Jo, You have a real gift. Congratulations on shedding light on these two styles of spinning that are so confusing for many spinners. Left: woolen spun yarn | Right: worsted-spun yarn b) Single ply, 2-ply, 4-ply, and 8-ply. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". Semi-worsted at a similar wpi got me 83 yds/1.1 oz. Both types require different fiber preparation on spinning techniques. Try to get your WPI to match as closely as possible to avoid that problem. Heres what woolen and worsted mean to your knitted sweaters and accessories. In this installment of our Foundations series, we explain the differences between how our woolen-spun and worsted-spun yarn families are produced, as well as describe the different kinds of fabrics one can achieve with either kind of yarn. 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 . Gauge: 5.5 sts / inch on US 6. Worsted yarns are smooth and dense, they tend to drape well and be much more lustrous. A lot. If you divide the length of the yarn by the weight, you get a ratio. Todays topic is woolen and worsted drafted yarns. Semi worsted will give you more fluff to . So well illustrated and explained. This means that they'll have very clear stitch definition, as opposed to woollen spun yarns which have a softer stitch definition. This will save me a lot of headache as well as trial and error. Because of the density, a typical worsted yarn is thinner than a typical woolen yarn of the same ypp. By clicking Accept, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. In fact, I rarely do. This leaves both short and long fibers which are at different angles. September 2020 Thank you! Before beginning the process of spinning our woolen-spun yarns, the fiber is first cleaned and then dyed in the fleece. The Windham is more uniform and sleek looking even with the inherent visual softness of the Merino fiber. Nature Spun Worsted is 100% US grown wool and it is spun and dyed in Mitchell, NE. One other point about worsted vs. semi-worsted. This was a grat posting. This blooming also has the effect of softening and blending the appearance of your stitches rather like moss growing on a forest floor, in the words of Clara Parkes. The carder opens up the fiber and blends it evenly, resulting in a thin cloud- or web-like sheet commonly known as abatt. from Brown Sheep Company. The yarn surface is brighter and cleaner. Check out our worsted spun wool selection for the very best in unique or custom, handmade pieces from our shops. Worsted yarn, made in the USA. The twist brings air with it, and the surface isnt controlled by smoothing as it hits the fiber. Yours has been my favorite series to date Im learning so much and feel like I can make better choices! Yarns with multiple strands of fiber plied together are very sturdy. Look at the picture that accompanies this section. Bees September 2016 Woolen spun yarns will bloom more after washing and are lighter and airier. Woolen and worsted are two different classifications of wool fabrics and yarn. Thank for for such a coherent explanation (and the pretty swatches really help too)! Non Wool Club And I really appreciate the swatches. In relation to the thinner 1ply yarns Woollen Spun has a crisper feel, whereas the Worsted Spun has more drape and softness. 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. The problem is that theyre not as durable as multi-ply yarn. 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. Spinningwithapurpose Learn how your comment data is processed. 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. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. 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. The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. The worsted yarn will be a little bit stronger whereas the woolen yarn will break a little bit easier. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. Worsted yarns are spun with all the fibers aligned, making a smooth and dense yarn with more sheen and drape. When you look at yarns, hunting for worsted vs. woolen, some are obvious from across the yarn shop. Thank you for an excellent and informative article, Jill! Fascinating! All Rights Reserved. Hours: Mon-Fri from 9am-4pm MT They are also warmer because of the airiness. You can see her producing rolags, and then using a navajo spindle to do a form of long draw. Finally, more processed, worsted spun yarns don't aggravate my eczema . Its not just the beautiful dyeing. Thank you! Lets use the Profiterole Hat for an example again. The main difference between spun yarn and filament yarn is that spun yarn is made from fibres with short discrete lengths and involve materials like cotton and wool while filament yarn is made from long, continuous filaments and involve materials like silk.. Yarn is a continuous strand of twisted natural or synthetic fibres. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. The combing process removed all the shorter length hairs, leaving behind fibres of the same length, free from tangles. December 2022 BTW, I made a lovely airy lacy quite-warm shawl using reclaimed 100% cashmere of about cobweb weight, that I believe was woolen spun. When it comes to choosing between a woolen-spun yarn and a worsted-spun yarn, there really is no right or wrong answer. Two different systems are followed in wool processing, the woolen system, and the worsted system. The yarn isn't smoothed, it's simply stretched out like a piece of chewing gum, that traps lots of air in the yarn, and makes it very bouncey and elastic. I have just started spinning using a Navajo type spindle and I was unsure that I was l on the right lines. Worsted-spun yarns are dense and strong. When worsted fiber is spun together after being combed, its yarn is strong and smooth. The fiber is compressed and smoothed, and air is squeezed out as the twist is applied to the fiber. After being spun into yarn, our worsted-spun yarns are dyed in the skein. The packing-in of the fiber as worsted yarn is made allows the fibers to protect each other for longer wear and less pilling. Put up is the way your yarn has been bundled up. Pilling should not be conflated with the characteristic bloom of woolen spun yarns. www.brooklyntweed.com, Content: 100% Clun Forest wool Put-Up: 185yd [169 m]/3.8 oz [107 g] Construction: 3-ply Care: Handwash with low agitation; dry flat Recommended Gauge: 18 sts = 4 (10 cm) on size 7 (4.5 mm) needles, Solitude Wool hand-picks its fleece from small U.S. farms and then has yarn spun at different mills around the country. When I first started knitting, I bought a Debbie Bliss magazine that had this adorable, lightweight top for summer. The yarn on the left has multiple strands of yarn plied together, while the yarn on the right is a single ply of fiber. November 2013 I'm glad to hear you found it useful. Your best bet is always to know how to make the substitution yourself. This can get a bit tricky if youre substituting because you have a fiber allergy. Fine worsted wool is even seen in clothing for athletics. 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. This is so helpful and interesting not to mention how easy to understand. Yarn tends to come in hanks, balls, skeins, cakes, and cones. 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. 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. Yarns which Stretch After picking, the fiber goes through acarder, a machine with several rolling cylinders covered in metal teeth. January 2021 Great information! Spun/plied 10:1. When this "worsted spun" yarn is woven it produces fabric with these qualities unlike the more common woolen-spun wool yarns available to handweavers. When I unplied the yarn and looked at individual strands, I could see a difference and a dead giveaway. May 2016 They also tend to have less memory. 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. Combing the jumbled fibers aligns them in a parallel fashion and also removes shorter fibers for uniform length. There are myriad ways to prepare and spin fleece and fiber into yarn. (using carded fibers). The terms roping and sliver are often used interchangeably. Spinning Bonus points for great pictures to make everything visual and extra clear. Perhaps youve got a fiber allergy and need to switch to a yarn that wont irritate your skin. This is a new day for me. In my spinning past, I've spun from locks, from picked fiber 'clouds' , from bats, had also tried a badly produced rolag or two and gave up ~~ but mostly all the years I've spun its been from roving, sliver, and combed top. 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. Ill never look at yarn the same way again! The unique 12-ply construction means that garments drape beautifully and afghans and warm weather accessories have a cushiony soft bounce. Now I might be able to come closer to making the right choice for the right project. 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. PHONE: Toll Free 1-800-483-8749 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. February 2023 My thanks also. 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. So good! Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. September 2013 Worsted spun is smooth, while woolen spun is a little more rustic. You might be able to get a good sense for what the project would look like in your chosen yarn or get inspiration for another yarn to use. That ratio helps you understand how thick the yarn is. Jillian Moreno spins, knits and weaves just so she can touch all of the fibers. Woolen yarn is dense and is often made from the shorter strands of a sheep's fleece. Thank you!!! This action will also remove this member from your connections and send a report to the site admin. You also need to consider WPI. Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. The other style invites the twist into the fiber, it lets the twist zip into the fiber with little to no control; twist is just tossed at the fiber. It will stay in my notebook in my knitting bag. In stockinette its *really* obvious. Wool is warm and lightweight and takes dyes well. Airy and soft, but fragile (because of the shorter staple and looser twist?). 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. If you can only achieve one, though, choose accurate stitch gauge. 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. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Try yarnsub.com or ask LYS staff. April 2021 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! In all the photos, the left swatch of the pair is the worsted spun yarn and the right swatch is woolen spun. 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. What is the Difference Between Worsted and Woolen Spun Yarns? Developed and spun in Springvale Maine, we are proud to present the Jagger Spun Collection. It does however produce a lot of waste fibres (though those can still be carded for a more textured yarn). July 2017 Semi-woolen is when combed fibers are spun in a way where the twist enters the fibers, usually when spinning from the fold. If your gauge is too loose (that is, fewer stitches per inch than it should have), try going down a needle size. Well it's all a matter of different fibre preparations, and different spinning techniques. It's then spun with the twist entering the drafting zone in a long draw technique. March 2014 If you compare those to the recommended yarns details, youll have a better sense of whether the substitution will work. Choose from twenty rich rustic heathers and support the Hydropower Project with your purchase. Depending on their knowledge of spinning and yarns, it gets a bit tricky to articulate sometimes. June 2016 After steaming, which allows the fibers to relax into their newly twisted state, the singles of twisted yarn are then loaded on a twisting frame to be plied together both Shelter and Loft are comprised of two singles gently twisted together to create a two-ply yarn.>. Worsted yarn is best used in outerwear, hats and mittens. Annie. Interesting point I would like to know that too! Thank you so much Katie. July 2016 Thank you. Copyright2023Golden Peak Media. They are the same weight and have the . This post of part of my Spinning with a Purpose series, sharing swatches I've created for a. On the other hand, dont feel bad if you just want an easy knit without too much thinking involved.