As a very new spinner (wheel) I found this article so informative and easy to understand. Its knit using one strand of fingering-weight wool yarn and one strand of lace-weight silk-mohair yarn. Theres also Wuthering Heights Tom Hardy, just saying. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. Worsted Spun vs. Woolen Spun. This causes the yarn to be light, airy with small fiber ends poking out. Great article! If you compare those to the recommended yarns details, youll have a better sense of whether the substitution will work. There are all sorts of reasons you might want to use a yarn thats different from what the designer recommends. Woolen fabrics are spun from short fibers, while worsted wool is made from longer and fine ones. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. The project aims to restore the hydropower installation to produce clean energy from the waterway that runs under the mill. Excellent article great swatch/photo examples too. A little history on worsted wool. I have just started spinning using a Navajo type spindle and I was unsure that I was l on the right lines. Woollen Yarn Woollen yarn is spun using a short staple fiber prepared by handcarding and rolled into rolags. Woolen spun and worsted spun are references to the way the yarn is actually spun in the spinning process. Thank you for a well written and useful article. The Empire (on the right) is less consistent, and looks a little puffier. Your email address will not be published. In this blog, we will take a closer look at worsted and woolen yarns and what sets them apart. 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. December 2014 Woolen spun yarns will bloom more after washing and are lighter and airier. However, you may visit Cookie Settings to provide controlled consent. Ok, first up lets look at how the fibres are running in to the yarn. Choose from twenty rich rustic heathers and support the Hydropower Project with your purchase. April 2017 December 2013 That's how I learned to do yarn substitutions, too, and it was a hard and frustrating process. 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. It's much faster to spin wool because the fibres are not tidied up before you begin spinning. 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. Worsted yarn is best used in outerwear, hats and mittens. This means that they'll have very clear stitch definition, as opposed to woollen spun yarns which have a softer stitch definition. Trust me, they r super different in thickness. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. They are: Woolen and Worsted. 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. I have noticed that in even acrylic yarns, worsted is not the same. 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. The parallel alignment and uniform length of fibers prepared in a worsted-style also means that less fiber ends stick out in the yarn, making the bloom much less pronounced in these yarns when compared to woolen-spun yarns. However, the cost of carded woolen yarn is lower. Really, it's totally personal preference. Thank you, youre a great explainer. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. Semi-woolen is when combed fibers are spun in a way where the twist enters the fibers, usually when spinning from the fold. The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user. However, there are differences between worsted weight yarns and woolen yarns as well. Woolen yarns are made of carded yarns and are fuzzy and bulky. November 2016 . August 2018 Wuthering Heights Tom Hardy is the yarn that ran out when you were an inch from the finish. I am so excited to have found this article today. 3.5 oz ball / yards 245. knitting gauge: 5 stitches / inch on US 7. hand wash cold / lay flat to dry. The yarn is spun using the woolen process. If Im knitting a Fair Isle sweater and want it to be warm and have colors that are little blurred at the edges to blend well with each other. 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. Rhinebeck There is a lot of technical information about the differences between woolen spun and worsted spun yarn, which you can read about here on the MDK blog. In tropical-weight worsteds, the use of tightly spun, straightened wool combined with a looser weave permits air to flow through the fabric. This leaves both short and long fibers which are at different angles. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. But its so difficult to choose between the two Tom Hardys. 140 yards/50 g. $15.50 each. March 2015 That meant the hat could be knit at a much looser gauge than I would normally use for a fingering + lace combo. 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 most important thing when choosing a yarn substitute is to pick a new yarn that is approximately the same thickness, or weight, as the recommended yarn. The carder opens up the fiber and blends it evenly, resulting in a thin cloud- or web-like sheet commonly known as abatt. So the semi-worsted spinning gets you more yardage since the yarn is less . June 2019 What is Worsted Wool? Look at the picture that accompanies this section. January 2018 This approach makes for a lofty, lightweight yarn that traps warmth. Multiply that over the many inches of a knitted item, and well, you can see how subbing in a yarn with a WPI of 12 for a yarn with a WPI of 18 could be a bit of an issue. Worsted wool can be made up into many different cloths, which may be appropriate for suits, jacket and/or trousers. Thank you! Other linen yarns are wet spun linen and dry spun linen. This post of part of my Spinning with a Purpose series, sharing swatches I've created for a. Very good, educational description. One method is not better or worse than the other - just different. After being spun into yarn, our worsted-spun yarns are dyed in the skein. Original Yarns Thank you for there explanation. Over at Into the Whirled, the people come from all directions into the booth in a hullabaloo of shopping, woolen style. Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. Interesting point I would like to know that too! Thank you for this article. Safe home and already knitting a scarf . Worsted weight yarn is a 10 ply yarn. Shop Talk The weight makes it great for outerwear, and the texture and structure allow for beautiful felted work. This helped me understand the difference and will help me make better choices when picking a yarn to knit certain patterns. See, what I didnt understand at the time was the fine art of yarn substitution. Many commercial yarns are spun with the worsted style. Perhaps youve got a fiber allergy and need to switch to a yarn that wont irritate your skin. What a fascinating series of posts by Ms. Moreno! You explained it so well. 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. Desalegn Atalie. Worsted is about both how you spin and how you (or your supplier) prep. It is named after the small English village of Worstead, in the county of Norfolk and this village was a center for manufacturing in the twelfth century. Want to try out some wonderful wool yarns? Woolen yarns are spun with the fibers going every which way. If you cant, try searching the designs hashtag on Instagram. 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. This article is so well written and I love how you explain how the type of yarn will effect the finished product. It will stay in my notebook in my knitting bag. . February 2019 By clicking Accept, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. and now the skies are clear, the the clouds have drifted away, and the sun is shining! Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. Beautiful fibre you'll love to work with. Woolen yarn is dense and is often made from the shorter strands of a sheep's fleece. Because there is less air trapped in the spun fibers, the resulting yarn is dense, smooth and resistant to abrasion. Please refer to Blacker Yarns blog for an explanation: https://www.thenaturalfibre.co.uk/blog/woollen-and-worsted-spun-yarns-thoughts-wovember#:~:text=A%20woollen%20spun%20yarn%20will,high%20proportion%20of%20short%20fibre. 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. Spinning If its too tight (that is, more stitches per inch than it should have), try going up a needle size. All Rights Reserved. The packing-in of the fiber as worsted yarn is made allows the fibers to protect each other for longer wear and less pilling. Thank you for this insightful article. The fibers in stitches knit from woolen-spun yarn seem to literally bloom into the space theyre given. February 2017 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. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. I knit swatches of all four yarns in stockinette, moss stitch, and a simple lace stitch, and took close-up comparison photos of the worsted and woolen yarns overlapping. It also means woolen-spun yarns are warmer than their worsted counterparts as these air pockets help hold body heat. August 2013 The result of this woolen-style preparation and spinning is a yarn that retains the lofty, air-trapping qualities it had before spinning. If you divide the length of the yarn by the weight, you get a ratio. 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. 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. I like to use a pencil. Jill Drapers Windham (Merino wool, worsted spun) and Empire (Rambouillet wool, woolen spun) are perfect examples of that. Ive used it on a lot of projects since then. You also need to consider WPI. May 2021 August 2019 Spin: Worsted or Woolen How a yarn is spun affects a yarn's weight and crimp. Thank for for such a coherent explanation (and the pretty swatches really help too)! Dye baths are created using a precise calibration of dye, temperature, and water flow to protect the lofty, softness of the wool and to ensure the colors are repeatable with every new dye lot. 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! 100% wool. And now for the tricky, but crucial, part of yarn substitution: making sure you hit gauge. Well-twisted yarn spun of long-staple wool which has been combed to lay the fibers parallel, used for carpets, cloth, hosiery, gloves, and the like. I have saved this post as I will go over it again and again. No twist enters the fiber by itself. Fascinating! . Taking the spinning seminar from Cecilia Quinn I learned the difference between worsted and woolen is in the way the fibers were treated and spun. 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 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. Youve just figured out your yarns WPI. Your explanation of the 2 ends of the spectrum also makes it very easy to understand our process and resulting yarns. My question is how does one know whether a Yarn is worsted or woolen spun if one is not sophisticated enough to know just by looking? The unique 12-ply construction means that garments drape beautifully and afghans and warm weather accessories have a cushiony soft bounce. August 2016 Brooklyn Tweeds Arbor (Targhee wool, worsted spun) and Shelter (Targhee/Columbia wool, woolen spun) are perfect examples. 5 sts / inch on size US 7. Note: Notice how the individual plies of Arbor and Vale (shown above, top to bottom) appear more compacted and how the fibers in each single are oriented in the same direction. Have you ever pet a puppy in that super soft spot at the base of its ears? Twist is the magic that makes fiber into yarn, and drafting is how the twist gets into the fiber. Great information! The term itself comes from the English town of Worstead in Norfolk England. Then you compare that to the ratio of another yarn with a similar fiber content. On Instagram, just type #ProfiteroleHat into the search bar, and check out the other versions people have posted. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. This means, how many individual strands were used to form the thread. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. I was moving too quickly on that one, clearly. If you substitute with a yarn that is drastically thicker or thinner than the recommended yarn, you wont be able to achieve the right gauge. Please confirm you want to block this member. Worsted yarns are spun with all the fibers aligned, making a smooth and dense yarn with more sheen and drape. They may not be able to get to yours quickly, or even at all. Worsted yarn, made in the USA. This was the clearest explanation regarding the what, why, and how of woolen vs. worsted spun I have come across. You may be wondering by now if one is better than the other. Within woollen preparation the fibre is spun straight . 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. The twist brings air with it, and the surface isnt controlled by smoothing as it hits the fiber. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. . Just like cotton worsted is not always better than woolen. One other point about worsted vs. semi-worsted. To measure WPI, take out a ruler and an item of uniform thickness that you can wrap your yarn around. Woolen drafted yarn gives a texture and an overall softness and visual motion to all the stitches, something I like, but occasionally I find some small stitch repeat patterns get lost with woolen yarns. Heres an example of what I mean: in February 2020, I released the Profiterole Hat. Thanks. Designers chose yarns, in part, based on the fiber content, knowing that fiber content will affect the appearance of the garment. September 2018 Because of the density, a typical worsted yarn is thinner than a typical woolen yarn of the same ypp. yarns. That ratio helps you understand how thick the yarn is. July 2018 The best ways to get in touch with me are by messaging me on Ravelry or by sending an email to abeeinthebonnet (at) gmail (dot) com. Note: Notice how the individual plies of Loft, Quarry, and Shelter (shown above, top to bottom) appear wispy and how the fibers in each single are oriented in every direction and nestled together in a disorderly manner. The fibers are carded, or brushed, in a single direction and then tightly spun together, resulting in a yarn that is smooth and has a consistent thickness. 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. 4.5 sts / inch on size US 8. Try Ravelry and yarnsub.com, or phone the manufacturer (or ask your LYS owner to). June 2015 The yarn is less hairy than worsted yarns. Extremely helpful! This is the fun part about being a knitter who knows their yarn; its all up to you. Ive got the same question as an earlier commenter one leg of my knit stitches is tighter than the other. The main difference between spun yarn and filament yarn is that spun yarn is made from fibres with short discrete lengths and involve materials like cotton and wool while filament yarn is made from long, continuous filaments and involve materials like silk.. Yarn is a continuous strand of twisted natural or synthetic fibres. October 2013 The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. Your explanation is great, and reaffirms my decision to purchase your Yarnitecture book awhile back. There is a great site called yarnsub which compares most if not all of these elements and suggests alternatives. So at my LYS how can I tell from the label on the yarn? July 2015 It's then spun with the twist entering the drafting zone in a long draw technique. I am going to print this and use it, because this made me feel empowered by actual knowledge - my yarn purchases may take a bit longer as I review all of the yarns characteristics, but I have a much better sense of what I am doing! Worsted spun is smooth, while woolen spun is a little more rustic. September 2015 The yarn is spun using the woolen process. Thank you for helping me understand these yarn differencesthis will help me understand why one yarn will make me swoon, and another yarn, totally different, really makes my knees weak. Woolen yarns feel lighter, can feel textured and have a halo, and if the fibers like to be hairy or fuzzy, they will be flying their fuzzy freak flag. Semi-worsted at a similar wpi got me 83 yds/1.1 oz. Airy and soft, but fragile (because of the shorter staple and looser twist?). Color. Compared to woolens, worsted wool fabrics are brushed in two directions with special brushes. So what difference does it make, why bother to think about spinning technique and processing type before spinning? July 2021 Fiber and drafting traits together make yarn that is more woolen or worsted. We use cookies to optimize our website and our service. As with our woolen-spun yarns, fiber prepared for worsted-spun yarn is first scoured and then carded. December 2015 Great article! Closed Saturdays, Sundays and US Holidays, 2015- 2023 Lunatic Fringe Yarns - All Rights Reserved Those air pockets, combined with the jumbled state of the fibers, also make woolen-spun yarns amazingly adaptable to a wide range of needle sizes and gauges. You can also go to the (Ravelry link) yarn ideas tab to see what yarns other people have substituted. very smartly elaborated the article. Nature Spun Worsted is 100% US grown wool and it is spun and dyed in Mitchell, NE. 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. 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. The rub rollernext turns the sliver into roving and adds a false twist. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('interstitial-ad');}); Save patterns, share updates, and connect with your community. The amount of twist added when making individual plies of yarn is very important and can take the hand and behavior of the yarn in different directions. Two different systems are followed in wool processing, the woolen system, and the worsted system. But if the pattern calls for yarn from an indie dyer or one of the smaller manufacturers, it can be pretty hit or miss (I just checked for several of my favorites that I've used in designs this year, and nothing). The name derives from Worstead, a village in the English county of . Getting a yarn thats labeled with the same weight as the previous yarn is only part of the challenge, though. Think in terms of shopping at a fiber show. 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. Generally, the higher the ply number the thicker the yarn. Folks wait their turn to enter the booth and shop in a controlled way. June 2013 Its more precise than the yarns weight category of fingering, DK, bulky, etc. Spinningwithapurpose This is a new day for me. PHONE: 1-208-452-4948 Worsted spun is smooth, while woolen spun is a little more rustic. The yarn surface is brighter and cleaner. The table below lists some of their properties: Developed and spun in Springvale Maine, we are proud to present the Jagger Spun Collection. When you look at yarns, hunting for worsted vs. woolen, some are obvious from across the yarn shop. Both woolen and worsted spinning methods make beautiful yarns. This blooming also has the effect of softening and blending the appearance of your stitches rather like moss growing on a forest floor, in the words of Clara Parkes. When dyed the same color, woolen and worsted drafted yarns wont look the same. March 2014 Thank you so very much for the enlightening article and all the examples. June 2014 We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. 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. yarn weight is one of the key elements that affects the gauge, Shoes for Showing Off Handknit Socks: Six Suggestions. They also tend to have better stitch definition than single-ply yarns do. For example, a yarn labeled 2/fine (often known as fingering or sock weight) can have a WPI of anywhere from 12-18. January 2021 Worsted yarns are spun with all the fibers aligned, making a smooth and dense yarn with more sheen and drape. Then repeat the gauge swatching process. Theyve both got their benefits and drawbacks, which Ill cover next. November 2018 Countryside I dont believe a label gives this info. It had a lacy yoke, short sleeves, and a bit of swing at the hem. Please note: That little strand of silk-mohair yarn is important, because the mohair fibers catch on each other and lend stability to the fabric. Dogs Sign up for our email list and get 10% off your next order in the MDK Shop! But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience. Woollen and worsted yarn are two types of yarn that can be handspun. One of the most basic attributes of a yarn is woolen or worsted spun. Woolen spun yarns will bloom more after washing and are lighter and airier. Once its dry, use a measuring tape to determine how many stitches and rows you have in a 4 square area. Lets use the Profiterole Hat for an example again. Its not just the beautiful dyeing. Woollen yarns (upper) have a softer, more diffuse look whereas worsted yarns (lower) make very distinct stitch patterns. 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. Understanding helps tremendously and the side by side swatches were terrific. Worsted is a high-quality type of wool yarn. This carded wool from the initial fiber preparation is prepared further in a worsted-style through combing. This was a grat posting. 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