Animal-based fibers provide great insulation, keeping you warm when it's cold outside and cool when it's hot. They are also very absorbent. Some animal fibers are warmer than others, but even a light mohair yarn can knit into a warm sweater.
SIDE NOTE on WOOL: The most widespread as far as use is Wool and the best known is Merino Wool, which takes up 40% of the total wool yarn produced. The longer the fiber the better the yarn and it is called "worsted" wool. There has been a Wool Products Labeling Act in place since 1939 and the manufacturer must let you know what kind of wool you are buying since the quality can vary greatly. More information about "Worsted Wool" later in this section as it can mean different things in different countries, so be careful when this term is used.
- New or Virgin Wool has never been used in manufacturing that I know of.
- Reprocessed or Reclaimed Wool is made from mill ends or scraps from the cutting room.
- Lambswool is from baby sheep less than 7 months old.
- Reused is fiber recovered from used garments and then re-spun, like the Sari Silk Yarn out of India.
Now back to the types of fibers out there:
- Wool: All wool comes from sheep but can range from very rough and scratchy (from Icelandic sheep) to superfine fleece as soft as cotton (from Merino sheep). Merino yarn is fairly inexpensive versus all other types of animal based yarns in the luxury category, and feels great against your body. Wool is the most common fiber to knit with. The thing about Wool is that it can be worn in both cold and hot climates, as it will insulate and keep you warm in cold climates and cool in hot climates. Kind of strange I know, but it actually does work that way since it is "insulating".
- Merino Wool: Merino Wool comes from the "Merino" sheep. It is a very high end wool and more expensive than other types of wool, but still very affordable and one of my favorites. When I make anything out of wool, it is 99% of the time out of Merino Wool. It is very soft and smooth and feels great against the skin. It does have a tendency to pill though, and care should be taken when you hand wash items made from this wool. I love this type of wool as it is warm, so very soft and cozy.
- Super Wash Wool: Specially treated wool so that you can throw it in the wash and dry in the dryer. Great for children clothing. This wool does not felt at all.
SHEEP
- Mohair: Mohair comes from the fleece of an Angora goat. It is fuzzy and glamorous but can be itchy when worn directly against your skin and it sheds like crazy. Kid Mohair is softer but not as lustrous as hair from adult goats. This type of yarn is especially pretty with lace work and in lace shawls as the distance between the stitches allows the yarn to fluff out.
ANGORA GOAT
- Cashmere: This is the most wonderful soft, fluffy yarn and is a Wool Yarn. Cashmere is combed from the belly of cashmere goats, the back of the legs and throat during molting season. It is VERY expensive so if you want the feel of cashmere without the huge expense you can buy a yarn that blends cashmere with something else (like wool), or try Merino Wool, very lovely to the touch. Also in my opinion, Soy Silk and Bamboo yarn are great substitutes for this yarn as far as softness only, as they knit up differently and have more stretch. Cashmere also pills easily and is loosely spun, so best for items worn for special occasions, unless off course you are independently wealthy, then you can even have socks made out of cashmere. LOL
CASHMERE GOAT
SIDE NOTE on ALPACAS: Alpaca fiber has softness like no other natural fiber. Huacaya alpaca is crimpy and soft. Suri alpaca is silky and lustrous. It is also very lightweight, yet warmer than wool. Each individual strand of fiber is hollow or some have said semi-hollow. This gives alpaca a tremendous thermal capacity that allows for a breathable fiber with an insulating nature. Alpacas come naturally in 22 color variations; the spectrum includes white, fawn, brown, gray and black, with all the natural shades in between. Most of the Alpacas in the USA are sheared once a year. The fiber is sorted from blanket, leg and neck and belly, and many Alpaca raisers are sorting the blankets for grades as well.
There are different uses for the fiber based on the animals microns:
- Ultra fine : 20 microns and under - Makes nice next to the skin items.
- Superfine : 20-23 microns - Gently used items such as shawls and specialty baby items.
- Fine : 23-25 microns - Most versatile and the microns we see most.
- Medium : 26-30 microns - Socks, throws, outer wear and felt if little guard hairs, rugs. This is also the average micron for the American Alpacas.
- Coarser : 30+ microns - Batt's, insulation and rugs some people like this yarn to make purses and outerwear, felt for slippers, etc.
- Alpaca: Alpaca fibers come from a llama-like animal and when used in clothing it is very, very warm. Useful for hats and scarves but potentially too hot for a sweater. Alpaca yarn typically comes in earthy, natural tones and is considered a "luxury fiber". You can also purchase blends of this yarn. This yarn fiber comes mainly from South America in Bolivia and Peru. It stretches quite a bit so mainly used for light garments.
- "Suri" Alpaca: Only 3% of Alpacas as "Suri" hence making this a luxury yarn and is usually blended with wool. Usually is not dyed. It is the HARDEST yarn to find and is usually blended with another yarn otherwise it would be too costly to make and no one would buy buy it, but you can find 100% Suri Alpaca yarn.
SURI
- Lama: You can buy pure Lama wool but it is VERY expensive. The great thing about Lama is that it is hypoallergenic, it is lighter and warmer than Alpaca and is stronger than wool. The Lama hair is dehaired, or the course hair is removed, and what is left is the soft and fluffy stuff and this yarn rivals cashmere to the touch. Because it is in high demand but hard to come by, it is usually mixed with other fibers.
LAMA
- Vicuna: This is an animal from the camel family and their hair is warmer, more insulating and softer than any other animal. At one point the Vicuna were on the Endangered Species List, but now are slowly coming back into numbers that hopefully, one day will take them off this list. Since they can be shorn only once every three years, this is a precious and very expensive commodity. They live only in very high altitudes.
VICUNA
- Guanaco: This is from the same family as Vicuna and are also endangered, but have been classified as threatened. Along the same lines as Vicuna, it is a very expensive fiber to use and it's softer than cashmere.
GUANACO
- Camel: Finally to the actual camel! This yarn is made from the under coast of the Asian or Bacterian Camel. Because there is a high demand but limited in quantity annually, it is very expensive and considered a luxury yarn. It is not usually dyed and comes in it's natural color.
- Angora: Angora yarn is very fine and fluffy and comes from the Angora Rabbit. It sheds very badly so it's best used for accents rather than an entire item of clothing. It is very pretty with lace work since the stitches are far apart and allows this yarn to fluff out.
ANGORA RABBIT
- Quivet: This comes from a Musk Ox and is a lot warmer than wool, is very soft and very expensive. It does not felt. I personally have not used this yarn yet.
- Possum: As per the name this yarn is made from Possum hairs that are hollow and as such is thermo regulating. I have not used this yarn yet. Possum is usually mixed with another yarn, such as merino which produces a hard wearing yarn with superior heat retaining qualities. In knitwear, possum fur, unlike angora, resists pilling and is a lot fluffier. Possum is now a National Pest in New Zealand, it was introduced to the environment and is not a native animal. Since 1936 Possums have and are causing a lot of damage in their forests. Also, possum hair is hand plucked and not machine plucked as the fiber is destroyed by the machine and makes for a much inferior yarn, so make sure you know how this yarn is made before you buy it.
POSSUM
- Mink: Mink yarn is a very expensive, some what new yarn on the market as of 2010 in the USA. From what I can gather this yarn had been introduced in the market in Europe in the 1970's, but evidently without much success and today is a hard yarn to find. Do not expect it to look like "mink", as it looks like a wool type yarn. Mink Yarn DOES NOT look like mink, if it does it is NOT Mink Yarn. It is very pretty and very warm. As far as I know Great Northern Yarns is the only manufacturer of this yarn and make a 70%/30% and a 90%/10% mink and cashmere blend. You cannot have 100% mink yarn as it is impossible to spin without using a stabilizing fiber, such as cashmere, if it says 100% mink IT IS NOT YARN. The mink fibers are just long enough when blended with a slightly longer stabilizing fiber like cashmere for these two luxury fibers to be spun and plied into an extremely soft and lightweight knitting yarn. The mink and cashmere fibers have similar micron thicknesses and are wonderfully compatible. The resulting yarn has been compared to the finest luxury knitting yarns in the world. Great Northern Yarns also sell other types of hard to find luxury yarn such as Camel, Yak and Cashmere, and a Mulberry Silk/Merino blend. No animals are harmed in the way Great Northern Yarns produce their yarn and also are in a stress free environment.
MINK
Plant Fibers are not as insulating as the animal-based fibers but they absorb moisture very well and are strong and very breathable. Another benefit of plant fiber is that it is all hypo-allergenic so if you are allergic to wool you should still be able to wear clothes made of cotton or linen yarn.
- Silk: Silk comes from the long fibers of unraveled silkworm cocoons. Each cocoon can have one (1) continuous filament over a mile long! Controlled breeding produces the best silk called "Bombyx Silk" and Wild Silk Worms create "Tussah Silk". There is a difference between the two as far as quality, so make sure you understand what you are buying. Silk yarn is a very strong yarn, is shiny, silky, light and beautiful. Silk yarn can also have a not so shiny and courser look, depending what it is made with and how. Silk yarn is one of the more expensive luxury yarns. Reeled, or filament silk is the highest quality yarn and is very white and shiny. A ball winder should not be used with reeled silk yarn as the silk yarn will slip off, making a tangled mess. High quality spun silk yarn is an easier silk to work with though it is more slippery than cotton or wool and anyone working with silk should try a small amount first, as most knitters do not like working with silk, because it is difficult to work with and a novice to knitting should never start out with knitting silk yarn. A lot of recycled silk yarns have a smell to them so be careful when buying. I personally do not buy recycled silk unless I can trust that it will not stink, and it does stink. Items knitted with some types of silk also have a tendency to catch on things, so take care when choosing a silk yarn.
SILK PODS
- Bamboo: There are two common processes for making bamboo yarn frombamboo stalks, both developed in China, where large crops of bamboo are cultivated for many different uses. One of these processes involves physically crushing the bamboo stalks and then allowing natural enzymes to continue the process of breaking down the plant. Cellulose fibers are then combed out of the stalk in a process that is similar to the extraction of flax fibers from the flax plant. The second process produces a yarn that is more similar to rayon, and involves the application of chemicals such as lye and carbon disulfide, a type of chemical solvent. After the bamboostalks have been broken down by this chemical bath, the cellulose fibers are mechanically extruded. Bamboo has been compared to silk and I agree, it is a beautiful yarn and items made from Bamboo Yarn are amazing since it has such a nice drape, but I would not recommend this yarn for any type of cabling, because of the drape. Bamboo is a renewable, biodegradable and non-polluting resource that can grow without the use of pesticides, hence it is a "green" yarn. One of the outstanding features of 100% Bamboo yarn is its breathability and coolness. The fiber structure of these yarns, enhanced by the spinning process, have microscopic holes that wick away moisture and facilitate it's evaporation, which render garments made from 100% Bamboo yarns among the most comfortable for warm-to-extremely-hot weather climates. These same qualities offer natural insulation as well. 100% Bamboo yarns have natural antibacterial, deodorant and non-allergenic qualities that remain in the fabric even after many washes, rendering this yarn ideal for socks and children’s wear but I use it for just about anything. Also, do not confuse Bamboo Silk Yarn with Silk Yarn, it is not the same fiber.
BAMBOO FORREST
- Cotton: Cotton is typically planted in the autumn and harvested in the late spring in climates where the summers are long, hot and arid. There are many varieties of cotton. During harvesting, each boll is picked by stripper harvester and spindle pickers, which are mower-like vehicles that sever and gather the cotton. After the cotton is harvested, the fibers are separated from dirt, debris and seeds in a process called ginning. When cotton bales arrive at the spinning plant they are opened and separated by quality. The wads of cotton are put through a carding machine, which straightens them, allowing the fibers to lie parallel to one another. Afterwards, they are combed and bleached with hypochlorite or peroxide before the fibers are spun. Spinning machines operate by first condensing fibers together, rolling them onto a bobbin in one long strand. Then the strands are twisted into yarn. Cotton is light and absorbent, but not as stretchy as wool. It is a bit harder to work with (and shows uneven stitching) so better used for more advanced projects. I always buy mercerized cotton, which is treated, and it is a much better yarn to work with. Mercerized cotton is a special kind of cotton yarn that is more lustrous than conventional cotton. It is also stronger, takes dye a little more readily, makes the yarn more resistant to mildew and reduces lint. It also may not shrink or lose its shape as much as "regular" cotton.
COTTON
- Linen: The long fibers used to make linen yarn come from the stalk of the flax plant. Growing flax plants takes about 100 days from seed to harvest. The plant produces blue or white flowers on slender stalks that grow 2 feet to 4 feet high. Flax plants with blue flowers produce the finest fiber. As soon as the stalk turns yellow and the leaves wither, the harvest begins. Any delay in harvesting means the flax will produce a less lustrous fiber. The stalks are soaked in water, acids or other chemicals to dissolve the woody bark that surrounds the fibers. This step, called retting, must be done properly or the quality of the linen yarn will be affected. Once the fiber is ready, the long fibers, called line or dressed flax, can measure 12 inches to 20 inches long. They yield the finest yarn. The short fibers, known as tow, make a coarser yarn. Once you have the fiber ready for spinning, the rovings go to the spinning frame, which draws out a few fibers at a time and twists them to make them into a strong, inelastic yarn.Linen is a cool breathable fiber, but can cause your clothing items to be stiff and wrinkle easily. When blended with cotton it is much easier to work with. I rarely use this yarn since it does wrinkle so easily, but I have to say does make beautiful garments. Ramie is also a type of Linen.
LINEN PLANTS
- Seacell: This is a new form of yarn made from seaweed and wood pulp and is very soft to the touch. It is a blend of Sea Cell and cotton, silk, wool, or a blend of silk and wool. Sea Cell is a plant fiber created from seaweed and tencel or Lyocell. The yarn comes in several blends and can come in a 70-30 blend or an 80-20 blend, with Sea Cell always the lesser number.
SEA WEED
- Soy Silk: This yarn is made from Soy and can be mixed with other properties or be 100% Soy. Soy Silk is an environmentally friendly fiber made from tofu manufacturing waste. Soy protein is liquefied and then extruded into long, continuous fibers that are then cut and processed like any other spinning fiber. It is very soft to the touch and feels like a cross between cashmere and a really soft cotton. It is one of my favorite yarns to work with but does not do well with cabling since it has a very nice drape. I think this one feels like Cashmere and is right up there as far as a luxurious feeling yarn at a decent price.
SOYA
- Banana Silk: This yarn is made from the leaves and stalk of the banana plant and is usually mixed with another fibre such as wool or even recycled Sari Silk but can be 100% banana fibre. This yarn does not do well with knitting machines at all, believe me as I have tried because I like the texture it produces. Most of this silk is made in third world countries (Nepal), by hand. It is almost always a chunky weight yarn. This yarn technically is a rayon. If made well, this yarn has been compared to silk, but I would say it would have to be raw silk as it is very bumpy and thick/thin. Below is a picture of banana tree in bloom.
BANANA TREE
Man-Made fibers, such as acrylic, are inexpensive and easily washable however, they are not very warm or absorbent. Using acrylic yarn in clothing items will give you a result that feels like store-bought clothing. But, once you try using animal-based or plant fibers you will realize that they are a LOT nicer! Acrylic can be blended with other yarn fibers to make some interesting composite yarns and is almost always an ingredient in novelty or specialty yarns.
- Acrylic: This is the cheapest, easiest yarn to work with and therefore PERFECT for your first few easy knitting projects. It is great to use for projects intended for babies and pets since you can wash it easily. It is helpful to buy acrylic yarn with a little bit of wool blended in to make it nicer to work with and wear. Most of the fuzzy, furry, sparkly novelty yarns are made using acrylic so you will definitely want to check it out at least for those.
- Rayon: Rayon is like cotton but softer. It also has a lot of stretch, so be careful what you make out of it. There are two types, but they are basically the same. Rayon also scorches with heat. It is made from the cellulose of wood chips or cotton lint.
- Synthetics: These are made from coal and petroleum products and I am not a fan of them. They include Nylon, Polyester and Acrylic. They are hot to wear, hold a static charge, pill and do not hold moisture well at all. I never use them unless it is used in novelty yarn, and then only in very limited amounts.
A WORD ON NOVELTY YARN:Novelty yarns are easy to recognize because their appearance is so different from traditional yarns and can be man made and/or synthetic fibers. Below is a brief summary of just a few, as there are endless types of novelty yarn that is only restricted by your imagination. Some novelty yarns can be tricky to work with, others can be downright difficult. Identifying individual stitches in highly textured yarns is difficult, if not impossible, making it hard to fix mistakes or rip out stitches which means you usually have to start over, which is a real bummer.
Ribbon: A knitted ribbon in rayon or a rayon blend but can actually be made from just about anything. It looks just like ribbon and for me works better with hand knitting versus machine knitting due to the flatness and width. Knitting this in a machine I think makes the item knitted with too tight of a stitch and you loose the look of the ribbon, especially if it is also curly. There is another type of ribbon yarn that is like a ladder, I have used this yarn on the machine successfully in garments and shawls, on a looser stitch and it mimics a lacy type look.
RIBBON
Bouclé: This highly bumpy, textured yarn is composed of loops. It makes really cool looking garments but you need to take care when using it on the knitting machine. It is really, really difficult to use on a knitting machines as it will catch and I would recommend you use use a 6.5mm mid or 9mm bulky gauge machine and not the standard 4.5mm. Make sure to use the right guage and tension, the tension usually a very loose one, as that makes all the difference in the world. Keep making tension swatches until you feel comfortable with the result or if you want to use it at all.
BOUCLE
Chenille: Although tricky to knit with as it rips easily, this yarn has an attractive appearance and velvety texture. It is tricky as it will break when knitted on a knitting machine, so make sure that the chenille you use is strong rather than a softer chenille for hand knitting. As you can see below, it has a velvet like feel and look to it. Never machine knit with a tight stitch, it just will keep breaking.
CHENILLE
Thick-thin: Alternates between very thick and thin sections, which lends a bumpy look to knitted fabric. Makes a very interesting stitch pattern but it can be very difficult to work with on a knitting machine as it will jam the carriage. It is the more difficult yarn when deciding on gauge and tension since it is thick and thin, but with a little patience you can make a really pretty and different looking garment. You must have patience with this yarn.
THICK THIN
Railroad Ribbon: Has tiny “tracks” of fiber strung between two parallel strands of thread. Makes nice evening attire and shawls. Has a lacy type effect and this yarn can work well on a knitting machine in the larger gauge category, like the 6.5mm or 9mm, and a loose stitch.
RAILROAD RIBBON
Faux Fur: Fluffy fiber strands on a strong base thread of nylon resembling fur when knitted. Great for accents and embellishments but take care when knitting this yarn because if you make a mistake you will need to rip out the whole area since seeing the mistake is impossible. I have made entire sweaters out of this yarn, but prefer it as accents such as a fur collar and cuffs, otherwise looks a little costumey, but one of my favorite accent yarns to use on jackets.
SPECIALTY YARNS: I also added a subcategory of Specialty Yarns and these types of yarns create a certain look when knitted due to the way the yarn is colored.
Tweed: Has a background color flecked with bits of fiber in different colors so when it is knitted you have a tweed look to you garment. A very nice effect for fitted garments and with accents in faux fur, such as a "CHANEL" jacket style.
TWEED
Heather: Blended from a number of different-colored or dyed fleeces, and then spun. I think best in wool yarns and for sweaters, a really nice effect.
HEATHER
Marled (rag): A plied yarn in which the plies are different colors. This is the type of yarn you can make at home by winding (plying) different yarns together to make one yarn, which can be a lot of fun. You can also purchase this yarn in all sorts of colors and some manufactures have dyed the yarn to even make a certain looking striped design. You should try it and see if you like it, I do but mainly for child's clothing or socks for bright colors and great when the colors are muted for sweaters.
MARLED
Ruler can do anything, so
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