She wrote the book Yarnitecture: A Knitters Guide to Spinning: Building Exactly the Yarn You Want so she could use all of the fiber words. Thank you!!!! A fluffy woolen wool blanket In fact, I rarely do. The sweater turned out too big and too heavy, so it drooped until it hung from my shoulders like a circular tablecloth with a hole in the middle. This is a new day for me. Combed top can be used to make yarns for items that are still going to be warm, like a hat, it just will not have the insulating ability of a yarn spun woolen, but will be stronger than a woolen spun yarn. A 100% wool sweater will look different from a sweater made from linen or bamboo fiber. US 6 - 8 or 4 - 5mm. Lets use the Profiterole Hat for an example again. This will save me a lot of headache as well as trial and error. One method is not better or worse than the other - just different. These two spinning techniques are also the basic, standardized methods employed in commercial yarn production though, as noted in Knitting in the Old Way by Priscilla A. Gibson-Roberts and Deborah Robson, more and more spinning mills today follow a hand spinning approach to commercial spinning, adapting processing and spinning techniques to enhance the natural characteristics of a particular fiber or to achieve a yarn well-suited for specific kinds of knitted fabric. Categories Knitting Design, Knitting Tips and Tricks, Home The Knitters Guide to Yarn Substitution, Stretch Into a Cozy Fall Wardrobe with the Pandiculation Cowl, Yarn Substitution for the Knit Sweater: A Designers Perspective. worsted-spun. Worsted is a high-quality type of wool yarn. As you might have guessed, most worsted-spun yarns are not ideal for felting (fibers which are all perfectly aligned are difficult to felt! These are actually a scaled down version of the historical combs, but having handled a pair I can tell you that they're still seriously heavy to handle. The difference in these two yarns are mainly due to two factors; (1) the nature or class of wool used; and (2) the method of preparing and spinning the fibres into yarn. Thank you! Since it doesn't have air, it does not tend to be "fuzzy". September 2013 On the other hand, dont feel bad if you just want an easy knit without too much thinking involved. So at my LYS how can I tell from the label on the yarn? August 2015 So, what ply is worsted weight yarn? February 2021 Last fall when I traveled to the Taos Wool Festival, I discovered a remarkable cormo yarn from Elsa Wool Company. 2.22 yds UK Sherry 100% Spun Silk Fabric Luxury Suiting 9 oz Apricot 80" BTP . Although there is broad agreement about the extremes of woolen and worsted spinning, no firm consensus exists on what precisely defines the vast middle. Combing was traditionally done on large heavy combs, and was done by men. Before you go subbing in your new yarn, though, think about the following issues. I won't give you all the details, but before finishing there was already a significant difference in diameter; the worsted (dark) measured as 17 WPI, while the woolen (light) measured as 12 WPI. Worsted yarn = worsted prep + worsted spin Semi worsted = woolen prep + worsted spin Woolen = woolen prep + woolen spin Semi woolen = worsted prep + woolen spin Examples of worsted spinning would be short forward and short backward drafting. The twisted singles are then plied together on the twisting frame Arbor is comprised of three plies, while Vale is comprised of two. September 2021 November 2018 On the other hand, the woolen fabrics hold creases and shape well and are more durable. Great article! $43.99 + $10 . Select an optionAlabamaAlaskaArizonaArkansasCaliforniaColoradoConnecticutDelawareDistrict Of ColumbiaFloridaGeorgiaHawaiiIdahoIllinoisIndianaIowaKansasKentuckyLouisianaMaineMarylandMassachusettsMichiganMinnesotaMississippiMissouriMontanaNebraskaNevadaNew HampshireNew JerseyNew MexicoNew YorkNorth CarolinaNorth DakotaOhioOklahomaOregonPennsylvaniaRhode IslandSouth CarolinaSouth DakotaTennesseeTexasUtahVermontVirginiaWashingtonWest VirginiaWisconsinWyomingArmed Forces (AA)Armed Forces (AE)Armed Forces (AP). The dead giveaway of the woolen-ness of Empire is the blip of fiber sticking out. yarns. This article is so well written and I love how you explain how the type of yarn will effect the finished product. Wool is warm and lightweight and takes dyes well. January 2016 Its important to know WPI because there is room for variation within each of the yarn weight categories. December 2022 At Brooklyn Tweed, we employtwo basic spinning methods that occupy either end of this broad spectrum of possibility: woolen-spinning and worsted-spinning. Generally, the higher the ply number the thicker the yarn. If you end up having to make a major substitution, remember that plant fibers tend to be heavier than animal fibers. Chickens Extremely helpful! The compression of a worsted draft puts more individual fibers into a length of yarn, making it heavier. I just started stranded colorwork and this with your swatches is a good resource. The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. June 2019 November 2020 Miss Babs has an orderly line. Most people whove knit the hat have substituted yarns, but if they didnt use one with a halo like the silk-mohair, they sometimes found that the resulting fabric was too loose. The worsted process means mixing all short hairs out of fabric. Sometimes, even after all that, you still might not be sure whether the yarn you want to substitute will work for your project, check out other peoples projects. To aid you in making an informed choice when choosing between woolen-spun and worsted-spun yarns for your future projects, below is a general guide to the kinds of fabrics you can achieve with either kind. Spun/plied 10:1. So much yarn, so many choices the Lust Factor will now have a bit more knowledge backing it up! However, you may visit Cookie Settings to provide controlled consent. If either of these fibers is in your yarn, no matter how worsted and smooth it is spunit will become a fuzzy yarn. According to Clara Parkess The Knitters Book of Yarn, spinning or adding twist to the fiber while it is in a jumbled state (in other words, in a woolen-preparation) is one key aspect of woolen-spun yarns. Theyre lofty yarns, so they make lightweight, absorbent fabrics, Elsa Hallowell says, which feel cooler when its warm and very cozy when its cold. www.wool-clothing.com, Content: 100% pure virgin wool Put-Up: 170yd [155 m]/1 3/4 oz [50 g] Construction: 2-ply Care: Handwash gently in lukewarm water Recommended Gauge: 24 sts = 4 (10cm) on sizes 35 (3.253.75mm) needles, Flywheel is a sportweight version of Harrisvilles well-loved Watershed. A woolen yarns loose, lofty structure traps and holds air, making it warm and light, but the air between the fibers allows them to abrade quicker. In the pictures, the woollen spun samples all seem bigger that the worsted spun. This Targhee-Columbia wool blend comes from Wyoming sheep, and the fiber is fleece-dyed (dyed before spinning), which is made visible in Shelters thirty-two heathered colorways, especially the darker ones with lighter hues intermixed. Worsted yarns are spun with all the fibers aligned, making a smooth and dense yarn with more sheen and drape. This post of part of my Spinning with a Purpose series, sharing swatches I've created for a. Your best bet is always to know how to make the substitution yourself. Compared with worsted yarns with the same specifications, worsted core-spun yarns have the following advantages: 1. January 2022 Are they going in parallel or perpendicular? In this installment of our Foundations series, we explain the differences between how our woolen-spun and worsted-spun yarn families are produced, as well as describe the different kinds of fabrics one can achieve with either kind of yarn. However, roping is more commonly used to refer specifically to this stage inwoolen-spinning mills. And you explained the difference between woolen vs worsted very well!! You can read more about the ranges of WPI for each yarn weight on the Craft Yarn Councils website. As such, for our woolen-spun yarns, the strands of roping are simply loaded on a spinning frame, where they are concurrently drafted, twisted, and wound onto bobbins to become singles for plying. July 2018 Dyed: United States. Thank you! . The problem is that theyre not as durable as multi-ply yarn. Fine worsted wool is even seen in clothing for athletics. Jillian Moreno spins, knits and weaves just so she can touch all of the fibers. August 2022 But it made a noticeable difference to the feel of the swatch in my hand. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. *Membership cannot be purchased with Gift Cards. 4.5 sts / inch on size US 8. Thank you! March 2020 Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. Choose from twenty rich rustic heathers and support the Hydropower Project with your purchase. Then repeat the gauge swatching process. New spinning innovations have produced wind and waterproof wool fabrics. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience. Use top to spin semi worsted. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. The distinctions between these has been a mystery to me until now. Worsted wools are slick when woven, woolen wools are knitted, crocheted, or woven into softer, fluffier fabric, or fulled fabric. This leaves both short and long fibers which are at different angles. Appreciate the info. Yarns which Stretch The yarn is spun using the woolen process. Shelter is Brooklyn Tweed's first yarn, and one of the most well-loved - a worsted weight, woolen-spun Targhee-Columbia wool, sourced, dyed, and spun entirely in the USA. Knit using the same needles and in the same style that youll be knitting the garment (i.e., flat or in the round). Contains spam, fake content or potential malware, Free Resin Jewelry Video: Yupo Paper, Alcohol Inks, and Resin, Knitting-Themed Artists We Love: Inspiration from Fiber & Needles, Celebrating Beadwork Artists on International Womens Day. Now, Cotton-Ease was a perfectly good yarn (its since been discontinued, alas). Great visuals and explanations. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. I wonder if it is related to the tendancy of woollen-spuns to bloom? Wool fabrics can be classified by their production technology the worsted and woolen one. Now I can shop for yarn with a little more knowledge. Thedoffer, a large cylinder at the delivery end of the carder, then relays the batt into acondenser, which splits the batt into several thin, untwisted strands calledropingorslivers(sly-vers). Because the fibers are parallel, worsted spun yarns are denser and less airy than woolen spun. The squeeze of drafting a yarn worsted brings fibers closer, for greater depth of color, and the smoothness of the surface reflects light, intensifying the color and shine. July 2020 This is a fantastic article and helped me to understand in the ins and outs so clearly however, even after refreshing Im getting broken links for all the in article photos what happened? Once its dry, use a measuring tape to determine how many stitches and rows you have in a 4 square area. I guess I thought it referred to the ply, like 4-ply. Thats because yarn weight is one of the key elements that affects the gauge of your knitting. Maybe you have moral or ethical concerns about the recommended yarn company, or maybe you just dont like the recommended yarn, or maybe youve got another yarn you really like that youd rather use instead. The term 'Worsted' doesn't only define the yarn weight, it also indicates a wool processing method. Maurice Brassard Cotton Computer Color Numbers. Understand that some designers are buried in messages. November 2016 January 2015 Many commercial yarns are spun with the worsted style. Learn how your comment data is processed. April 2015 Two different systems are followed in wool processing, the woolen system, and the worsted system. Raw, dirty & weedy alpaca is what I'm practicing this woolen technique I am learning, from rolags. But once knitted and blocked, a further bloom will take place, and the resulting fabric will be light and lush; cozy and insulating. So what difference does it make, why bother to think about spinning technique and processing type before spinning? If youre really comfortable with doing a lot of math, making adjustments on the fly, and pulling out your work if you decide you dont like how it works, then feel free to experiment with a yarn of a different gauge. This page is a godsend . Also in pilling and other aspects. the fiber(s) used. Scouring,the process in which fleece is cleaned, removes dirt and excess lanolin from the raw wool. Heres what woolen and worsted mean to your knitted sweaters and accessories. After steaming, which allows the fibers to relax into their newly twisted state, the singles of twisted yarn are then loaded on a twisting frame to be plied together both Shelter and Loft are comprised of two singles gently twisted together to create a two-ply yarn.>. Be sure to use the stitch indicated in the pattern when it tells you how gauge was measured. yarn weight is one of the key elements that affects the gauge, Shoes for Showing Off Handknit Socks: Six Suggestions. Woolen spun wears like iron without the amount of pilling common to worsted spun yarns. May 2020 Its an old method too and goes well with fiber that has been prepared for spinning by hand. Thank you Jagger Spun for the information! Wrap your yarn firmly, but not tightly, around the item for at least a few inches, and then set it down next to the ruler. I finally understand what worsted and wollen mean. Jill, I am a newbie to crochet and knitting, so this information is wonderful!