There are so many fibers out there! Understanding what they are, how they respond to
spinning and knitting, and how they need to be cared for is quite a job. So, let’s learn a bit about the basic fibers, then how blending fibers creates an even different yarn, and then how spinning and plying make up the final product we knit with. I’ll be referring to a great book, Clara Park’s The Knitter’s Book of Yarn. If you find this information as fascinating as I do, add her book to your library – you’ll enjoy it.
We’ll start with wool. I think it’s the most amazing fiber. Garments knit with good wool will last more than a lifetime if properly cared for. Let’s look through the microscope at some wool . . .
Wool comes from sheep. There are a bazillion types of sheep and wool, but we’ll speak collectively for now. There are three characteristics of a strand of wool that determine its value, both financially and fiberly. The diameter of the strand, measured in microns, tells it’s thickness. The staple, or length of each hair, determines it strength. The crimp in each hair adds elasticity, helps trap air, and absorbs and balances twist when spun.
That crimp is the elasticity or memory of wool. When the wool relaxes as it’s washed, the crimp plumps back up, evening our your tension and softening the piece. That elasticity is what allows you to pat a bit in or out as you block to get your garment pieces to their correct size.
The hairs, like our own, are covered with scales. These scales are what allows wool to felt. As the fiber is warmed with water and agitated, the scales grab on to each other and hold, creating felt – either with raw wool (wet felting) or with knitted garments (fulling).
Wool is an even more amazing fiber. It can absorb up to 30% of its weight in water before it will feel wet to the wearer, and while it does that it’s releasing heat to help keep you warm! It wicks perspiration away, it breathes, it insulates, it warms, and it lasts!
Wool can be itchy – it’s the scales – or it can be soft. Merino, the finest and softest of wools, can be worn next to the skin without any problem, but it’s expensive. Lately, many brands are producing superwash wool, fiber which has been chemically treated to soften the edges of the scales so it’s not so itchy. This fiber is great for knitting, but cannot now be felted.
Or, you can resort to one of my favorites, a wool blend. Find a fiber that’s more wool than not, but blended with cotton, or rayon, or even acrylic. These fibers add strength and durability (wool is not a really strong fiber, as your worn out sock heels and toes will tell you), and they help lower the cost.
Look at the content of the yarn you’re working with – read the information on the yarn label. See what you’ve got, then pay attention to how you like working with it, how it knits up, how you like the finished garment. Make a note or two, and remember that when you shop for yarn next time.