January 2019 Woolen spun is traditionally spun from carded rolags (this was the job small children carried out). According to Clara Parkess The Knitters Book of Yarn, spinning or adding twist to the fiber while it is in a jumbled state (in other words, in a woolen-preparation) is one key aspect of woolen-spun yarns. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. Both woolen and worsted spinning methods make beautiful yarns. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. In relation to the thinner 1ply yarns Woollen Spun has a crisper feel, whereas the Worsted Spun has more drape and softness. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". Safe home and already knitting a scarf . The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". September 2016 I just started stranded colorwork and this with your swatches is a good resource. The distinctions between these has been a mystery to me until now. Ok, first up lets look at how the fibres are running in to the yarn. The primary reason for this is that the wool yarn normally used for these fabrics was produced using a special "worsted" spinning technique that better aligns the fibers. August 2022 Beautiful fibre you'll love to work with. It is named after the small English village of Worstead, in the county of Norfolk and this village was a center for manufacturing in the twelfth century. On the other hand, the woolen fabrics hold creases and shape well and are more durable. What you do need is to know what youre doing if you plan to change things up. This is extra work youre asking them to undertake, and knitting patterns are already underpriced. Please note: Maybe youre trying to use up some of your stash. Woolen and Worsted yarns. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. . Advent Understand that some designers are buried in messages. 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. February 2023 Is there a list? Yarnsub is a great resource for substituting yarns from larger companies! Fascinating! Its an old method too and goes well with fiber that has been prepared for spinning by hand. Worsted is about both how you spin and how you (or your supplier) prep. Everyone already said what I wanted to, so Ill just add that Tom Hardy is my Happy Place, no matter how hes spun. Woolen yarns are spun with the fibers going every which way. As modern spinners we can now get some much smaller and lighter combs, but combing is still a real physical workout. August 2021 Note: Notice how the individual plies of Arbor and Vale (shown above, top to bottom) appear more compacted and how the fibers in each single are oriented in the same direction. I said Thank You as soon as I read the title. When it comes to choosing between a woolen-spun yarn and a worsted-spun yarn, there really is no right or wrong answer. Woollen and worsted yarn are two types of yarn that can be handspun. The two main types of yarns are spun yarn and filament yarn. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. Today, Im talking about the last one. That, in turn, means youll have more trouble knitting a garment that will fit you right. Your email address will not be published. February 2020 There are two basic ways of drafting fiber by hand or by machine: worsted draft or woolen draft. Wool is readied by washing (lanolin is the by-product), carding, sometimes combing, then spinning. Woolen yarns are made of carded yarns and are fuzzy and bulky. The Empire (on the right) is less consistent, and looks a little puffier. They will drape differently, hold shape differently, feel differently to the hand, and interact differently with the light. Worsted Spun requires a very different fibre preparation, and spinning technique. Select an optionAlabamaAlaskaArizonaArkansasCaliforniaColoradoConnecticutDelawareDistrict Of ColumbiaFloridaGeorgiaHawaiiIdahoIllinoisIndianaIowaKansasKentuckyLouisianaMaineMarylandMassachusettsMichiganMinnesotaMississippiMissouriMontanaNebraskaNevadaNew HampshireNew JerseyNew MexicoNew YorkNorth CarolinaNorth DakotaOhioOklahomaOregonPennsylvaniaRhode IslandSouth CarolinaSouth DakotaTennesseeTexasUtahVermontVirginiaWashingtonWest VirginiaWisconsinWyomingArmed Forces (AA)Armed Forces (AE)Armed Forces (AP). A beautifully written, lucid and illuminating lesson, and several fascinating aspects to the distinctions. If you can use Ravelry, the project pages are very helpful. Its more precise than the yarns weight category of fingering, DK, bulky, etc. You are however spinning long draw, which is a more woolen type of draft and will be trapping more air in the yarn. Thank you for this article. Thats because yarn weight is one of the key elements that affects the gauge of your knitting. Content: 100% pure new wool Put-Up: 119yd [110 m]/134 oz [50 g] Construction: 3-ply Care: Handwash in cool water Recommended Gauge: 20 sts and 28 rows = 4 (10 cm) on size 6 (4 mm) needles, Woolen-spun yarn creates little air pockets in the fiber; I like to think the process is similar to backcombing ones hair, offers Blacker Yarnss Sonja Bargielowska. Native Twist is available in twenty-nine bold, earthy, and jewel-toned solid colorways. The packing-in of the fiber as worsted yarn is made allows the fibers to protect each other for longer wear and less pilling. This was the only blog with a long windup that was not only worth the read but also genuinely funny rather than trying too hard. January 2022 https://garmentmerchendising.com/category/fiber/. Wuthering Heights Tom Hardy is the yarn that ran out when you were an inch from the finish. Look at the picture that accompanies this section. Worsted-spun yarns, on the other hand, are smoother and knit up into fabrics with greater drape and stitch definition. Worsted yarns contrast with woollen yarns, which are carded rather than combed and fuzzier than worsted yarns. When this "worsted spun" yarn is woven it produces fabric with these qualities unlike the more common woolen-spun wool yarns available to handweavers. 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. Wool is warm and lightweight and takes dyes well. These carded strands are lofty, lightweight, and trap a lot of air. 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. Shelter is textured, and Arbor is smooth as silk. If your gauge is too loose (that is, fewer stitches per inch than it should have), try going down a needle size. Think in terms of shopping at a fiber show. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. It makes yarn that is lofty and irregular. The fibers in stitches knit from woolen-spun yarn seem to literally bloom into the space theyre given. But not always. The best ways to get in touch with me are by messaging me on Ravelry or by sending an email to abeeinthebonnet (at) gmail (dot) com. May 2016 The worsted process means mixing all short hairs out of fabric. When dyed the same color, woolen and worsted drafted yarns wont look the same. Any suggestions? Thanks. September 2013 One other point about worsted vs. semi-worsted. 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. I really appreciate you using Tom Hardy as an analogy. Todays topic is woolen and worsted drafted yarns. Most people whove knit the hat have substituted yarns, but if they didnt use one with a halo like the silk-mohair, they sometimes found that the resulting fabric was too loose. As for me, well, I love hearing from people who are working on my patterns and do my best to respond to messages quickly. The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user. Designers chose yarns, in part, based on the fiber content, knowing that fiber content will affect the appearance of the garment. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. September 2022 I think it also helps to think of the woolen spun as grippier (as in grips more) since all the fibres are not tamed into a smooth yarn but are sort of sticking out all over. October 2016 If you want knife-edge stitch definition, go for a worsted drafted yarn. Carding, and the rolling in to a rolag creates a spiral of wool fibres wrapping round the tube. Copyright2023Golden Peak Media. November 2018 So far, all the colors have been created by dyeing the fiber in 16 vibrant solids, then blending them, two or . March 2021 3.5 oz ball / yards 245. knitting gauge: 5 stitches / inch on US 7. hand wash cold / lay flat to dry. Worsted Spun vs. Woolen Spun. . February 2017 Hours: Mon-Fri from 9am-4pm MT June 2016 This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Worsted Yarn. Woolen yarns are spun with the fibers going every which way. 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. The squeeze of drafting a yarn worsted brings fibers closer, for greater depth of color, and the smoothness of the surface reflects light, intensifying the color and shine. From that basis it's pretty much impossible to create a woolen yarn, which relies on trapping hairs perpendicular to the direction of the yarn I finally understand what worsted and wollen mean. 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. 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. To help you do that, Ive written out this guide to things you should consider before choosing a new yarn for your project. 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. A fluffy woolen wool blanket The sweater turned out too big and too heavy, so it drooped until it hung from my shoulders like a circular tablecloth with a hole in the middle. Ive wondered lately why some yarn I loved in my LYS seemed perfect, but when swatched, especially in garter stitch, looked so shiny, something I didnt want. Each of those packages generally indicates two key details: how many yards or meters are in the unit of yarn, and how much that unit of yarn weighs. Thank you! and now the skies are clear, the the clouds have drifted away, and the sun is shining! It makes yarn that is smooth and dense. So, and this is without seeing your yarn, your drafting, or the fibre, it's probably a lofty semi-worsted yarn. Look at the picture that accompanies this section. Using the ruler, measure how many times the yarn wraps around the item in the span of one inch. For example, if they just list an email address for pattern inquiries, dont message them on every social media platform where you can find them, too. Wrap your yarn firmly, but not tightly, around the item for at least a few inches, and then set it down next to the ruler. Very good, educational description. Your explanation of the 2 ends of the spectrum also makes it very easy to understand our process and resulting yarns. Worsted-spun yarns, on the other hand, are smoother and knit up into fabrics with greater drape and stitch definition. When you touch worsted yarn, it tends to feel heavier and very even, and it will be shiny if the fibers in the yarn are inclined that way. This was a great post. Customer accounts enabled in your Store Admin. You may be wondering by now if one is better than the other. But it made a noticeable difference to the feel of the swatch in my hand. The difference between woolen and the worsted yarn is that woolen yarn is spun by carding fibers. The compression of a worsted draft puts more individual fibers into a length of yarn, making it heavier. The worsted yarn will be a little bit stronger whereas the woolen yarn will break a little bit easier. September 2021 It might be worth sacrificing a bit of cable definition to get a lighter, cozier feeling sweater. Wool fabrics can be classified by their production technology the worsted and woolen one. They are both delightful, yet different. April 2022 Thanks for explaining the difference, it's interesting to see those subtle contrasts between the stitching! The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". Woollen yarns are used for flannel, tweed, melton, knitwear and felt. What is the Difference Between Worsted and Woolen Spun Yarns? I hope you found time to explore your stash, and perhaps enhance it with yarns of different breeds. Id assumed it was me, but now I wonder if its my yarn? Prepare to fiddle with needle sizes and maybe make a math adjustment or two if your chosen yarn doesnt quite match the gauge in the pattern. When spinning the fiber the long draw or medium draw technique is used to allow the fiber to wrap upon itself while . . In the woolen system, the fibers are carded and then spun It affects the processing efficiency as well as the quality of the product.This presentation has focused on wool spinning particularly woolen & worsted spinning process. However, the cost of carded woolen yarn is lower. You explained it so well. 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. Brava! from Brown Sheep Company. Now I might be able to come closer to making the right choice for the right project. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. 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. Time to read it again, more closely! 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. I have been knitting for awhile and have yet to use the yarn recommended by a designer for various reasons. Miss Babs has an orderly line. The Merino and Corriedale wool is gathered from Midwestern farms right here in the United States. Thanks for sharing. Semi-woolen yarn is spun woolen-style, using fibers prepared in a parallel arrangement. After being spun into yarn, our worsted-spun yarns are dyed in the skein. Our most popular workhorse yarn is the Heritage two-ply, but if you want even more wear, the Tuffy is an 80/20 blend of wool and nylon. Heritage comes in forty-five colors of the rainbow, including plenty of neutrals and heathers. Thank you for helping me understand these yarn differencesthis will help me understand why one yarn will make me swoon, and another yarn, totally different, really makes my knees weak. Between those extremes, you can make infinite yarn combining elements from along the woolen/worsted continuum. This definitely affects your choice for a project that will be steeked, but also for fair isle or intarsia colourwork where the woolen spun will fill in the gaps between stitches of different colours. In the videos below, I'm using hand carded alpaca. yarn weight is one of the key elements that affects the gauge, Shoes for Showing Off Handknit Socks: Six Suggestions. Because woolen-spun yarns retain lots of air pockets during the production process, they knit up into very insulating and warm garments. I needed to understand these concepts and to have them revealed in just this way. The Empire is more uneven looking, a little airier as well as fuzzy. This can get a bit tricky if youre substituting because you have a fiber allergy. The name derives from Worstead, a village in the English county of . I have been looking for something to help determine how best to substitute yarn. August 2019 Theyre great for items that wont get a ton of friction while youre wearing them and that you wear against sensitive skinthings like hats and cowls. The yarn is spun using the woolen process. The type of yarns also depends on how they spun. I guess I thought it referred to the ply, like 4-ply. Woolen fabrics are spun from short fibers, while worsted wool is made from longer and fine ones. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. April 2018 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. Thanks for the good explanation. As a result, generally they will pill more easily and develop holes sooner. Worsted spun yarn includes individual fibers that are facing in many directions, whereas woolen spun has all of the fibers facing in the same direction before the yarn is spun and they remain much more parallel in the final spun singles. Its not just the beautiful dyeing. And you explained the difference between woolen vs worsted very well!! It had a lacy yoke, short sleeves, and a bit of swing at the hem. Worsted Weight: 250 Yards / 100 Grams. 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). WPI is a way to measure the thickness of yarn. June 2022 If its too tight (that is, more stitches per inch than it should have), try going up a needle size. Some have a naturally rougher surface. Woolen yarn consists of fibers of varying length that are carded so the fibers are not parallel. 140 yards/50 g. $15.50 each. July 2017 At Brooklyn Tweed, we employtwo basic spinning methods that occupy either end of this broad spectrum of possibility: woolen-spinning and worsted-spinning. Put up is the way your yarn has been bundled up. Yarn substitution is where you use a different yarn from the yarn recommended by the designer who wrote the pattern youre following. This wool should be spun using the long draft. This carded wool from the initial fiber preparation is prepared further in a worsted-style through combing. You cracked the egg for me.I want to read more of your writing. Copyright 2014-2023. In the pictures, the woollen spun samples all seem bigger that the worsted spun. 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. 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. 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. 4.5 sts / inch on size US 8. To check your gauge, cast on 5-10 stitches more than what the pattern says will give you 4. Instead of carding the fibres they're combed. Woolen and worsted are two different classifications of wool fabrics and yarn. Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. The dead giveaway of the woolen-ness of Empire is the blip of fiber sticking out. 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. For many projects, it wont make much of a difference if youre switching yarn construction. This leaves both short and long fibers which are at different angles. Now I also know the difference when spinning too. Woolen spun wears like iron without the amount of pilling common to worsted spun yarns. Original Yarns Woollen spun woven fabrics are thicker and heavier and used mostly for outerwear. Thats especially true if youre knitting a small, close-fitting garment like a sock or mitt. KitILove This is what is meant by the gorgeous phenomenon of blooming. Before you go subbing in your new yarn, though, think about the following issues. 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. Even taking in account the difference of color and fiber blend, they are two different yarns. Twist is the magic that makes fiber into yarn, and drafting is how the twist gets into the fiber. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. Perhaps youve got a fiber allergy and need to switch to a yarn that wont irritate your skin. Yarns which Stretch It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. Also receive daily new post notifications, Superfun Giveaway: Celebrate BIPOC Designers, https://www.ravelry.com/discuss/techniques/3930171/1-25, https://garmentmerchendising.com/category/fiber/, https://www.thenaturalfibre.co.uk/blog/woollen-and-worsted-spun-yarns-thoughts-wovember#:~:text=A%20woollen%20spun%20yarn%20will,high%20proportion%20of%20short%20fibre. Appreciate the double check. 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. The yarn surface is brighter and cleaner. If you ever created your own cord or unwound a hank of yarn, then that's the exact same process. In most cases, semi-worsted and semi-woolen yarns could often be confused for the same thing.