Hand washing any item made from delicate yarns or crochet thread is absolutely a must!

The appearance of a garment is also affected by the weight of the yarn, which describes the thickness of the spun

Camel comes from the two-humped or Bactrian camel. Camel hair cannot be bleached, so it is either used undyed or dyed a darker color. It is lightweight and fragile.

Wool comes from a domesticated sheep. Wool accepts dye well, is flame-retardant by nature, remains warm even when wet, sheds water better than other yarns. Natural wool should be hand-washed. Superwash wool has been treated to allow machine washing. Wool will usually resume its proper shape when washed correctly; if it is mistreated and washed in too-hot water, it will shrink or felt.

(intarsia, for example), busy small-scale patterns of color (such as Fair Isle), or both

(although it does recover some when dried in a automatic dryer.)

Vicuna comes from the vicuna, a South American relative of the camel. They are rounded up once a year and shorn like ls or sheep; their hair is finer than any other animal yarn.

Dont ruin weeks and even months of work by subjecting your hard work to the harsh action of your

fiber. The thicker the yarn, the more visible and apparent stitches will be; the thinner the yarn, the finer the texture.

A mode of arranging the threads in sewing, knitting or crocheting

Polyester is the most common type of synthetic yarn. Yarn made from it retains its shape.

by the knitting. It sheds from its cut edges. Knit with another yarn to prevent holes after a while.

The length and quality of the fiber in a knitting yarn determines its texture, luster, strength and hand..

Tightly twisted knitting yarns display the texture of a knitted pattern to its best advantage. If youre working with a variety of leftover yarns and youre concerned about different weights,

2 strands of sport weight yarn = 1 strand of worsted weight

you may sell

so decreases over time. It is comfortable to wear in a cool climate but not a hot one

than cotton in hot temperatures. It is easier to wash than wool and does not stretch or shrink.

Slub knitting yarn has a textured, lumpy suce. It has a smooth ply and one that was spun unevenly,

as it may, fine ribbon-knitting keeps each stitch as flat and smooth as possible.

Cotton is heavy, dense and inelastic; although it will regain its shape after washing, its ability to do

The yarn burns readily unless treated and will shrink in moist heat.

Cotton comes from surrounding the seeds in a cotton pod.

It absorbs moisture better than cotton and dries more quickly, it more comfortable to wear

Alpaca is a smaller relative of the l but its hair is more commercially valuable. Knitting yarn does not felt or pill easily. It comes in fifteen natural colors (as do the alpacas) and is denser than wool . The undercoat of a l is very similar to alpaca hair.

They are resilient, moderately strong, somewhat inelastic, feel good to the hand and are light in weight.

Mohair comes from an Angora goat. Mohair is durable, sheds dirt, dyes well and does not felt easily. Despite its hardiness, it is usually spun into knitting yarn used for fluffy garments and scarves. This knitting yarn is abraded, roughing its fibers to create that fuzzy look.

Polyester is very easy to wash and is more comfortable to wear than many other synthetics.

Silk is the yarn produced by silk moths. Silk knitting yarn is made from damaged silk cocoons and broken fibers. Raw silk still has the original moth secretions in it. Tussah, silk obtained from wild moths is brown. The food fed to domesticated moths determines their silks natural color; this can white, green or yellow. Silk retains heat, absorbs moisture, pills less than wool, is very strong and very stable when knit, neither shrinking or stretching.

Color

Yarns containing a mixture of fiber lengths are softer, fuzzier and less strong.

Rayon is a weak fiber but it is absorbent, dries quickly, and stretches

the bric will pill, abrade and does not wear well.

It twists while being knit because it has no oppositely-twisted plies to counteract the twist imparted

However, acrylics cannot wick away moisture from the body so their warmth diminishes when wet.

When the yarn is knitted, these filaments stick out from the bric and give it a furry look.

multiple colors. Some yarns are dyed to be either variegated (changing color every few stitches in a random shion)

Plenty of finished knitting projects never use more than a single color of yarn, but there are many ways to knit in

Cashmere comes from the undercoat of a Cashmere goat. It is so expensive because only a few ounces are obtained from each goat per year. It is such a delicate yarn, more fragile than wool and more susceptible to abrasion, that it is usually blended with wool to make it more durable.

It is usually combined with wool to impart its strength and elasticity to the wool.

Ribbon yarn is just that: thin ribbon used for knitting. Although most knitters let the yarn twist

often shed like a St. Bernard in a Georgia summer.

It makes a weaker knitting yarn than silk or linen but is stronger than wool.

washing machine or the harsh heat of your dryer.

(double knitting and slip-stitch color, for example).

Nylon is lightweight, strong, elastic, resists abrasion, does not stretch or shrink

while being knit. Once made up, the bric itself holds the fibers together; although warm,

It adds strength and resilience to natural yarns.