Soft yarn for knitting name. Types of yarn for hand knitting and its properties

Nowadays, craft stores sell a huge amount of yarn. The skeins on display differ in size, color, price and, most importantly, composition. When choosing yarn for your knitted product, you need to carefully study the properties of the fibers of the threads you like. This determines how long the new item will last you and how you will need to care for it.

Let's see what fibers can be included in yarn and what types of yarn can be found in the store.

Yarn composition

Acrylic. Synthetic fiber. Other names: dralon, artificial wool, nitron, orlon, PAN fiber, prelana. The acrylic thread is durable, does not fade in the sun, and dyes well. If you knit something from yarn containing acrylic, you can be sure that this item will be cozy and warm, and the “pillings” will not bother you.

Alpaca. The wool of the animal of the same name. Its properties are similar to camel hair. Alpaca itself is tough. Practically does not fall off.

Angora. Angora rabbit wool. Used in blended yarns together with acrylic, regular and merino wool. Angora products are fluffy, soft and warm. They must be protected from water and, therefore, cannot be washed.

Bamboo. A type of viscose based on bamboo wood. Its properties are reminiscent of flax. Yarns with bamboo fiber are soft and have a slight sheen. Please note that after washing the product may change shape slightly and may stretch a few centimeters.

Camel's wool. Camel down fiber. This wool is soft, light, and has healing properties. This yarn is sensitive to the sun. Unlike the fur of other animals, it does not cause allergies.

Viscose. An artificial fiber made from cellulose. The softness, slight shine and bright colors of viscose will help create interesting designs. A product with viscose may stretch after washing.

Cashmere. This fiber is made from the down of mountain goats. Soft, light, very expensive wool. Cashmere products require careful handling both during washing and during storage.

Lycra. Synthetic fiber developed in Du Pont laboratories. Other names: spandex, elastane. Used only in blended yarns. Gives products elasticity and helps maintain their shape.

Linen. Fiber from the plant of the same name. Durable, resistant to moisture and high temperatures. Linen products will serve you for a long time, keep you warm in cold weather and give you coolness during hot weather.

Lurex. Artificial fiber with a bright metallic sheen. Another name: metanite. May be in different colors. Used only in blended yarns. Pure lurex thread is hard and fragile.

Merino wool. Wool from Mirino sheep. This fiber is thin, soft and durable. Does not cause allergies.

Mohair. Goat hair. Products with the addition of mohair are warm, light and fluffy. When washing, use mild detergents and water at room temperature.

Nylon. An artificial fiber of the polyamide group, developed in the laboratories of Du Pont. Used in blended yarns to improve properties: extends the life of the product and allows it to retain its shape after washing.

Polyamide. Artificial fiber. Varieties: dederon, nylon, lilion, nylon, perlon, stilon. Advantages: strength, shape retention. Disadvantages: electrified, does not breathe well, cannot be washed with softening fabric softeners, sensitive to light.

Polyester. Synthetic fiber. Soft, light. Products with the addition of polyester do not accumulate static electricity, hold their shape well, do not lose their properties when exposed to light, and dry quickly.

Tactel. Synthetic fiber developed in Du Pont laboratories. A product made from tactile has the best properties of artificial fibers: it does not accumulate static electricity, dries quickly, is strong and durable, and “breathes” well.

Cotton. This fiber is obtained from cotton. One of the most common fibers. Used since ancient times. Durable, soft, easy to paint. After washing, cotton can shrink and take a long time to dry.

Silk. A thread formed by the silkworm. Has high strength. Good air permeability. Sensitive to the sun. Requires careful washing.

Wool. In general, sheep's wool. Lightweight, elastic, heat-retaining fiber. A wool product may shed and pellets may appear on its surface.

Types of yarn

Blended yarn. It is a mixture of several fibers. The most common type of yarn, since the thread rarely consists of 100% single fiber.

Fancy or fancy yarn. When making such yarn, non-standard techniques and materials are used to produce unusual textures when knitting. The most popular type of such yarn is bouclé. Fancy thread can consist of small pieces of ribbons, knots, a combination of different types of thread or fibers, or be in the form of a ribbon or cord. Can be used for knitting the main fabric or for finishing the finished product.

Melange yarn. It consists of one thread, which is dyed in several colors in small pieces. Thanks to this method of processing yarn, you can create spectacular products with striped or spotted patterns. Colors can be chosen in a variety of ways: based on contrasting combinations or in several shades of the same color.

Now you can safely go to the store for yarn.

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ACRYLIC

Yarn can be synthetic, artificial, natural and mixed. Acrylic yarn is synthetic. It is made from polyacrylonitrile fibers, which are formed as a result of processing natural gas. The percentage of these fibers in the yarn composition can be 20-100%. If the yarn contains 70-100% acrylic, then it will be called acrylic, but if it is less than 70%, then it will be called acrylic-containing.

The main properties of acrylic yarn: strength, light fastness and thermoplasticity. The advantage of this material is also its volume, due to which it visually resembles wool.

Acrylic yarn is easily dyed, which allows you to obtain a variety of colors. Products made from this type of yarn are very comfortable to wear and retain their attractive appearance for a long time. Acrylic thread is often used for embroidering rugs, tapestries, pillows and other decorative works, however, it is not very suitable for paintings, since the products turn out to be rough.

Acrylic holds heat well, so things made from it can keep you warm. Due to its synthetic origin, acrylic yarn is light, durable, does not fade or fade, and is also hypoallergenic and not eaten by moths. You can distinguish acrylic yarn from any other by rubbing wet acrylic. The result is a characteristic creaking sound. If you mix acrylic with wool or mohair, the quality of the yarn will improve significantly. The knitted product will keep its shape well, will not stretch or shrink, and the price of yarn will decrease significantly. Products made from acrylic are easy to wash, but to extend their life, it is better to use a gentle washing mode and mild detergents. Despite the fact that the yarn is completely synthetic, not only summer, open and light items are knitted from it, but also autumn, warm items.

Acrylic is known on the market under the names “polyamide”, “prelana”, “nitron” or “PAN fiber”. Blends containing more than 30% acrylic are well suited for machine knitting. Among all the advantages, acrylic also has one drawback - it is low hygroscopicity, which deprives things made of acrylic of hygienic qualities.

ALPACA

Alpaca is an animal from the camel family. These animals live in South America in extreme climatic conditions with sudden temperature changes. In this regard, their wool is special: thin, soft, light and at the same time very dense, does not allow water to pass through.

The younger the animal, the softer and thinner its wool, so fibers from young animals are used for warm woolen clothing; denser yarn can be used for carpets. Alpaca wool is seven times warmer and three times stronger than sheep wool. Due to the fact that some fibers are longer, wool is not subject to pilling and does not mat. The wool has a silky sheen and is very pleasant to the skin. Alpaca yarn is very dense. The advantages of the wool of this animal are very clearly manifested in blended yarns. Blends with merino or regular wool, as well as with artificial fibers, are especially common.

The main advantage of products made from alpaca yarn is that they do not form pills. Unlike other species, alpaca wool can regulate its moisture content within a range that is more comfortable for humans. Alpaca yarn and clothing should only be washed in cold water with a small amount of detergent. The main thing is to ensure that the product is completely immersed in water, since wool can repel moisture. Dissolve the detergent in water before washing, and then rinse the item thoroughly. After washing, you should not wring out and hang the item; you should only dry it in an ironed form, away from heating devices. You must also ensure that direct sunlight does not fall on the item. Iron the dried product delicately through a damp cloth.

ANGORA

Angora is rabbit fluff, which was once obtained by the Chinese as an analogue of real angora, now called “mohair”. Rabbits whose wool is used for yarn are called Angora.

Angora wool is very fluffy, warm and soft. But it has one unpleasant property: “peeling”; this cannot be prevented, even if the percentage of angora in the yarn is reduced. Therefore, angora wool is practically not used in its pure form; it is mixed into yarn with merino or regular wool, or with acrylic. Products made from high-quality Angora yarn can last a long time.

Angora yarn is light, so 200-250 g of wool is enough for a product of sizes 42-22. It is necessary to care for products made from angora as follows: careful hand wash using special detergents, dry flat on a horizontal surface.

Angora yarn is well suited for knitting warm scarves and hats, outerwear, socks and mittens. The following types of yarn from the Alize brand are presented: Angora Gold Batik Design, Angora Gold Batik, Angora Real 40 melange, Angora Real 40, Angora Real 40 Motif, Angora Real 40 Batik, Angora Special Batik.

VISCOSE

Viscose is the oldest man-made fiber, dating back to the 19th century. This is the most “natural” yarn of all artificial ones. She was able to combine such incompatible concepts in herself because of the substance from which it is obtained. Viscose is made from cellulose, which is natural in nature.

The positive qualities of viscose are that it has good breathability, does not absorb moisture well, does not accumulate static electricity, has shine, is pleasant to the touch and can be dyed any color. Viscose yarn, from which various products are made, is well suited for people with sensitive skin.
But not everything is as wonderful as it seems at first glance. Viscose attracts with its shine and silkiness, but in the finished product it behaves very capriciously. During wear, products made from 100% viscose can increase in size by one and a half times. Therefore, when purchasing this yarn, you need to be very careful. To avoid disappointment, it is better to knit a sample first, and then give it a good stretch to see how much the product can increase in length. It is better to choose a pattern that is dense and less lacy. The product must be knitted with the expectation that after it is ready, it will stretch out under its own weight due to the properties of viscose.

Yarn to which viscose is added behaves best. It goes well in yarn with wool, cotton or mohair. Thanks to viscose, the yarn will become softer and gain shine.

RIBBON YARN

Ribbon yarn is a type of yarn that is used for knitting interesting, light and openwork patterns. The yarn itself is unique, and it is used for certain types of products. It will not make a warm sweater or thick socks for the winter. This yarn is thin and airy. You need to be able to work with it. It cannot even be called yarn at all; it is more like a ribbon, which has different widths and composition. Things knitted from ribbon yarn are beautiful, airy, light and openwork. But their care must be special.

This yarn can be used for both crocheting and knitting.
A scarf made from ribbon yarn is a wonderful and practical option. The scarf will look bright, festive and unusual. The color of the scarf depends on your preference. Red, blue, green - make autumn days bright and memorable. The yarn is so airy and light that a skein weighing 100 grams is enough to make an entire scarf. Using ribbon yarn, you can knit a short or long scarf that can also be used to cover your head.

Knitting from ribbon yarn is a wonderful and unusual option for creating original products. Ribbon yarn is used for knitting scarves, tablecloths, children's dresses, and beautiful small openwork handbags. Using ribbon yarn, you can come up with a lot of other things and fantasize.

MERINO YARN

Merino yarn is 100% obtained from the wool of Merino sheep. It is cut only from the withers, where the fine-fleece wool has the best qualities. Natural merino wool is a pleasant white yarn, very warm and soft to the touch. Thanks to its natural curl, 100 merino wool yarn has good elasticity. But in its pure form, merino yarn will not be a cheap pleasure to buy. Therefore, other materials (usually acrylic) are added to it in order to reduce the cost of the finished product and give it greater softness. Items made from merino yarn require the same care as regular wool items. However, the more carefully you take care of the product, the longer it will last.

The optimal size of knitting needles is No. 4-4.5; hook number 4.

MICROFIBER

Microfiber yarn is an ultra-fine synthetic thread that is produced from polyamide and polyester using a technology of pressing molten polymers through narrow holes. The fibers of this yarn are very light. To determine their weight, a weight unit of one denier is used - a length-to-weight ratio in which a nine-kilometer-long thread weighs only one gram. The thickness of microfiber is one six hundredth of a millimeter, which is two times thinner than natural silk thread and 100 times thinner than human hair.

The first attempts to produce ultra-thin fiber were made back in the 1950s; for some time these developments were carried out even under the heading “secret”. But industrial production of microfiber began only 20 years later in Japan, and it became widespread in the 1990s. The name “microfiber” itself comes from the technology of manufacturing ultra-thin fibers, whose diameter is only 0.06 millimeters. Just 1 pound (that's 453 grams) of microfiber fiber is enough to wrap the globe around the equator more than 10 times. Microfiber fibers are produced by carrying out certain technological processes of lamination of artificial (cellulose acetate, viscose, etc.), natural (cotton) or synthetic (polyamide, polypropylene, polyester, etc.) fibers.

Today, polyester microfiber is used to produce a diverse range of non-woven and woven fabrics for various uses - they are used to make cleaning products for home cleaning, sew clothes, and even produce industrial filters. Microfiber yarn is great for home knitting.

The finest microfiber threads have a triangular cross-section, which indicates its increased hygroscopicity and good heat-insulating properties. Items knitted from microfiber do not fade, do not stretch or shrink, and do not become covered with pills. In addition, they are lightweight, hold their shape well, are soft, pleasant to the touch, silky, and perfectly absorb moisture while remaining dry. They are cool in summer and warm in winter. Products made from microfiber yarn last a long time, do not cause allergies and are easy to care for.

Microfiber yarn is perfectly dyed in a wide variety of rich colors, which is an additional advantage for needlewomen who prefer spectacular and bright things. Another undoubted advantage is that today you can buy pure microfiber in stores, or a variety of blended yarns with the addition of cotton, wool, acrylic and other fibers.

COTTON

Today, products in which the main thread is cotton yarn are becoming fashionable again. Cotton yarn consists almost entirely of cellulose and a small percentage of wax and resins. Cotton yarn is used, mercerized or naturally bleached. In the first option, cotton fibers, yarn or fabric are treated with a special substance under tension. As a result, the yarn becomes soft, silky, durable and shiny. Thanks to this process, cotton yarn can be subsequently dyed in various colors.

Cotton yarn is dense, heavy and not elastic. Cotton dyes well and practically does not fade. Cotton shrinks a lot and takes a long time to dry. Cotton products can be worn at average ambient temperatures. Cotton is often used in yarn blends with acrylic or wool.

Eco-friendly yarn is made from cotton grown without the use of pesticides and dyed only with natural dyes. Natural dyes, by the way, also perfectly dye wool yarn. The colors of natural dyes are slightly poorer than chemical ones, but it consists of a full spectrum of natural tones.

100% cotton knitting yarn has various advantages. Cotton clothing allows the skin to breathe and gives a feeling of comfort and softness. In addition, cotton is thermally conductive, which is very important during hot periods, as it cools the body.

Yarn with cotton is used in the production of hosiery and knitwear, suitable for processing on flat knitting, circular knitting, household machines, as well as for hand knitting. Due to the fact that cotton yarn is not elastic, it has its own requirements for knitted products. This yarn does not work well with textured designs and elastics.

SILK

If you love knitted things and at the same time knit them yourself, then, of course, you are interested in yarn, its types, price and everything else related to the subject of knitting. And it’s not true that knitted items can only be worn in the cold season. There is yarn from which summer clothes are knitted. Silk yarn is an excellent option for threads that are designed for knitting clothing models in the summer. Silk threads can be used to knit a top, jacket, dress, as well as various accessories for the holidays. Before you start knitting, this thread needs to be slightly moistened, so it will be better to use it for knitting any product you choose. Silk yarn is great for crocheting or knitting.

Silk thread is thin, shiny and very beautiful. But products made from silk thread require special care, otherwise, if not properly cared for, the item may become deformed. For example, things made of artificial silk should not be twisted too much when washing, as this can cause the product to tear.
Silk yarn is quite difficult to work with; it will require a lot of knitting experience and skills, but the resulting product will be beautiful, sophisticated and elegant.

WOOL

For example, the soft yarn wool has been famous since ancient times for its warmth, comfort and softness of products made from it. Wool yarn is made from the wool of various animals - domesticated livestock - such as sheep, camels, and goats. Wool retains heat perfectly and a woolen sweater or dress will always come in handy during the cold season. Woolen items require special care. Items made of wool cannot be washed in hot water; they tend to stretch. After washing, such an item cannot be hung; it must be carefully laid out completely on a flat surface, for example, on a table, and wait until it dries completely.

Wool yarn is perfect for knitting. A dress, vest, sweater, warm socks, for yourself, your husband, relatives, a small child - you can knit this and much more from wool in a fairly short time. In addition, a hand-knitted item is much better than the same item bought in a store.

Products made from wool yarn are probably found in everyone's closet. They are indispensable in the cold, and they look beautiful and cozy. And knitting them is a pleasure - the yarn is soft and pleasant to the touch. If you knit yourself or are just about to knit your first woolen item, then you simply need to understand the yarn so that later you will not be painfully upset about an item that unraveled during wear or after the first wash.

So, let's look at the features and properties of wool yarn.

The properties of wool yarn vary depending on the animal's wool it is made from. But there is also general properties of wool yarn:

• naturalness - wool is similar in structure to human hair, which creates a feeling of comfort when the product comes into contact with the skin;
• hygroscopicity - wool does not get wet well, in addition, it removes moisture from the body;
• resistance to creasing due to the high elasticity of wool fiber;
• keeps warm;
• stretches easily;
• Woolen items are quite durable.

Some of the unpleasant features of wool yarn include:

• stallability and instability to abrasion, which causes the formation of pellets;
• tartness if the yarn is of poor quality, as well as for sensitive skin;
• individual intolerance to allergies;
• loses strength when wet by approximately 30%;
• the need for careful care of wool products.

Wool yarn can be either in its pure form or with the addition of other fibers (for example, synthetics, flax fibers are added). Most often you can find acrylic in wool yarn. It makes the yarn more elastic and durable. In addition, it reduces the cost of wool yarn. From a practical point of view, the content of acrylic in yarn also has advantages - fewer pellets are formed on items made from yarn with acrylic.

Now let’s look at what types of wool yarn there are.

Types of wool yarn

Sheep's wool - one of the most common types of wool. As a rule, the name “wool” refers to the wool of sheep. It is found both in pure form and mixed with other fibers. Sheep wool is divided into several types, which differ in the thickness of the hair. Wool can be of varying degrees of softness depending on the breed of sheep, as well as the time of year when it was collected - wool obtained from spring shearing is softer.

Merino wool- wool of the highest quality. It is obtained from sheep of a fine-wool breed; accordingly, the yarn from such fiber is thin and soft. The high quality of wool is also maintained by spring shearing; fine-wool sheep are sheared only in the spring, once a year, when the wool is thinnest and most uniform. Merino wool is ideal for the production of yarn for knitting children's clothes. It is also used for knitting things for allergy sufferers, since there is no reaction to it.

Among the distinctive advantages of merino wool yarn is its excellent ability to retain heat, while the skin in knitted clothes from this yarn “breathes” well, so the body does not sweat.

Semi-fine wool (medium type)- fiber obtained from meat and wool sheep (non-fine wool breed). This wool is coarser and the fiber is thicker, so the quality of the yarn is lower than that of merino.

Powdered wool (Baby merino)- wool from lambs aged 4-7 months. Very fine hair compared to the hair of an adult sheep.

Camel's wool- an inexpensive, but not very popular type of wool yarn. Its unpopularity is largely due to the poor choice of colors - dark or black shades. Many people choose the natural color of wool for needlework - light brown. The thing is that it does not bleach, so there is no way to give it the desired tone. Despite this, it is often chosen if they want to create truly warm clothes due to its high quality and excellent ability to retain heat.

The structure of camel hair differs from other types of wool - it does not have a scaly structure inside. In this regard, it has distinctive properties, of which the following can be noted:

• more than 2 times lighter than sheep wool;
• not electrified;
• has very high hygroscopicity;
• resistant to contamination;
• has a healing effect - it is recommended for people suffering from circulatory disorders, and thanks to lanolin (animal wax found in the internal cavity of hairs) it helps with diseases of the musculoskeletal system.

However, things made from camel hair are not suitable for everyone: on the one hand, hard hairs create a tingling effect and, thus, improve blood circulation thanks to a kind of massage, but on the other hand, such things “prick” and therefore are not liked by children and those with sensitive skin .

Alpaca- the most expensive and high-quality wool. The yarn is obtained from the wool of alpacas (llama, belongs to the camel family). Animals live in high mountain areas with extreme climatic conditions, and therefore their fur must protect them from adverse conditions. According to its properties, it is soft, long and thin and has a pleasant silky shine.

No wool compares to alpaca fur. Their wool has no fat, so products made from wool yarn do not get dirty for a long time.

The advantages include:

• 7 times warmer than sheep wool;
• does not become dirty for a long time;
• does not wrinkle;
• not prone to pilling and matting;
• does not cause allergies;
• practically waterproof;
• finished products made from alpaca wool look excellent and durable.

The disadvantage of yarn is its high price.

Mohair- made from the wool of Angora goats, which are raised only in three regions of the world (Ankara in Turkey, Texas and South Africa). Wool is incredibly soft, so you won't find 100% mohair - wool yarn will simply disintegrate into individual fibers. The yarn composition does not contain more than 83% mohair, due to the peculiarities of the technological process and the resulting quality of the yarn at the output. Wool yarn made from mohair opens up wide scope for creativity thanks to a rich palette of tones (goat hair is easy to dye). Mohair is ideal for knitting openwork patterns - things turn out airy, but at the same time warm. A striking example is Orenburg down scarves.

Advantages of mohair yarn:

• very soft wool yarn;
• durable;
• has a strong shine;
• easy to clean from dirt;
• Mohair items are very light and warm.

Knitting from mohair is a pleasure, and you don’t want to let go of mohair items, but due to the softness of the fiber, very delicate care is required, otherwise things will quickly lose their appearance.

Angora (angora)- wool yarn obtained from the fluff of Angora rabbits. However, there should not be a lot of fluff in the yarn: the optimal content is 20%, otherwise it will be impossible to knit from the yarn, as it will disintegrate. The exception is high-quality angora wool yarn, but its price is high. Typically, rabbit down is used as a complement to regular or merino wool, and is also mixed with acrylic.

Advantages of Angora:

• soft and thin wool yarn;
• light;
• warm.

Flaws:

• not very durable;
• it is difficult to work with wool yarn - there is no way to firmly secure the thread due to the fluff coming out;
• things cannot be washed (they cannot even get wet) - dry cleaning only.

Cashmere- for yarn, thick and thin fluff of Tibetan high-mountain goats is used, which is combed from the chest and belly of the animals. Like other types of down yarn, it does not exist in its pure form: down is too soft to hold its shape, so items made from pure cashmere would quickly stretch out under their own weight. Typically knitting yarn contains 30% goat down. Cashmere yarn is one of the most expensive.

Benefits of cashmere:

• soft wool yarn;
• warm (Tibetan goats live in harsh climatic conditions, where in summer up to +500C, and in winter - from -400C);
• pleasant for knitting, and things turn out beautiful and airy.

Disadvantages of cashmere:

• cashmere items require delicate care and wear out quickly;
• yarn price.

Caring for wool products

Products made from wool yarn require special care. Wool products of any kind are not immune to problems with pilling and deformation.

1. Woolen items are best washed by hand. In some cases, you can also use the delicate cycle in your washing machine. For washing you need to choose special detergents.
2. Wash gently, without strong physical impact. Do not twist items after washing. All this can cause a loss of elasticity and strength of the yarn.
3. Do not dry items in the washing machine. Products lose shape and may shrink in size if the temperature is too high.
4. To dry wet woolen items, carefully lay them out on a flat surface. Under no circumstances hang them on a hanger immediately after washing! If you hang them, things will stretch out a lot.
5. Do not dry woolen items on heating appliances.
6. Do not iron things with a hot iron. Use a clean white cloth to iron the clothes through, or gently steam the items back to fullness.

As for the features of caring for various types of wool yarn, there are nuances:

1. Products made from mohair yarn must be washed carefully. The water should be at room temperature. It is better to use mild shampoo for washing.
2. For Angora, dry cleaning is the ideal option.
3. Products made from alpaca wool are best not hung, but stored rolled up.

Today, when you go into, you can see a variety of types, colors and textures of knitting threads. Let's try to structure it a little

Most often manufacturersyarn for hand knitting is conventionally divided into summer and winter. In most online stores, this division is generally accepted. Summer yarn includes linen, cotton, viscose, as well as a combination of them; winter yarn includes wool of all its varieties, artificial yarn with bulky fiber (for example, acrylic), mixed yarn etc. In addition, the same one is divided by footage, the number of threads in the twist, i.e. thickness of threads, type of twist (strongly twisted or not), texture, etc.

As raw material For the manufacture of yarn for hand knitting, natural and artificial, as well as synthetic materials are used. Natural ones include wool, cotton, linen, silk, etc., i.e. raw materials of plant and animal origin. Artificial fibers: viscose, copper-ammonia, acetate and protein - these are natural raw materials that have been chemically processed; synthetic: polyamide, polyester and polyvinyl chloride - the result of the chemical industry.

Consider the types of yarn made from natural raw materials

Wool yarn- a natural material obtained from the sheared or combed wool of animals, mainly sheep and goats. Wool yarn more elastic and much lighter than plant material, retains heat better, i.e. Levels the difference between air temperature and body temperature, does not absorb moisture so quickly, does not accumulate static electricity, but is less durable. Main disadvantagewool yarn- this is that it falls off and when rubbed (when wearing products made from it) forms pellets. The weaker the twist and finer the wool threads, the more pronounced these shortcomings become. Also, wool products can stretch (especially when wet), and washed in hot water knitted item , can “sit down” a lot. This is precisely why artificial or plant fibers are added to wool to neutralize these shortcomings. In addition, such blended yarn (mixed with other fibers) is usually cheaper than pure wool. Wool yarn Great for hand knitting winter warm items with smooth, textured or multi-color patterns.

Wool yarn is divided into:

• Alpacais a type of llama that is raised in South America. It differs from other representatives of the camelid family in that the alpaca’s wool is homogeneous, i.e., it consists of fibers of the same type. Alpaca yarn It is valued primarily for the fact that it does not fall off or form pills, and is also much warmer, lighter and more durable than sheep's wool. It also contains 22 natural color shades - from pure white, then silver, beige, brown and to black. When storing alpaca wool, keep in mind that it does not tolerate mothballs; lavender, cedar or tobacco are used against moths. BecauseUsually used in its pure form, it is expensive.
• Angora. This kind of yarn obtained from combed or clippedAngora rabbit wool. Angora fiber is light, warm, soft, has a silky shine, and is easily dyed in beautiful pure colors. Main disadvantage Angoras- fiber length. Short fibers obtained by cutting “come out” when knitting and wearing the product. In its pure form, angora is almost never used. Firstly, the material is very slippery and difficult to twist into a thread, and secondly, it is quite expensive. But angora is ideal foradded to sheep's wool yarn, silk or synthetic.
• Camel's wool. The wool of a camel of the Bactrian breed is considered to be of the highest quality. Thanks to its hollow structure, camel wool is stronger and lighter than other types of wool and retains heat better. It will protect not only in cold weather, but also from overheating in hot weather. The most valuable wool is the white fluff of camel calves up to one year old, which is combed from the camel's chest. Camel wool is practically not dyed. But its natural color comes in 14 shades of natural color, which serves as an additional guarantee of environmental purity.
• Cashmere(or Kashmir). Cashmere- this is the fluff of wild mountain goats that live in Tibet, inKashmir- state of India. They are combed out once a year. They are disassembled, separating coarse fibers from fluffy ones, and sorted by length and fineness. Therefore, out of 500 grams of wool obtained from one goat, no more than 150 grams of fluff remains. Products from cashmere very warm, light, soft and durable, just take proper care of them. It is better to wash by hand and in cold water, using special products, dry flat and protect from moths. Due to the high cost of the fiber, pure cashmere is practically not produced. Usually, it is added in different proportions to wool or silk fiber.
• Mohair- Angora goat hair. The best fiber comes from one- and two-year-old goats. Angora goat woolhas long and wavy fibers with a luster shine. Mohair yarn is fluffy, light, soft, warm and durable. You just need to know that there is no such thing as 100% mohair, since additives are needed to fix the slippery fibers into the yarn. Kid mohair and super kid mohair are the best batches of fiber obtained from kids under 6 months of age. Most often, mohair is used in a mixture with silk, wool or nylon.
• Merino wool– obtained from a fine-wool sheep breed that produces uniform and fine fiber. Merino yarn is thin, light, durable and extremely warm. It has the same types as super fine, i.e. extra thin and finest, which does not irritate the skin, is very light, warm and comfortable. We can safely recommend it to children. Other types of fibers are very rarely added to merino wool. And if they add it, it’s only to make it cheaper, and not to improve its quality.
• Regular wool yarn obtained from the shorn wool of sheep. To produce high-quality yarn, it is necessary to take into account various parameters of wool fiber: length and thickness, crimp, elasticity, softness, dyeability, etc. The most important quality is fineness, i.e. the finer the fiber, the softer and more delicate the yarn. The advantages of sheep wool are, first of all, that it is a natural product with low thermal conductivity, high hygroscopicity, strength and breathability, elasticity, resilience and durability. Has medicinal properties. Easy to care for. And its disadvantages: prickliness, hardness, peelability and can cause allergies, are associated with the use of low quality raw materials.

Plant raw materials

Plant materials: flax, cotton, bamboo fiber, and silk are also natural yarns. It is usually used for knitting summer clothes.

• Cotton. Cotton products are highly breathable, absorb moisture and balance body temperature with the ambient temperature, but take a long time to dry. It is pleasant to wear in extreme heat. Thanks to the different quality and structure of the fibers (smooth, matte, shiny, melange) and a very wide range of colorscotton yarnused for hand knitting almost any patterns and knitting techniques. Caring for cotton items is not difficult, it can even be washed in a machine, but you need to take into account that a product knitted from pure cotton may “shrink” after washing. Cotton knitted items are comfortable and pleasant to wear, resistant to abrasion and tearing, and practically do not fade. If we compare cotton yarn on the other hand, you can notice that cotton has a higher warming effect than linen, but it is less durable than linen and silk.
• Linen. This is the strongest fabric. Clothing made from linen absorbs moisture better and dries faster than knitted clothes made from cotton or wool. Linen does not shrink at high temperatures and therefore does not shrink. In very hot weather, linen clothing is preferable to cotton clothing. The disadvantage is that it has a poor color range, as it is difficult to bleach or paint it. Therefore, the color of the fabric takes on natural gray-beige shades. Linen is inconvenient for warm clothes, as it has significant weight and makes clothes heavier.
• Silk- natural textile thread of animal origin. Silk has a beautiful appearance, a pleasant matte shine, great strength and elasticity, a high ability to absorb moisture and retain heat, and does not form pills. Natural silk thread is not used as a raw material for yarn. For production, rejected cocoons and waste are used, which are converted into relatively short fibers and processed into yarn. It is often spun with wool or cotton, which adds strength, elasticity, and shine. To a large extent, silk makes things wrinkle-resistant, which makes them extra comfortable to wear.

Artificial yarn

It includes viscose, acetate fiber etc., which are obtained from natural materials (for example, cellulose) or recycled materials thanks to chemical technologies. Viscose is obtained from wood (pine, spruce), and acetate yarn is obtained from waste (short fibers) obtained from cotton processing. Clothes knitted from artificial yarn are soft, silky (shiny), elastic, pleasant to the touch and not susceptible to the destructive effects of microorganisms. But they also have some disadvantages. For example, items made from viscose wrinkle very much, and wet threads lose strength, so items made from viscose should not be wrung out too much, as they may simply tear. In addition, viscose is heavy, so clothes made from it stretch under its own weight. Items made from acetate thread become electrified and are difficult to smooth out bends. As a rule, such threads are added to natural yarn.

Synthetic for hand knitting - these are acrylic, nylon, lavsan, lycra, nylon, spandex, polyester, polyamide and others, which are obtained by chemical synthesis. The resulting products have high strength and resistance to deformation, so clothes do not “shrink” or stretch after washing. But synthetic yarns are highly electrified, light colors may turn yellow over time, and with prolonged use the threads become brittle.

Synthetic yarn used for the manufacture of sports and workwear, socks, and also added to other natural or artificial fibers. Blended (or mixed) yarn is a combination of all the quality advantages of natural, artificial and synthetic fibers. The best option for this type of yarn, as a rule, is 25% synthetic threads and 75% natural ones. In this case, when worn, the product will have high hygienic properties, comfort, wrinkle-resistance and pleasant sensations, while it will not become electrified and have a glassy sheen.

Yarn According to the texture of the threads, it can be boucle (obtained by twisting a smooth thin thread with an uneven decorative thread with loops, it looks voluminous), ribbon, cordon (the most uniform thread of artificial fiber), in the form of a mesh, tweed(the threads have small thickenings that are painted in bright or pastel colors), andflame yarnwith slight thickenings.

In addition, it is producedshiny yarn- a composition of viscose, polyamide, or polyester, which are added to the base and give a silver or golden effect. For example, Lurex is a polyester thread on which a very thin metal coating is applied.

Currently available on the market andfantasy yarn, it is obtained by spinning fibers of different quality and color (melange yarn) or made using special technologies (grass, faux fur), natural fibers are mixed with metallized or synthetic threads of various textures (boucle, loops, “bumps”, etc. .).Also suitable for hand knitting.

Good afternoon, dear friends, as always, I am very glad that you are reading me, and today I would like to talk to you about yarn again. You've probably already read my article, where I give general recommendations on choosing yarn, and today in the section I decided to tell you about yarn in more detail, talk about the properties of yarn depending on the composition, how to care for finished products, depending on yarn from which they were knitted, and talk again about purchased yarn: how to read labels, what to do with a skein, and much more useful things.

And, before we start, I want to recommend to you the store where I buy yarn - this is the online store "Azhur". In it you will always find not only yarn from the most popular brands at low prices and a wide range of colors, but also a variety of accessories and knitting equipment. Visit the store page - ajur-shop.ru - and order everything you need with home delivery!

Yarn from natural raw materials

Yarn of animal origin

For the vast majority of knitters - wool (wool) – this is a favorite material, and it certainly deserves it. Wool is obtained by shearing or combing animals, mainly sheep.

The most important property of wool is that it perfectly keeps warm. This is due to the structure of wool fibers; they contain a large amount of air.

No less important are water And dirt-resistant properties of wool that it has due to its thin outer layer. This layer does not allow water and dirt to pass through, but allows water vapor to pass through. Wool can absorb up to 40% of its weight as steam without appearing wet. Many of us know from our mothers and grandmothers that woolen items will keep you warm even when completely wet, and this is true.

Wool is practically wrinkle-resistant and has a high elasticity.

Wool does not have high strength, especially when wet.

If wool fibers are subjected to friction at high temperatures in an alkaline agent, the scales will adhere tightly to each other - wool mats.

Under normal conditions, six statically not electrified.

Knowing these properties, it is easy to deduce care ruleswoolen items:

2) When washing, avoid water temperatures above 30 - 37 degrees.

3) Reduce the use of detergent to a minimum.

5) Dry the damp item in a horizontal position, unfolded.

8) Wool is very susceptible to moths. Now there are a huge number of products on the market that protect our clothes from moths, but you can also use folk remedies, such as lavender, pieces of cedar or cedar oil, tangerine peels, and many others.

I would also like to add that with proper care, high-quality wool is less susceptible to shrinkage. But you should pay attention to how much you pull the thread when knitting, or when, for example, winding wool into balls. If you pull the thread too tightly, after washing it will return to its normal state and the item will shrink.

There are several special types of wool obtained from various animals; such wool is especially valued by needlewomen, and, naturally, it is much more expensive than ordinary wool. Quite often, such wool is found in the form of an additive to regular wool, and then their properties harmoniously complement each other, and the price does not bite so much:

Merino (merino wool) (merino) – especially fine wool from merino sheep. Ideal for knitting children's items.

Cashmere) - thin, soft, noble wool obtained from the cashmere goat, which lives in the mountains of India and China. This is a fairly expensive wool, so it is often used in a mixture with regular wool, silk or artificial additives.

Alpaca) – even thinner than cashmere, has high thermal properties. It is obtained from an animal of the same name (this is a goat), living in the mountains of South America.

Mohair) – produced from Angora goats mainly in Turkey and the USA. Nowadays, the especially soft mohair of a young kid (Kids) Mohair is very popular; to obtain it, very young goats (up to 8 months) are sheared for the first time. You can distinguish an item knitted from yarn with the addition of mohair by its special “fluffiness”; 15-20% mohair content is enough for the yarn to acquire such a fluffy look. In principle, there is no yarn with 100% mohair content; it would simply break up into individual fibers. Mohair does not shrink or fall off.

Angora wool), obtained from a snow-white Angora rabbit, it is exceptionally light, soft and thin, retains heat excellently, but is highly susceptible to moths and easily electrified. Excellent for felting - this wool can be felted even in a dry room.

Well, since most of you, I think, are from Russia, I cannot help but say about dog hair. Very, very much is said on the Internet about the healing properties of this wool, I will neither confirm nor deny anything, but, of course, one cannot help but say that this wool is very warm, and you can easily spin it yourself if you have a fluffy pet and electric or manual spinning wheel.

Silk (silk), like wool, it is a yarn of animal origin, as it is obtained from the webs of insects, mainly silkworms.

A few words about properties of silk:

Silk thread has a smooth outer structure; it can absorb moisture up to 30% of its weight without appearing wet.

Silk is soft, it does not electrify and wrinkles little.

Silk provides coolness in summer and warmth in winter, but in light humidity it can stick to the skin.

Silk thread is the strongest of all natural threads; silk fibers are not subject to severe wear.

Rules for caring for silk products:

Silk cannot be washed at temperatures above 30 degrees; it should be wrung out very carefully.

Do not use alkaline detergents for washing.

Dry silk items unfolded until slightly damp, and then iron them from the inside out with a dry iron, without using steam or a damp cloth, as stains may remain on the silk; also, do not dry silk in the sun.

Silk items should not be folded for storage, because silk can become brittle when folded; it should be stored unfolded or hanging.

Yarn of vegetable origin

Plant-based yarns include cotton, linen, jute, ramie and hemp.

The most popular plant-based yarn is cotton (cotton) , needlewomen are happy to use this material for knitting mainly summer things.

Cotton is extracted from the seed pod of the cotton bush. The birthplace of cotton production is India, but currently the main producers are the USA, Russia and Egypt.

Cotton has many beneficial properties properties:

Of all the plant fibers, cotton retains heat best; of course, it does not warm very much due to the fact that it does not retain much air, but it does it better than, for example, flax.

Cotton absorbs up to 20% of its weight in moisture in the form of vapor without feeling wet, making cotton items pleasant to wear.

They are pleasant to the skin due to their softness and thinness; cotton does not electrify.

Cotton lends itself well to dyeing and processing. The main processing of cotton yarn is mercerization – immersion for several minutes in a cold, strong solution of caustic soda. Mercerization gives the thread greater shine and is easier to dye.

Due to its low elasticity, cotton wrinkles a lot.

Cotton is much heavier than wool, in other words, with the same weight, a skein of cotton will be much smaller than a skein of wool, and a cotton thread of the same weight will be shorter than a wool thread.

Rules for caring for cotton are simple: when washing, it can withstand high temperatures without problems (white 95 degrees, color 60 degrees), cotton can be washed and wrung out in a washing machine, you can use strong detergents and even bleaches, you can iron it with steam.

Threads flax (linen) obtained from the stems of the plant of the same name, flax is the oldest cultivated plant.

Linen is stiffer than cotton, it is not elastic and wrinkles a lot.

But on the other hand, it is more shiny, it repels dirt better, the linen thread is durable, wearable, and does not fray.

Linen does not warm, but gives freshness and coolness, so it is ideal for summer clothes.

Linen quickly absorbs moisture and does not electrify.

Caring for linen is also quite simple; it can be washed at high temperatures, and it is better to iron it while damp to iron out the folds.

Threads ramie (ramie) And hemp (hemp) similar in properties to flax, they are stiff, but strong and durable, used mainly as additives to other yarns to increase wear resistance. It will be difficult to knit with such yarn in its pure form due to the stiffness of the fibers.

Artificial yarn

Semi-synthetic yarn

Semi-synthetic yarn – this is an artificial yarn made from natural raw materials, the basis for this yarn is cellulose, obtained from wood. Depending on the further processing of the cellulose, viscose or acetate fibers are produced from it.

Viscose (viscon) – the most natural of synthetic fibers. The properties of viscose are similar to cotton, but the fact is that by changing the production process of this yarn, you can obtain fibers similar in properties to wool, silk, and flax.

Viscose produces a thread with intense color and slight shine.

It is soft, breathable, pleasant to the touch, absorbs moisture, gives a feeling of coolness in the heat, and does not electrify.

The main disadvantage of viscose is its capriciousness in care: items made of viscose should be washed by hand or on a gentle wash cycle, using a mild detergent; it is not recommended to twist the items by hand - it is better to do this in the machine. After washing, the product may stretch out or, conversely, shrink.

To make yarn, viscose is most often used as an additive, mainly to cotton.

Bamboo (bamboo) – a type of viscose obtained from bamboo wood. It has amazing properties - it absorbs moisture 60% better and allows air to pass through 20% better than cotton due to its porous structure. An item knitted from such yarn will not cause irritation and even has natural antibacterial properties.

Acetate fibers (acetate (acetate) and triacetate (triacetate)) – Unlike viscose, they are not made of pure cellulose, but of cellulose acetate. And, if viscose resembles cotton in its properties, then acetate fibers resemble silk; fabrics made from these fibers are even sometimes called rayon; they have the same shiny surface. Acetate is a component of yarns containing cotton, mohair, and wool.

Products containing acetate do not tolerate high temperatures; they must be washed at a temperature not exceeding 30 degrees. Acetate fibers are elastic and the products practically do not wrinkle and dry quickly, but if you still want to iron the product, be careful - you should iron it from the wrong side and through the fabric, otherwise the fibers will melt; do not dry it in a dryer. It is also interesting that acetate fibers dissolve in acetone.

Triacetate fibers are more resistant to high temperatures; they can be washed at temperatures up to 70 degrees and ironed.

Synthetic yarn

Synthetic additives in yarn can be found under many names, which sometimes confuses needlewomen, I will give the main ones:

- polyamide (polyamide), nylon (nylon) (trade name of DuPont polyamide),

- polyacrylic,acrylic), nitron(the trade name of polyacrylic, previously produced in the USSR, is produced in other countries under the names acrylan, orlon and others),

- lurex(lurex) And metallic (glitter yarn)(shiny threads to add shine to the yarn),

- polyester (polyester) (used in a mixture to give strength to the yarn, but also found in its pure form - ribbon yarn, plush yarn),

- elastane.

All of these yarns and additives are produced entirely synthetically. They act as substitutes for rather expensive natural yarns, or as additives to achieve various effects (strength, elasticity, shine, and so on). Synthetic threads are slightly hygroscopic and highly electrified, but they are very elastic, wrinkle little and are durable.

So, we have figured out the composition of the yarn, just a little remains: let’s talk a little about purchased yarn, I already gave basic information in the article “How to choose yarn”, here I will add a few words.

Yarn is most often sold in balls, bobbins or skeins of 50 or 100 grams. If you can knit from balls and bobbins right away (you can knit from a bobbin by unwinding the thread from the outside, but from a ball it is better to knit from the inside).

With a skein (these are twisted pretzels, like in the photo), the situation is a little more complicated - it needs to be rewound into balls. You can do this manually - unroll the skein, throw it over the back of a chair or over the hands of a volunteer who turns up, and wind balls out of it, slowly and without pulling the thread too tightly.

Now let's take a closer look at yarn tag, and let's figure out what is what.

a) it is indicated that the sample is 10 by 10 centimeters.

b) or 4 by 4 inches (inch - inch, 1 inch - 2.54 cm, 4 inches - 10.16 cm).

d) well, the actual density is 24 s - 24 loops, 30 r - 30 rows.

This approximate figures! To knit a product you need most link your sample, and determine their numbers! They can significantly differ!

Balls of the same color, but from different dyeing batches will differ noticeably in color. Therefore, always be sure to buy balls from only one batch, and be sure to take one spare ball. If you don’t need it, you can almost always return it (take a receipt for this), and the leftovers are always useful for hats, booties or patterns. If you do end up with skeins from different batches, you can use different skeins for sleeves or for trims, so the difference will be less noticeable, or, in extreme cases, you can disguise the transition if you knit two rows of two balls alternately for a few centimeters.

And, finally, I want to note, since many of you knit according to descriptions from magazines or from the Internet, that there is absolutely no need to be upset if you do not find exactly the yarn indicated in the description in the store. Ask the seller analogue this yarn. After all, almost every manufacturer has yarn, for example 50% wool, 50% acrylic 125 m per 50 g, and you can easily choose an analogue that suits you in terms of quality and price.

Watch my video master class “How to choose yarn?”

That’s all for today, this is how it turned out to be a voluminous master class - a guide to choosing yarn, I hope it was useful to you. See you on the site!