Great explanation, i aways spin long draw and card my alpaca, tearing long strips off of the batt, i would be interested in working out what type my yarn is. Shop our 50% Off Online Workshop Sale! The Classic British Wool yarn line is available in four thicknesses and fifteen heathered colorways. One method is not better or worse than the other - just different. I choose to support local and indie yarners and dont mind spending big $$ on yarn if I understand it will fit the intended project. I once had it explained very simply: Woolen spun yarns are like bedhair in the morning - going every which way, and worsted spun are like hair after it's been combed. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. December 2022 The semi-woolen swatch weighed 4.5 g versus 4.3 g for the woolen-spun - not a huge difference in a swatch of this size. This is so helpful and interesting not to mention how easy to understand. 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. 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. I just started stranded colorwork and this with your swatches is a good resource. When you look at yarns, hunting for worsted vs. woolen, some are obvious from across the yarn shop. Wool is readied by washing (lanolin is the by-product), carding, sometimes combing, then spinning. Worsted-spun yarns, on the other hand, are smoother and knit up into fabrics with greater drape and stitch definition. Congratulations on shedding light on these two styles of spinning that are so confusing for many spinners. It does however produce a lot of waste fibres (though those can still be carded for a more textured yarn). This post of part of my Spinning with a Purpose series, sharing swatches I've created for a. It also explores the differences between woollen and worsted processing systems and products. Heres why: when the fibers in the yarn irregular in length and nestled together in every which way are soaked in water during the blocking process, they get the chance to relax, and then they readjust and mingle with each other even more as they dry, creating a solid and cohesive piece of fabric. Now that you know about how woolen and worsted yarns behave in knitted fabric, youll be able to choose the perfect pattern to complement your new yarn love. The twist brings air with it, and the surface isnt controlled by smoothing as it hits the fiber. Im trying to educate myself on the different weights of yarn and could only find worsted listed as a weight. 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. You can read more about the ranges of WPI for each yarn weight on the Craft Yarn Councils website. The worsted process means mixing all short hairs out of fabric. February 2017 Some have a naturally rougher surface. What Ply is Worsted Weight Yarn? Wool is warm and lightweight and takes dyes well. Finally I understand I sorta knew but didnt quite fit it into certain yarns I was knitting on, I always wondered . If either of these fibers is in your yarn, no matter how worsted and smooth it is spunit will become a fuzzy yarn. Just asking because s-on-s yarns produce a particular asymmetric shape when knitted. When you touch worsted yarn, it tends to feel heavier and very even, and it will be shiny if the fibers in the yarn are inclined that way. The next step after preparing the fiber is to add twist, as this is key to making yarn twist traps necessary energy and tension into the yarn, increasing strength and, in most cases, elasticity. Now I also know the difference when spinning too. You can see her producing rolags, and then using a navajo spindle to do a form of long draw. Thanks for the clear and concise approach I get it now! In this photo below you can see the 1ply Supreme (worsted) on the left has more of a halo whereas the 1ply Cobweb (woollen) on the right has better stitch definition - it almost feels like cotton although it is 100% wool. 140 yards/50 g. $15.50 each. Work your swatch until the swatch is about 4 long, and then bind off. Youll see two different yarns, one pale pink and one a creamy color. Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors. In this blog, we will take a closer look at worsted and woolen yarns and what sets them apart. Fiber and drafting traits together make yarn that is more woolen or worsted. To read the applicable privacy policy, please. We use cookies to optimize our website and our service. In the pictures, the woollen spun samples all seem bigger that the worsted spun. Great article and most helpful. Bees Combed worsted yarn is superior to carded woolen yarn in strength. Absolutely excellent article and the illustrations are superb and helpful. If its too tight (that is, more stitches per inch than it should have), try going up a needle size. Block it the same way you plan to block the finished knit item, and set it somewhere safe to dry. All of my Maine-spun yarns unlike typical worsted-spun yarns are low-twist, very soft, a little fuzzy, and apt to pill to some degree. Great information! May 2015 Theyve both got their benefits and drawbacks, which Ill cover next. This has just lit a light bulb in my head. If you ever created your own cord or unwound a hank of yarn, then that's the exact same process. It might be worth sacrificing a bit of cable definition to get a lighter, cozier feeling sweater. Your book will be one of the few in my library, as I want those that provide me the knowledge to choose and knit wisely. 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. Does it make that much difference to your gauge? You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. Fascinating! January 2017 Hours: Mon-Fri from 9am-4pm MT Both woolen and worsted spinning methods make beautiful yarns. The type of yarns also depends on how they spun. Woolen yarns are the ones you might find bits of hay in. Thank you, youre a great explainer. Snippets is the Saturday newsletter full of MDK news, specials, and first look at new offerings. . popular colorways Coal 12 stashed 19 projects Fig 4 projects 4 projects 3 stashed 3 projects 50 projects Snowbound 7 stashed 16 projects As an example, aran weight worsted spun wool is going to be heavier than aran weight woolen spun wool, so there will be fewer yards per 100 grams of the worsted spun wool . Yours has been my favorite series to date Im learning so much and feel like I can make better choices! That makes them a great choice for items that are going to get a lot of wear, like socks and sweaters. the fiber(s) used. Single-ply yarns are, to put it mildly, gloriously soft. Thank you. Woolen spun yarns are in the production of sweaters, carpets, tweeds. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. Very clear explanation of a new topic to me. Thanks for sharing. Scouring,the process in which fleece is cleaned, removes dirt and excess lanolin from the raw wool. FO's Please confirm you want to block this member. When youre choosing a substitute yarn, try to get one with a similar fiber content so your end result has the same fabric characteristics. The yarn is spun using the woolen process. The difference between worsted-spun and woolen-spun yarns lies in how the fiber is handled before the actual spinning. Thank you so much Katie. However, though the staple length of the wool is short the yarn is strong over the length of a single knit or purl stitch, so the fabric worked in these yarns will be cohesive and strong. Yarn tends to come in hanks, balls, skeins, cakes, and cones. I think it also helps to think of the woolen spun as grippier (as in grips more) since all the fibres are not tamed into a smooth yarn but are sort of sticking out all over. Yarn and fiber folks have an extensive vocabulary for many things, but we are really stuck on the word worsted. Going to send people to this. Because our yarns are washed in the hand-dying process some blooming has already occurred. Bonus points for great pictures to make everything visual and extra clear. They are both delightful, yet different. Dyed: United States. The yarn is spun using the woolen process. I feel like I can make better yarn/pattern matches and explain these variables to others who want me to knit for them and their only concern is color. January 2020 You cracked the egg for me.I want to read more of your writing. However, because commercial spinning techniques necessarily developed out of hand spinning techniques, the terms described here may also be familiar to our hand spinning friends or applicable to those interested in handspinning. November 2013 They are also stronger, more durable, and less prone to pilling. The other style invites the twist into the fiber, it lets the twist zip into the fiber with little to no control; twist is just tossed at the fiber. Perfect. When prepared in a worsted-style, the fibers also tend to spin up more tightly, resulting in greater tensile strength and resistance to abrasion. I learned about yarn substitution the hard way. Wonderful study! It resulted in a hat that was light as a cloud but still structurally sound and very warm. The worsted spinning method creates yarns that are smooth and durable, with superior stitch definition. I have saved this post as I will go over it again and again. Depending on their knowledge of spinning and yarns, it gets a bit tricky to articulate sometimes. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". Thank you!!!! googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('interstitial-ad');}); Save patterns, share updates, and connect with your community. That's how I learned to do yarn substitutions, too, and it was a hard and frustrating process. One other point about worsted vs. semi-worsted. In the woolen system, the fibers are carded and then spun It affects the processing efficiency as well as the quality of the product.This presentation has focused on wool spinning particularly woolen & worsted spinning process. Thank you so much! There are all sorts of reasons you might want to use a yarn thats different from what the designer recommends. Woolen-spun fibers, on the other hand, are not straightened; the individual fibers lie in all directions, creating a yarn with lots of air pockets. An extreme example is angora or mohair. The yarn is less hairy than worsted yarns. That ratio helps you understand how thick the yarn is. In side-by-side comparison of worsted and woolen yarns with the same fiber and yarn structure, the worsted yarn is more durable, less warm, and heavier than a woolen yarn. This was the clearest explanation regarding the what, why, and how of woolen vs. worsted spun I have come across. In tropical-weight worsteds, the use of tightly spun, straightened wool combined with a looser weave permits air to flow through the fabric. Our BWC Wisconsin Woolen Spun yarns are two-ply in both the fingering and worsted weight and are available in 100 gram skeins. June 2014 I made a sweater that is just too heavy and was hoping to be able to make it in a lighter weight yarn. May 2019 July 2017 Yarns which Stretch Is there a list? However, there are differences between worsted weight yarns and woolen yarns as well. www.briggsandlittle.com, Content: 100% American wool Put-Up: 140yd [128 m]/134 oz [50 g] Construction: 2-ply Care: Handwash; dry flat Recommended Gauge: 1720 sts = 4 (10 cm) on sizes 79 (4.55.5 mm) needles, Shelter is a medium-weight yarn that varies in gauge, working differently and beautifully on small to large needles. The packing-in of the fiber as worsted yarn is made allows the fibers to protect each other for longer wear and less pilling. The table below lists some of their properties: That is woolen drafting. I hope this will help you skip some of the hiccups! Semi worsted will give you more fluff to . That is worsted drafting. To measure WPI, take out a ruler and an item of uniform thickness that you can wrap your yarn around. Its an old method too and goes well with fiber that has been prepared for spinning by hand. Put up refers to what sort of shape/size bundle the yarn is in. 2.22 yds UK Sherry 100% Spun Silk Fabric Luxury Suiting 9 oz Apricot 80" BTP . These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. June 2016 Thank you for this lucid explanation and the swatches to illustrate it. The rub rollernext turns the sliver into roving and adds a false twist. March 2021 Ravelry has a searchable field for this info now, but unfortunately many yarnies/companies havent filled it in yet. from Brown Sheep Company. Compared to woolens, worsted wool fabrics are brushed in two directions with special brushes. Worsted-spun yarns are known for being more durable than their woolen-spun counterparts. 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? If you can use Ravelry, the project pages are very helpful. When a yarn is spun from a pile of fibers into a string, its turned a little bit as its stretched out to make a tubular shape. Woolen spun and worsted spun are references to the way the yarn is actually spun in the spinning process. March 2020 February 2020 Since it doesn't have air, it does not tend to be "fuzzy". The fibers of a worsted-spun yarn are first straightened and then oriented in the same direction, making the yarn smooth and shiny, which gives your knitted fabric lots of stitch definition. I'm glad to hear you found it useful. Woolen yarn consists of fibers of varying length that are carded so the fibers are not parallel. Now I can make better informed decisions when selecting yarns for a project, and now that next trip to my LYS will really become an adventure! March 2016 Then repeat the gauge swatching process. Worsted Spun vs. Woolen Spun. Now I know. BTW, I made a lovely airy lacy quite-warm shawl using reclaimed 100% cashmere of about cobweb weight, that I believe was woolen spun. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. Your email address will not be published. This definitely affects your choice for a project that will be steeked, but also for fair isle or intarsia colourwork where the woolen spun will fill in the gaps between stitches of different colours. Customer accounts enabled in your Store Admin. That pushes us in to the worsted end of the spectrum. Before beginning the process of spinning our woolen-spun yarns, the fiber is first cleaned and then dyed in the fleece. You may be wondering by now if one is better than the other. October 2013 As a result, generally they will pill more easily and develop holes sooner. March 2019 This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. Worsted-spun yarns are dense and strong. Module 1 Review of the woollen and worsted production systems re-caps on the differences between worsted versus woollen yarn production, the early operations prior to spinning and their aims. Worsted yarn is best used in outerwear, hats and mittens. The unique 12-ply construction means that garments drape beautifully and afghans and warm weather accessories have a cushiony soft bounce. You have made it so clear to me. The packing-in of the fiber as worsted yarn is made allows the fibers to protect each other for longer wear and less pilling. It will help a lot in future project planning. Color is usually lighter in a woolen drafted yarn. The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes. Using the ruler, measure how many times the yarn wraps around the item in the span of one inch. 3.5 oz ball / yards 245. knitting gauge: 5 stitches / inch on US 7. hand wash cold / lay flat to dry. Worsted weight yarn is a 10 ply yarn. NOW I KNOW. The woolen yarn fabrics do not hold the crease well and are less durable than worsted yarns. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Understand that some designers are buried in messages. October 2019 Never discount the yarn lust factor with yarn. Lisas List: 10 Reasons Knitting Is Better Than Dating, Spurned Gifts: When Knit & Crochet Gifts Went Wrong. I am so excited to have found this article today. May 2021 Really, it's totally personal preference. No need to go to the gym if you do an hours wool combing! February 2018 Worsted yarns are spun with all the fibers aligned, making a smooth and dense yarn with more sheen and drape. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. Use top to spin semi worsted. 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. October 2014 Yarn stashes are nice, but at some point, I become a yarn collector instead of a knitter if I never get projects done due to errors in purchases. Thank you!!! August 2022 May 2022 Eg: tweed. This is extra work youre asking them to undertake, and knitting patterns are already underpriced. Sign up for our email list and get 10% off your next order in the MDK Shop! Worsted-spun yarns, on the other hand, are smoother and knit up into fabrics with greater drape and stitch definition. This is an excellent article and explanation. 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. Woolen yarns are generally the least expensive industrial yarns to make. is traditionally spun from carded rolags (this was the job small children carried out). Heres what woolen and worsted mean to your knitted sweaters and accessories. During the Middle Ages, common agricultural practices were in flux because new breeds of sheep were being . This is because the fibers (compressed together in all directions, without combing) adhere more strongly to each other, This is a lightweight fabric, and, especially when knitted using Fair Isle technique, will long outlast a worsted spun garment. January 2021 Sometimes, those individual strings are then twisted together to form a stronger, denser yarn. Worsted yarns are smooth and dense, they tend to drape well and be much more lustrous. July 2015 Take a look at the picture in this section. The pattern called for an expensive, fingering-weight, linen yarn. eCommerce Website by Virtually Everything, Country / Region*Select a country / regionAfghanistanland IslandsAlbaniaAlgeriaAmerican SamoaAndorraAngolaAnguillaAntarcticaAntigua and BarbudaArgentinaArmeniaArubaAustraliaAustriaAzerbaijanBahamasBahrainBangladeshBarbadosBelarusBelauBelgiumBelizeBeninBermudaBhutanBoliviaBonaire, Saint Eustatius and SabaBosnia and HerzegovinaBotswanaBouvet IslandBrazilBritish Indian Ocean TerritoryBruneiBulgariaBurkina FasoBurundiCambodiaCameroonCanadaCape VerdeCayman IslandsCentral African RepublicChadChileChinaChristmas IslandCocos (Keeling) IslandsColombiaComorosCongo (Brazzaville)Congo (Kinshasa)Cook IslandsCosta RicaCroatiaCubaCuraaoCyprusCzech RepublicDenmarkDjiboutiDominicaDominican RepublicEcuadorEgyptEl SalvadorEquatorial GuineaEritreaEstoniaEswatiniEthiopiaFalkland IslandsFaroe IslandsFijiFinlandFranceFrench GuianaFrench PolynesiaFrench Southern TerritoriesGabonGambiaGeorgiaGermanyGhanaGibraltarGreeceGreenlandGrenadaGuadeloupeGuamGuatemalaGuernseyGuineaGuinea-BissauGuyanaHaitiHeard Island and McDonald IslandsHondurasHong KongHungaryIcelandIndiaIndonesiaIranIraqIrelandIsle of ManIsraelItalyIvory CoastJamaicaJapanJerseyJordanKazakhstanKenyaKiribatiKuwaitKyrgyzstanLaosLatviaLebanonLesothoLiberiaLibyaLiechtensteinLithuaniaLuxembourgMacaoMadagascarMalawiMalaysiaMaldivesMaliMaltaMarshall IslandsMartiniqueMauritaniaMauritiusMayotteMexicoMicronesiaMoldovaMonacoMongoliaMontenegroMontserratMoroccoMozambiqueMyanmarNamibiaNauruNepalNetherlandsNew CaledoniaNew ZealandNicaraguaNigerNigeriaNiueNorfolk IslandNorth KoreaNorth MacedoniaNorthern Mariana IslandsNorwayOmanPakistanPalestinian TerritoryPanamaPapua New GuineaParaguayPeruPhilippinesPitcairnPolandPortugalPuerto RicoQatarReunionRomaniaRussiaRwandaSo Tom and PrncipeSaint BarthlemySaint HelenaSaint Kitts and NevisSaint LuciaSaint Martin (Dutch part)Saint Martin (French part)Saint Pierre and MiquelonSaint Vincent and the GrenadinesSamoaSan MarinoSaudi ArabiaSenegalSerbiaSeychellesSierra LeoneSingaporeSlovakiaSloveniaSolomon IslandsSomaliaSouth AfricaSouth Georgia/Sandwich IslandsSouth KoreaSouth SudanSpainSri LankaSudanSurinameSvalbard and Jan MayenSwedenSwitzerlandSyriaTaiwanTajikistanTanzaniaThailandTimor-LesteTogoTokelauTongaTrinidad and TobagoTunisiaTurkeyTurkmenistanTurks and Caicos IslandsTuvaluUgandaUkraineUnited Arab EmiratesUnited Kingdom (UK)United States (US)United States (US) Minor Outlying IslandsUruguayUzbekistanVanuatuVaticanVenezuelaVietnamVirgin Islands (British)Virgin Islands (US)Wallis and FutunaWestern SaharaYemenZambiaZimbabweUpdate country / region, State* I am currently knitting with Empire and wondered what made me love it so much more than (another lovely but unnamed) yarn of the same gauge. In stockinette its *really* obvious. If your gauge is too loose (that is, fewer stitches per inch than it should have), try going down a needle size. February 2015 Also receive daily new post notifications, Superfun Giveaway: Celebrate BIPOC Designers, https://www.ravelry.com/discuss/techniques/3930171/1-25, https://garmentmerchendising.com/category/fiber/, https://www.thenaturalfibre.co.uk/blog/woollen-and-worsted-spun-yarns-thoughts-wovember#:~:text=A%20woollen%20spun%20yarn%20will,high%20proportion%20of%20short%20fibre. February 2014 So many Tom Hardys. The problem is that theyre not as durable as multi-ply yarn. I was moving too quickly on that one, clearly. Woolen and worsted are two different classifications of wool fabrics and yarn. However, you may visit Cookie Settings to provide controlled consent. Spinning Now, Cotton-Ease was a perfectly good yarn (its since been discontinued, alas). Woollen Yarn Woollen yarn is spun using a short staple fiber prepared by handcarding and rolled into rolags. You'll also want to identify whether the suggested yarn in the pattern is woolen spun or worsted spun. Spun/plied 10:1. 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. What a fascinating series of posts by Ms. Moreno! You might be able to get a good sense for what the project would look like in your chosen yarn or get inspiration for another yarn to use. The one on the left is woolen spun, and the one on the right is worsted spun. Share. July 2019 Id assumed it was me, but now I wonder if its my yarn? November 2018 So, and this is without seeing your yarn, your drafting, or the fibre, it's probably a lofty semi-worsted yarn. Yeah, were talking that level of soft. Today, Im talking about the last one. This exciting variety can be attributed to similarly multiple factors such as individual spinning style and preference, fleece and fiber characteristics, or even environmental considerations like humidity levels. Woolen yarns are good for products like tweeds, while worsted yarns are best for smooth fine gaberdines. Wuthering Heights Tom Hardy is the yarn that ran out when you were an inch from the finish. Woolen-spun yarns have a matte finish with a soft halo and lend themselves well to extra-warm projects that wont weigh you downperfect for camping trips! KitILove Worsted spun yarns are smoother and have better stitch definition to make your cables and textured stitches pop. Miss Babs has an orderly line. January 2015 This means it offers remarkable warmth and lightness and is adaptable in gauge, able to compress to a denser fabric on small needles or bloom to cohere as a gauzy fabric when worked on large needles. . Both types require different fiber preparation on spinning techniques. 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. . Does this happen with all yarns? I'm glad it was helpful to you! yarns. Worsted Yarn. You are however spinning long draw, which is a more woolen type of draft and will be trapping more air in the yarn. On the other hand, dont feel bad if you just want an easy knit without too much thinking involved. Lets use the Profiterole Hat for an example again. It could be youve got a set yarn budget and the designer used an expensive yarn that would blow your budget wide open. December 2017 Also softer than woolen yarn after carded. That little strand of silk-mohair yarn is important, because the mohair fibers catch on each other and lend stability to the fabric. Ah, you're right, thank you! Fine worsted wool is even seen in clothing for athletics. Maurice Brassard Cotton Computer Color Numbers. That, in turn, means youll have more trouble knitting a garment that will fit you right. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. Carding, and the rolling in to a rolag creates a spiral of wool fibres wrapping round the tube. You can also go to the (Ravelry link) yarn ideas tab to see what yarns other people have substituted. The term itself comes from the English town of Worstead in Norfolk England.
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