to direct you to a knitting group. - as much as I love the internet and you tube I find being shown in real life ‘sticks’ in my mind better iyswim!

[Confusedknitter]

Amazing! Thank you all so much for your help!

[Bargebill19]

If you do have a problem with stuffing - use a pair of old tights. Cut and stitch a teddy, stuff it and place inside your knitted teddy - basically a ghost teddy liner to stop the stuffing from escaping.
It best practice to drop a needle size as @TheWoollybacksWife has suggested. But sometimes that produces a fabric you may not like - or (and this is me..) you so want to get the item knitted and don’t have time to wait for the next post/shop etc! When you gotta knit it you just gotta knit!!

[WitchesBritchesPumpkinPants]

The other thing you might need to watch (but I haven't read the pattern, just watched a couple of minutes of the video) is if she says knit legs until they're x inches/cm long You might want to reduce that slightly to keep them in proportion.

Good luck!

Please post a photo when you've finished one!!

[Confusedknitter]

Thank you I will definitely come back and post when I’ve finished one! It might take me a long time though - I really am a beginner!!

[SamanthaJayne4]

If you knit a square first you can see how many stitches and rows per inch/centimetre. You should always do this to check the tension. I never do but in this case it will let you know if you have the correct yarn or not. You can google American v British yarn weights and print it off for you to refer to. I have done this recently as I have a Bond Incredible Sweater Machine and the yarn weights are all American. I am not getting on with the machine at all!