A light bulb has definitely gone on for me. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience. Spun In Maine. This was the only blog with a long windup that was not only worth the read but also genuinely funny rather than trying too hard. 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. Stitch definition. Now I know. Many people ask us about the process and the type of yarn we produce. The fibers in stitches knit from woolen-spun yarn seem to literally bloom into the space theyre given. . Woolen and worsted are two different classifications of wool fabrics and yarn. I hope you found time to explore your stash, and perhaps enhance it with yarns of different breeds. Thank you so much! Wool Yarn Wool is the dense, warm , soft, often curly hair forming coat of sheep, also called a fleece. Thank for for such a coherent explanation (and the pretty swatches really help too)! October 2020 Jo, You have a real gift. 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. March 2014 I learned about yarn substitution the hard way. Theyre the same weight, but theyre not made the same way. Some have a naturally rougher surface. Worsted spun yarns are smoother and have better stitch definition to make your cables and textured stitches pop. Loved the first video, and your video was brilliant, thank you so much. Thank you Jagger Spun for the information! Woolen yarn is dense and is often made from the shorter strands of a sheep's fleece. Over at Into the Whirled, the people come from all directions into the booth in a hullabaloo of shopping, woolen style. Sometimes, those individual strings are then twisted together to form a stronger, denser yarn. This approach makes for a lofty, lightweight yarn that traps warmth. I feel I finally understand the difference. Many commercial yarns are spun in this way, particularly sock yarns. The terms roping and sliver are often used interchangeably. Worsted is about both how you spin and how you (or your supplier) prep. June 2016 Thank you! Thanks for the clear and concise approach I get it now! It also explores the differences between woollen and worsted processing systems and products. August 2019 Knit using the same needles and in the same style that youll be knitting the garment (i.e., flat or in the round). Woolen spun is traditionally spun from carded rolags (this was the job small children carried out). 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. Not every woolen-spun yarn has a rougher surface, and not every worsted yarn is smooth. Just like cotton worsted is not always better than woolen. June 2019 It makes yarn that is smooth and dense. Fascinating! The Vs of stockinette are sharp, the bumps of moss are plump and clear and the holes in the lace are wide open. Case in point, hobby lobbys I love this yarn and their soft secret are both worsted, but one is 4 ply and the other 3 ply. Select an optionAlabamaAlaskaArizonaArkansasCaliforniaColoradoConnecticutDelawareDistrict Of ColumbiaFloridaGeorgiaHawaiiIdahoIllinoisIndianaIowaKansasKentuckyLouisianaMaineMarylandMassachusettsMichiganMinnesotaMississippiMissouriMontanaNebraskaNevadaNew HampshireNew JerseyNew MexicoNew YorkNorth CarolinaNorth DakotaOhioOklahomaOregonPennsylvaniaRhode IslandSouth CarolinaSouth DakotaTennesseeTexasUtahVermontVirginiaWashingtonWest VirginiaWisconsinWyomingArmed Forces (AA)Armed Forces (AE)Armed Forces (AP). You are however spinning long draw, which is a more woolen type of draft and will be trapping more air in the yarn. 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. Theres also Wuthering Heights Tom Hardy, just saying. www.blackeryarns.co.uk, Content: 100% Cormo wool Put-Up: 350 yd [320 m]/4 oz [113 g] Construction: 2-ply Care: Handwash gently or machine wash without agitation; dry flat, Elsawool creates both woolen- and worsted-spun yarns, all from the soft wool of purebred Cormo sheep, available in natural undyed colors. The woolen singles were a little thicker and less consistent, so this isn't surprising. Snippets is the Saturday newsletter full of MDK news, specials, and first look at new offerings. Thank you, youre a great explainer. Raw, dirty & weedy alpaca is what I'm practicing this woolen technique I am learning, from rolags. This is a new day for me. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. I like to use a pencil. 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. Its more precise than the yarns weight category of fingering, DK, bulky, etc. September 2016 Worsted noun. 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. I did not know this was the difference in certain types of yarn. Using the ruler, measure how many times the yarn wraps around the item in the span of one inch. As modern spinners we can now get some much smaller and lighter combs, but combing is still a real physical workout. They are the same weight and have the . The yarn is less hairy than worsted yarns. Keep up with her exploits at jillianmoreno.com. There are two basic ways of drafting fiber by hand or by machine: worsted draft or woolen draft. $43.99 + $10 . This is the type of information that makes a knitter more knowledgable about our purchases. If you compare those to the recommended yarns details, youll have a better sense of whether the substitution will work. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Thanks. Woollen Yarn Woollen yarn is spun using a short staple fiber prepared by handcarding and rolled into rolags. Thats especially true if youre knitting a small, close-fitting garment like a sock or mitt. Worsted spun is smooth, while woolen spun is a little more rustic. Oh thats right! The Empire (on the right) is less consistent, and looks a little puffier. The same process squeezes out the air making it not as warm. Copyright 2014-2023. 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. Woolen yarn consists of fibers of varying length that are carded so the fibers are not parallel. Everyone already said what I wanted to, so Ill just add that Tom Hardy is my Happy Place, no matter how hes spun. But its so difficult to choose between the two Tom Hardys. Yarns which Stretch So at my LYS how can I tell from the label on the yarn? Maybe youre trying to use up some of your stash. Thanks. December 2018 This page is a godsend . March 2020 Im usually a picker, and I never pull from the center of a ball. To measure WPI, take out a ruler and an item of uniform thickness that you can wrap your yarn around. Woollen spun woven fabrics are thicker and heavier and used mostly for outerwear. If you are unsure or curious about the outcome of a particular stitch pattern, swatch it. Jillian Moreno spins, knits and weaves just so she can touch all of the fibers. 4.5 sts / inch on size US 8. While the definitions of woollen and worsted yarns can be debated, each style of yarn has a very distinct physical appearance when knitted, crocheted, or woven into cloth. This was a grat posting. 20Nm/1 100% Merino Worsted Wool Yarn with Single Anti-shrink for Knitting and Weaving.yarn Patterns: raw white/yarn dyed/top dyed Styles: worsted/woolen Technics: ring spun Use: knitting, weaving Feature: single anti-shrink Evenness: USTER Different twists for weaving and knitting Yarn count: 20Nm/1 Wool top:24 micron Used for sock Color: solid color, suitable for all colors MOQ of sample . Try yarnsub.com or ask LYS staff. US 6 - 8 or 4 - 5mm. Absolutely excellent article and the illustrations are superb and helpful. Because our yarns are washed in the hand-dying process some blooming has already occurred. Most people define semi-worsted as spinning worsted using carded fibers while spinning the way you would for worsted yarn. Worsted style spinning got me 183 yds from 4 oz. Lisas List: 10 Reasons Knitting Is Better Than Dating, Spurned Gifts: When Knit & Crochet Gifts Went Wrong. I have been knitting for awhile and have yet to use the yarn recommended by a designer for various reasons. The type of yarns also depends on how they spun. It's then spun with the twist entering the drafting zone in a long draw technique. This is an excellent article and explanation. And you explained the difference between woolen vs worsted very well!! When prepared in a worsted-style, the fibers also tend to spin up more tightly, resulting in greater tensile strength and resistance to abrasion. Countryside Generally speaking, plant-based materials will be heavier than animal fibers. January 2017 When spinning the fiber the long draw or medium draw technique is used to allow the fiber to wrap upon itself while . 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. This is a more subtle detail, but depending on the type of project youre making, it can be significant. New spinning innovations have produced wind and waterproof wool fabrics. December 2015 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. Woolen yarns are good for products like tweeds, while worsted yarns are best for smooth fine gaberdines. Usually with terms like But not always. 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. Heres a thread on Ravelry discussing it: https://www.ravelry.com/discuss/techniques/3930171/1-25, Really impressed by the author. Ok, first up lets look at how the fibres are running in to the yarn. FO's (See my Jamieson & Smith Jumper Weight vs a worsted crepe swatch.) One method is not better or worse than the other just different. 2.83 yds Holland Sherry WOOL Fabric Luxury worsted Suiting 10 oz Plaid 102" BTP. When dyed the same color, woolen and worsted drafted yarns wont look the same. 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December 2022 Spin: Worsted or Woolen How a yarn is spun affects a yarn's weight and crimp. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. July 2015 Woolen yarn is less durable as compared to worsted yarn which may last longer. Ive been knitting for 15 years and never knew any of this! Then you compare that to the ratio of another yarn with a similar fiber content. July 2017 August 2020 Since it doesn't have air, it does not tend to be "fuzzy". So, and this is without seeing your yarn, your drafting, or the fibre, it's probably a lofty semi-worsted yarn. 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. When this "worsted spun" yarn is woven it produces fabric with these qualities unlike the more common woolen-spun wool yarns available to handweavers. It was a cotton-acrylic blend that was great for items that will get heavy use. The yarn on the left has multiple strands of yarn plied together, while the yarn on the right is a single ply of fiber. Native Twist is available in twenty-nine bold, earthy, and jewel-toned solid colorways. Twist is the magic that makes fiber into yarn, and drafting is how the twist gets into the fiber. Worsted wools are slick when woven, woolen wools are knitted, crocheted, or woven into softer, fluffier fabric, or fulled fabric. November 2013 They are the same weight and have the same number of plies. And I also now understand my past failures a little better haha! Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. The packing-in of the fiber as worsted yarn is made allows the fibers to protect each other for longer wear and less pilling. 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. Appreciate the double check. Cheers and Thanks. Its not just the beautiful dyeing. Thank you for an excellent and informative article, Jill! I really appreciate you using Tom Hardy as an analogy. August 2015 Color. This means that they'll have very clear stitch definition, as opposed to woollen spun yarns which have a softer stitch definition. The simple, pure honesty of her yarns, paired with a buttery softness and delicate texture, enchanted me. Thanks for explaining the difference, it's interesting to see those subtle contrasts between the stitching! Instead of carding the fibres they're combed. Does it make that much difference to your gauge? The Empire is more uneven looking, a little airier as well as fuzzy. October 2021 Great article and most helpful. PHONE: Toll Free 1-800-483-8749 Our most popular workhorse yarn is the Heritage two-ply, but if you want even more wear, the Tuffy is an 80/20 blend of wool and nylon. Heritage comes in forty-five colors of the rainbow, including plenty of neutrals and heathers. The name derives from Worstead, a village in the English county of . That doesnt happen when fiber is being compressed and smoothed while it becomes a worsted drafted yarn; that happens when the twist limbos into the fiber. 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. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. You can read more about the ranges of WPI for each yarn weight on the Craft Yarn Councils website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. There is a great site called yarnsub which compares most if not all of these elements and suggests alternatives. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you. Getting a yarn thats labeled with the same weight as the previous yarn is only part of the challenge, though. A worsted spun yarnwhere fibers are smoothed and air is squeezed out while it's twisted into yarnmakes a heavier yarn, since the crimp doesn't have much space to move around. July 2018 4/9. Woolen yarns have variable fiber arrangement In woolen spun yarns the fibers are running in multiple directions, like a cloud. The Windham is more uniform and sleek looking even with the inherent visual softness of the Merino fiber. July 2016 Combing the jumbled fibers aligns them in a parallel fashion and also removes shorter fibers for uniform length. April 2015 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. December 2017 Compared with worsted yarns with the same specifications, worsted core-spun yarns have the following advantages: 1. So, what ply is worsted weight yarn? 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. Woolen spun yarns are in the production of sweaters, carpets, tweeds. I have saved this post as I will go over it again and again. I guess I thought it referred to the ply, like 4-ply. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. I sort of knew all of this but your explanation and illustrations pulled my knowledge all together. One method is not better or worse than the other - just different.