Woolen and Worsted yarns. The worsted yarn spinner uses wool fibres which have been combed and are of a certain length, that is, about 2 inches or more. The same process squeezes out the air making it not as warm. Once its dry, use a measuring tape to determine how many stitches and rows you have in a 4 square area. This is extra work youre asking them to undertake, and knitting patterns are already underpriced. There is a great site called yarnsub which compares most if not all of these elements and suggests alternatives. My substitutions have been just based intuition and have often resulted in less than desired results. No need to go to the gym if you do an hours wool combing! Thank you so very much for the enlightening article and all the examples. April 2020 April 2022 It will help a lot in future project planning. Other linen yarns are wet spun linen and dry spun linen. Heres what woolen and worsted mean to your knitted sweaters and accessories. Dyed: United States. 28 minutes. After picking, the fiber goes through acarder, a machine with several rolling cylinders covered in metal teeth. October 2017 The last time we spoke, it was about sheep breeds and just what all those different fuzzy-bottomed critters had to do with your knitting. The compression of a worsted draft puts more individual fibers into a length of yarn, making it heavier. 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. Brilliant exposition, Katie! Because of the density, a typical worsted yarn is thinner than a typical woolen yarn of the same ypp. The term itself comes from the English town of Worstead in Norfolk England. Looking at a strand, I can start seeing variation. How a yarn looks also depends on (did you read my last article?) Semi-worsted at a similar wpi got me 83 yds/1.1 oz. Very well spot on! In the videos below, I'm using hand carded alpaca. 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. So, and this is without seeing your yarn, your drafting, or the fibre, it's probably a lofty semi-worsted yarn. Perhaps youve got a fiber allergy and need to switch to a yarn that wont irritate your skin. Many commercial yarns are spun with the worsted style. 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. In tropical-weight worsteds, the use of tightly spun, straightened wool combined with a looser weave permits air to flow through the fabric. The worsted spinning method creates yarns that are smooth and durable, with superior stitch definition. Great visuals and explanations. Its more precise than the yarns weight category of fingering, DK, bulky, etc. Shelter is textured, and Arbor is smooth as silk. January 2015 Thanks. November 2013 You'll also want to identify whether the suggested yarn in the pattern is woolen spun or worsted spun. On the other hand, the woolen fabrics hold creases and shape well and are more durable. 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. February 2019 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 packing-in of the fiber as worsted yarn is made allows the fibers to protect each other for longer wear and less pilling. Woolen yarns are the equivalent of cotton carded yarns, and worsted yarns are the wool equivalent of combed cotton yarns, they get the extra process to make them higher quality. So well illustrated and explained. For many projects, it wont make much of a difference if youre switching yarn construction. 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. New spinning innovations have produced wind and waterproof wool fabrics. The difference between Woolen Spun and Worsted Spun. The difference between worsted-spun and woolen-spun yarns lies in how the fiber is handled before the actual spinning. 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. 5 sts / inch on size US 7. 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. The type of yarns also depends on how they spun. 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 great big AHA! Moment for me! 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. lovely wool yarn selection from Jagger Spun. Worsted Spun vs. Woolen Spun. If you're looking for something that's super warm but light, a woolen spun may be better. Finally I understand I sorta knew but didnt quite fit it into certain yarns I was knitting on, I always wondered . What you do need is to know what youre doing if you plan to change things up. Theyve both got their benefits and drawbacks, which Ill cover next. Woolen fabrics are spun from short fibers, while worsted wool is made from longer and fine ones. This yarn delivers on every account. Before you go subbing in your new yarn, though, think about the following issues. December 2017 If you can only achieve one, though, choose accurate stitch gauge. Woolen yarns are generally the least expensive industrial yarns to make. Original Yarns They are: Woolen and Worsted. The worsted process means mixing all short hairs out of fabric. May 2013, All This is a new day for me. Oh great now Im going to spend all day weeping for Wuthering Heights Tom Hardy and wondering what kind of yarn he was. 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. You are the Rachel Maddow of yarn, delving in at a granular level, exploring every detail, and explaining it all with an engaging writing style drenched in clarity. 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. Woolen yarn consists of fibers of varying length that are carded so the fibers are not parallel. . August 2015 Can you spot the other difference? Worsted is used to describe the thickness of a yarn (worsted weight), one way fibers are aligned before becoming yarn (worsted preparation), and how twist enters fiber to become yarn (worsted drafting). the fiber(s) used. However, roping is more commonly used to refer specifically to this stage inwoolen-spinning mills. Please allow a few minutes for this process to complete. Worsted Spun requires a very different fibre preparation, and spinning technique. Thank you for there explanation. I hope you enjoy your next project. Fine worsted wool is even seen in clothing for athletics. Chances are, from the end of your batt the fibres are being fed in to the yarn along the direction of the yarn, and not at 90 degrees. Because the yarn is smoother than woolen yarn, it will be less itchy when worn next to the skin, provided the fibers are not too coarse for comfort. Airy and soft, but fragile (because of the shorter staple and looser twist?). 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! https://garmentmerchendising.com/category/fiber/. 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. Any suggestions? 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. Some yarns are not so obvious. Put up refers to what sort of shape/size bundle the yarn is in. One other point about worsted vs. semi-worsted. The result of this woolen-style preparation and spinning is a yarn that retains the lofty, air-trapping qualities it had before spinning. 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. Generally speaking, plant-based materials will be heavier than animal fibers. How satisfying! The woolen singles were a little thicker and less consistent, so this isn't surprising. November 2021 To help you do that, Ive written out this guide to things you should consider before choosing a new yarn for your project. Copyright2023Golden Peak Media. There are various form of long draw, some make more air filled yarns than others, but the one thing they have in common is that drafting backwards motion, allowing twist to enter the drafting zone. July 2016 Because our yarns are washed in the hand-dying process some blooming has already occurred. 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. The woolen yarn fabrics do not hold the crease well and are less durable than worsted yarns. Very good, educational description. Shop Talk Copyright 2023 A Bee In The Bonnet | Bamboo on Trellis Framework by Mediavine, This site uses cookies to improve its performance and to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. Absolutely excellent article and the illustrations are superb and helpful. Scouring,the process in which fleece is cleaned, removes dirt and excess lanolin from the raw wool. Worsted is about both how you spin and how you (or your supplier) prep. Depending on their knowledge of spinning and yarns, it gets a bit tricky to articulate sometimes. Ill jump right in with the big one. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Worsted yarn is best used in outerwear, hats and mittens. Desalegn Atalie. See, what I didnt understand at the time was the fine art of yarn substitution. I sort of knew all of this but your explanation and illustrations pulled my knowledge all together. Voila! There are two yarns, one brown and one light green. And you explained the difference between woolen vs worsted very well!! Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. The difference between worsted-spun and woolen-spun yarns lies in how the fiber is handled before the actual spinning. Woollen spun woven fabrics are thicker and heavier and used mostly for outerwear. Woollen and worsted yarn are two types of yarn that can be handspun. I hope this will help you skip some of the hiccups! . I actually own a mini mill that creates semi-worsted yarns. Perfect. If you can use Ravelry, the project pages are very helpful. Its a great way to see how things might turn out before you start working on your own projects. May 2020 August 2020 If your allergy is very specific (e.g., you cant do wool, but you can do alpaca, or you cant handle linen but youre fine with cotton or bamboo), itll be easier to substitute than if your allergy is more broad (e.g., you cant do any animal fibers at all and have to use plant fibers, or vice versa). Weaving. The problem is that theyre not as durable as multi-ply yarn. Spun/plied 10:1. 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. One method is not better or worse than the other just different. May 2022 February 2022 Worsted Yarn. I just started stranded colorwork and this with your swatches is a good resource. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. They will drape differently, hold shape differently, feel differently to the hand, and interact differently with the light. July 2018 www.solitudewool.com, Content: 100% wool Put-Up: 150 yd [137m]/4 oz [113 g] Construction: Singles Recommended Gauge: 12 sts and 16 rows = 4 (10 cm) on size 11 (8 mm) needles, The bulky single-ply Native Twist is a 100% wool, soft-spun singles and is Imperials most popular yarn. Goodness, though, was it ever the wrong choice for this one. I was moving too quickly on that one, clearly. April 2019 This is because the combed fibers, lacking air pockets, can more readily spin up into a compact, dense, and sturdy yarn. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. 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. Worsted yarns are spun with all the fibers aligned, making a smooth and dense yarn with more sheen and drape. Within woollen preparation the fibre is spun straight . 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. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. Because woolen-spun yarns retain lots of air pockets during the production process, they knit up into very insulating and warm garments. Thank for for such a coherent explanation (and the pretty swatches really help too)! Brilliant. Put up is the way your yarn has been bundled up. NOW I KNOW. 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. However, the cost of carded woolen yarn is lower. Congratulations on shedding light on these two styles of spinning that are so confusing for many spinners. The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user. Gauge: 5.5 sts / inch on US 6. September 2017 Thanks. Our worsted spun wool and wool blend yarns are available in lace to bulky weights in a wide range of colors. Your email address will not be published. Youve just figured out your yarns WPI. March 2021 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. Since it doesn't have air, it does not tend to be "fuzzy". FO's What a great article. Woolen spun wears like iron without the amount of pilling common to worsted spun yarns. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. This is a more subtle detail, but depending on the type of project youre making, it can be significant. Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. They are also stronger, more durable, and less prone to pilling. Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. Updated July 1, 2020. This means that they'll have very clear stitch definition, as opposed to woollen spun yarns which have a softer stitch definition. It does however produce a lot of waste fibres (though those can still be carded for a more textured yarn). The unique 12-ply construction means that garments drape beautifully and afghans and warm weather accessories have a cushiony soft bounce. (See my Jamieson & Smith Jumper Weight vs a worsted crepe swatch.) In this blog, we will take a closer look at worsted and woolen yarns and what sets them apart. Top: Worsted spun shows more stitch definition Bottom: Woolen spun soft bouncy yarn without stitch definition Like cousins, woolen and worsted yarns have the same genetic profile, but look and act completely different from one another. Worsted Weight: 250 Yards / 100 Grams. 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. The yarn is spun using the woolen process. Worsted yarns are smooth and dense, they tend to drape well and be much more lustrous. All Rights Reserved. Jill Drapers Windham (Merino wool, worsted spun) and Empire (Rambouillet wool, woolen spun) are perfect examples of that. The fibers in a worsted spun yarn are combed to be parallel and uniform before spinning whereas the fiber for woolen-spun yarns are more casually arranged. 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. There are myriad ways to prepare and spin fleece and fiber into yarn. My thanks also. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. That turning gives the yarn some stability. As for me, well, I love hearing from people who are working on my patterns and do my best to respond to messages quickly. Annie. Great article! Take a look at the picture in this section. May 2019 August 2017 Because filaments wrap the worsted core, the yarn is noticeably less uneven and has fewer defects than worsted yarns. However, there are differences between worsted weight yarns and woolen yarns as well. Lisas List: 10 Reasons Knitting Is Better Than Dating, Spurned Gifts: When Knit & Crochet Gifts Went Wrong. To check your gauge, cast on 5-10 stitches more than what the pattern says will give you 4. What Ply is Worsted Weight Yarn? Thanks for explaining the difference, it's interesting to see those subtle contrasts between the stitching! 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. Although there is broad agreement about the extremes of woolen and worsted spinning, no firm consensus exists on what precisely defines the vast middle. Knit using the same needles and in the same style that youll be knitting the garment (i.e., flat or in the round). September 2015 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. It also means woolen-spun yarns are warmer than their worsted counterparts as these air pockets help hold body heat. Now I can shop for yarn with a little more knowledge. 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. 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. 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. January 2014 Thank you! January 2017 Ive been knitting for 15 years and never knew any of this! Theres also Wuthering Heights Tom Hardy, just saying. Think in terms of shopping at a fiber show. The combing process removed all the shorter length hairs, leaving behind fibres of the same length, free from tangles. 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. Here, we take a closer look at some of the industrys top woolen-spun yarns. Worsted yarn, made in the USA. Yarn and fiber folks have an extensive vocabulary for many things, but we are really stuck on the word worsted. If your gauge is too loose (that is, fewer stitches per inch than it should have), try going down a needle size. The terms roping and sliver are often used interchangeably. This page is a godsend . As a last resort, if the designer has published their contact information, consider reaching out to them if you have questions about yarn substitution. To really make sure you stand the best chance of getting the right gauge, you need to check your new yarns put up and/or WPI. That little strand of silk-mohair yarn is important, because the mohair fibers catch on each other and lend stability to the fabric. 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. 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 .