May 2016 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). A lot. In this blog, we will take a closer look at worsted and woolen yarns and what sets them apart. November 2015 Typically worsted spun yarns will have fewer yards per pound verses woolen. 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. Yarn tends to come in hanks, balls, skeins, cakes, and cones. 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When worsted fiber is spun together after being combed, its yarn is strong and smooth. FO's Thank you so much Katie. These carded strands are lofty, lightweight, and trap a lot of air. When youre choosing a substitute yarn, try to get one with a similar fiber content so your end result has the same fabric characteristics. Worsted-style spinning, unlike woolen-style, does not allow twist to enter the fiber during drafting. November 2013 In most cases, semi-worsted and semi-woolen yarns could often be confused for the same thing. However, there are differences between worsted weight yarns and woolen yarns as well. I just started stranded colorwork and this with your swatches is a good resource. One way is controlled; twist is brought to the fiber like a gift. Thedoffer, a large cylinder at the delivery end of the carder, then relays the batt into acondenser, which splits the batt into several thin, untwisted strands calledropingorslivers(sly-vers). Very good, educational description. 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. Woollen yarns (upper) have a softer, more diffuse look whereas worsted yarns (lower) make very distinct stitch patterns. No twist enters the fiber by itself. Finally, more processed, worsted spun yarns don't aggravate my eczema . I'm glad to hear you found it useful. Have you ever pet a puppy in that super soft spot at the base of its ears? An extreme example is angora or mohair. You have made it so clear to me. March 2019 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. 2.83 yds Holland Sherry WOOL Fabric Luxury worsted Suiting 10 oz Plaid 102" BTP. very smartly elaborated the article. The term itself comes from the English town of Worstead in Norfolk England. Thank you! There are two yarns, one brown and one light green. The Classic British Wool yarn line is available in four thicknesses and fifteen heathered colorways. The Clun Forest yarn is lofty and warm, hand-dyed in variegated and solid colorways, and also offered in undyed white. They also tend to have less memory. For many projects, it wont make much of a difference if youre switching yarn construction. I hope this will help you skip some of the hiccups! I like to use a pencil. Now, Cotton-Ease was a perfectly good yarn (its since been discontinued, alas). What Ply is Worsted Weight Yarn? February 2018 July 2020 I feel like I can make better yarn/pattern matches and explain these variables to others who want me to knit for them and their only concern is color. On Instagram, just type #ProfiteroleHat into the search bar, and check out the other versions people have posted. In the production of Quarry, which was inspired by unspun yarns, we skip the process of spinning the individual plies of yarn and instead nestle together three strands of roping drawn out to the right thickness, before gently twisting those strands together in a mock twist. Getting a yarn thats labeled with the same weight as the previous yarn is only part of the challenge, though. The Empire is more uneven looking, a little airier as well as fuzzy. When this "worsted spun" yarn is woven it produces fabric with these qualities unlike the more common woolen-spun wool yarns available to handweavers. The way a yarn is spun - worsted vs. woolen - also determines how much fiber is used per yard. In all the photos, the left swatch of the pair is the worsted spun yarn and the right swatch is woolen spun. I really appreciate you using Tom Hardy as an analogy. The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user. Before you go subbing in your new yarn, though, think about the following issues. I have been knitting for awhile and have yet to use the yarn recommended by a designer for various reasons. Woolen spun is traditionally spun from carded rolags (this was the job small children carried out). Your explanation of the 2 ends of the spectrum also makes it very easy to understand our process and resulting yarns. October 2020 They are also stronger, more durable, and less prone to pilling. The twist brings air with it, and the surface isnt controlled by smoothing as it hits the fiber. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. In colorwork, the edge that gives a worsted yarn great stitch definition also makes colors standapart, while woolen drafted yarns create softness and blur between colors. Closed Saturdays, Sundays and US Holidays, 2015- 2023 Lunatic Fringe Yarns - All Rights Reserved Check out our worsted woolen spun yarn selection for the very best in unique or custom, handmade pieces from our shops. You can see the stitches in the worsted swatches just show up. November 2014 I have just started spinning using a Navajo type spindle and I was unsure that I was l on the right lines. Just asking because s-on-s yarns produce a particular asymmetric shape when knitted. Generally, the higher the ply number the thicker the yarn. Both woolen and worsted spinning methods make beautiful yarns. Maybe youre trying to use up some of your stash. Worsted spinning is generally done with the longer fibres, whereas woollen makes use of the shorter ones, which means that worsted yarns are generally denser. Woolen yarn is less durable as compared to worsted yarn which may last longer. May 2018 Great article and most helpful. 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. 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. They are the same weight and have the . Compared with worsted yarns with the same specifications, worsted core-spun yarns have the following advantages: 1. Many commercial yarns are spun with the worsted style. Countryside A beautifully written, lucid and illuminating lesson, and several fascinating aspects to the distinctions. Durability, warmth and weight. However, though the staple length of the wool is short the yarn is strong over the length of a single knit or purl stitch, so the fabric worked in these yarns will be cohesive and strong. Updated July 1, 2020. Put up refers to what sort of shape/size bundle the yarn is in. Worsted yarns contrast with woollen yarns, which are carded rather than combed and fuzzier than worsted yarns. 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. May 2022 It isn't just a question of being one or the other though, there is a continuum of spinning structures with true worsted on one end, true woolen on the far opposite and lots of semi-worsted and semi-woolen yarns in between. Left: woolen spun yarn | Right: worsted-spun yarn b) Single ply, 2-ply, 4-ply, and 8-ply. You absolutely do not have to use the same yarn recommended by the designer for a pattern. Its easier to just add more rows than to recalculate the width of a garment. At Brooklyn Tweed, we employtwo basic spinning methods that occupy either end of this broad spectrum of possibility: woolen-spinning and worsted-spinning. Flywheel is light and airy and lends itself well to both lace projects and warm, cozy sweaters. 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. They are also warmer because of the airiness. April 2015 This is extra work youre asking them to undertake, and knitting patterns are already underpriced. December 2014 This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. That, in turn, means youll have more trouble knitting a garment that will fit you right. Voila! The compression of a worsted draft puts more individual fibers into a length of yarn, making it heavier. As a result, generally they will pill more easily and develop holes sooner. As such, for our worsted-spun yarns, once the roving is loaded on the spinning frame, they first pass through a draft zone, which drafts the fiber to open it up and reduce it to the intended weight (and thickness) required for the yarn. Congratulations on shedding light on these two styles of spinning that are so confusing for many spinners. the fiber(s) used. - From the online magazine Knitter's Review, by Clara Parkes. A little history on worsted wool. 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. However, you may visit Cookie Settings to provide controlled consent. Copyright 2014-2023. Woolen yarns are good for products like tweeds, while worsted yarns are best for smooth fine gaberdines. Woolen yarns are made of carded yarns and are fuzzy and bulky. If you want knife-edge stitch definition, go for a worsted drafted yarn. 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. 28 minutes. If the ratios are close, youre more likely to have a good match for substitution. I hope you found time to explore your stash, and perhaps enhance it with yarns of different breeds. 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. 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. This was a grat posting. www.harrisville.com, Content: 100% pure wool Put-Up: 215 yd [196 m]/4 oz [113 g] Construction: 2-ply Care: Handwash with mild soap in lukewarm water Recommended Gauge: 17 sts = 4 (10cm) on size 8 (5 mm) needles, Our mill has been in production on the same location for 158 years, so we do have some history in producing woolen-spun yarn, says John Little of Briggs & Little Woolen Mills. Sometimes, those individual strings are then twisted together to form a stronger, denser yarn. Ok, first up lets look at how the fibres are running in to the yarn. Thank you for this article.