by Lian Slayford-Wei

Created on: March 16, 2010

A Guide to Different Types of Yarn

There are many types of yarn for crocheting and knitting. Each type of yarn has a specific quality, some are good, and some are not very good, depending on what you are intending to create. Some manufacture a blend of the different types to offset characteristics that are undesirable.

When initially choosing a type of yarn, consider using wool, wool is a popular choice and remains a popular knitter’s choice.

There are various types of wool; some are made from lamb’s wool, taken from young lambs shearing. Then there is Merino wool, which is considered to be a fine breed. Pure new wool or virgin wool made from animal fleeces is not recycled from wool garments. Shetland wool is from the Shetland Islands, from Scotland’s native sheep. Icelandic is a soft rustic yarn and washable wool that is chemically treated to destroy fibre layers that are fuzzy on the outside.

The second yarn type is fleece. Cashmere and Mohair are examples and come from Kashmir or Angora goats as well as Angora rabbit’s hair. Silk, linen and cotton are smooth, slippery and shiny yarns. Synthetics, including acrylic, nylon and polyester are ordering between synthetic and natural like corn, bamboo, and soy. There are plants like corn, bamboo and plant based silk.

Novelty yarns are recognized for differing appearances in contrast to traditional yarns. Ribbon is rayon blends or rayon Boucle is a textured humpy yarn with loops. Chenille is trickier for knitting but it has an attractive velvety texture and appearance that makes it very appealing for knitters. Thick-thin yarns have thick sections as well as thin sections and gives a bumpy look to fabric that is knitted. Railroad ribbon with tiny fibre strung tracks between parallel strands. Faux fur has a strong thread base with a resemblance of nylon faux fur. Novelty yarns are tricky. They can be difficult to identify stitches in yarns that are highly textured yarn is close to impossible and it is difficult to fix he mistakes.

Specialty yarns are traditional yarn types that create special looks in items that are knitted. Firstly there is Tweed. This has a flecked background colour with different colour fibres. Heather is blended from a few dyed or different-coloured spun fleeces. Marled or rag is yarn piled in different colours. Variegated is yarn that is different shades of a colours or different colours.

When you are ready to begin knitting, it is important to work with a yarn that you feel comfortable working with and what will achieve your goals.

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