Choosing Yarn – Big Box vs. LYS (by Jenifer Rank)

What is the first thing to look for when choosing yarn?  Is it color, weight, feel?  Or is it the location that you purchase it from? 

There are basically three options if you want instant gratification and want to start your project immediately.  You can head to a local farmer’s market, a “big box” craft store – think JoAnn, Michael’s, Hobby Lobby, Wal-Mart, etc., or a local yarn shop (LYS).  What is the difference, really?  They all have yarn and a good variety of yarn at that!

So, let’s start with the largest of the options: the craft store.  This is a fantastic option if you are trying to a project on a small budget.  A ball/skein of yarn can cost anywhere from $2.99 to $10.00 – and that’s the maximum of the range.  There are always sales, and usually coupons. 

There is a wide variety of acrylics, wools, cottons, sequins, blends, eco-friendly, baby yarns, and sock yarns to choose from.  When I started knitting about ten years ago, you could basically get either acrylic or cotton yarns from the craft stores.  The stock (and quality of that stock) has improved drastically in the last decade.  Some of the latest additions that I’ve noticed have been the “Bamboo Ewe” and “Full o’ Sheep” from Debbie Stoller’s new line of yarns. 

The craft stores are a great, economical option – especially if you are trying a new skill, like knitting in the round, or attempting to learn to crochet.  The downside of the craft stores is that chances are, there might be one or two employees there that knit or crochet, and they probably won’t be working when you are there.  It’s an “on your own” type of experience, and if you’re a novice, should the yarn your pattern calls for isn’t there; substitution might not be a possibility.  There is also the environmental factor – these goods are shipped cross country in most cases, made in other countries, and the stores do little to support your local economy.

Next up is the LYS option… awesome choice!  I’m a huge proponent of these, even though they are slightly pricier – anywhere from $7.00 all the way to $50.  The stores are usually staffed with the owner and a small, select group of employees – who have experience with the product.  They are on hand to make recommendations, substitutions, and help with pattern selection. 

Often, patterns that your LYS carries won’t be available anywhere else.  The variety of yarns might be smaller than at a big box store, but orders are usually possible and only take a few days… most also have websites or email where you can arrange an order a few days in advance. 

Many LYS also have knitting space, serve tea or coffee, and are a great place to meet and chat with other knitters and crocheters.  These shops are usually arranged by weight as opposed to by brand or type like in a craft store. 

Smaller, more intimate, and based in your community, your local LYS usually participates in things like school fundraisers or “First Friday” events, and offers special discounts on classes and yarns depending on the month or season.  These stores also tend to stock local products, and occasionally spun yarn from the employees themselves!

Finally, there is the option of the Farmer’s Market.  Talk about choosing to support directly from the source!  Many markets have farmers that also have sheep, and they will bring the wool (from sheep, alpacas, llamas!) as a side product – this is usually already spun, but you can find bags of straight wool.  One of the farmers I’ve seen even puts the name of the sheep it came from on the label. 

So when you name your sweater ‘The Maybelle Sweater’ on Ravelry, it actually came from Maybelle!  A quick word about online shopping – yes, this is a great way to go if you already know the product or are prepared to make a large purchase so that your dye lot is consistent.  Shopping via the internet – or trading too, is perfect if you are in the planning stages of a project and have time to wait.

No matter which store you choose, as craft stores are improving their selections, the LYS becomes more endangered.  Support them!  Go to a knitting night, escape from the house and go chat and sip tea and make new, knitty (or crochet-y) friends!

The Four Faces of Fiber (by Johnny Vasquez)

Yarn. That soft string we love to run over our fingers as we wrap it around a pair of knitting needles. Many a knitter has become obsessed with it, buying innumerable skeins that are stuffed away in every nook and cranny we can find. Often it is the texture, or color, or feel of the yarn that makes us want to have it, or rather, need to have it. And we don’t care if we have a use for it. Just owning that beautiful ball of yarn is enough.

But what is this stuff that we fawn over? Where does it come from? And how many different kinds of yarn are there really? Being new to the knitting world, I have become fascinated with the wonderful world of yarn. I once paid $37 for one skein and I can’t bring myself to knit with it. It is an incredibly unique yarn made from a cotton seed/ rayon blend and has a gorgeous chocolate brown color with a hint of silky sheen. And it got me thinking about all the different types of yarn out there and how they become those twisted strands we all love to play with.

Most of what I’m going to share with you is adapted from Clara Parkes Knitter’s Book of Yarn and her website, Knittersreview.com. These two sources have been invaluable in understanding the fiber arts world. What we will be exploring over the next five weeks are the four faces of fiber. Today I am going to give a quick overview of the different types of fiber used in yarn.

There are four main types of fiber used in making yarn, thus four faces.

“Now hold on a minute Johnny. Knitting for dummies said there are only two kinds of yarn, natural and man made.”

Ok, those are the two categories we can put these fibers in, but there are distinct fiber types within those categories, each with its own unique characteristics. Let’s start with the man made or synthetic fibers.

Synthetic Fibers

Many of you may wrestled with a scratchy ball of $3 Red Heart yarn when you were little. That cheap ball of yarn is made of Acrylic and can be processed to be very soft, or not so much. It is often blended with other natural fibers to make them softer and more affordable. Other synthetic fibers include polyester and nylon.

Natural Fibers

These fibers can be divided up into three types:

Protein Fibers

The darling of the knitting world is wool. But wool is only one of many protein fibers. These are fibers that come from animals, and in the case of silk, insects. They all contain carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and sulfur. And since they are almost all made of hair, theoretically your hair could be spun into fiber as well.

Cellulose Fibers

These fibers are those collected from plants. The most popular of these are hemp, linen, and of course, cotton. Cotton is unique not only because it contains the most cellulose, but it is also made from the seed pod of the plant, where as the other fiber are made from the stalks. Fibers derived from plant stalks are referred to as bast fibers.

Cellulosic Fibers

These fibers are made from plant cellulose like cotton, trees, and bamboo. The difference is they must be processed before they can be turned into fiber. This process includes using a chemical to turn the cellulose into liquid, which is then extruded into a spinnable form. You will often see these listed as rayon, which is viscous from bamboo, and Tencel. This process is also used to make SeaCell, which is made from seaweed.

So there you have it. The Four Faces of Fiber.  Which of these four types of fiber does your favorite yarn come from? Or is it a blend of fibers from different types? Right now my personal favorite would have to be Alpaca which is a protein fiber.

What is Rolag? (by Michele Grim)

 

Don’t fear!  I’m here to answer all your questions.  One of the most common types of spinning fiber that will be processed is called roving.  Roving is carded wool that is a long continuous strand of twisted fiber.

A roving is a long and narrow bundle of fiber or fibre. It is used to spin wool yarn. A roving can be created by carding the fiber.  Because it is carded the fibers are not parallel.  Roving that is not twisted is called a sliver (pronounced SLYver).

The first picture on the right is Llama roving.

A batt is a wider than roving, rectangular and made from a drum carder.

The second (white and yellow fiber) picture on the right is that of a wool batt. 

A rolag is a roll of fiber made from hand carders and generally used to spin woolen yarn.  A rolag is created by carding the fiber using handcards and then by gently rolling the fiber off the cards. If it’s properly prepared a rolag will be uniform in width distributing the fibers evenly.  A combed top is another type of long, continuous strand of fiber.   The difference is that instead of being carded it is combed with all the short hairs have been removed to create a smooth fiber.

Animal fibers have traditionally been used to create rolags but today’s yarn spinner uses many different materials including synthetic and even plant fibers – like bamboo.

The third picture on the right is that of a wool rolag.

Either one you pick will give you some very beautiful yarn. Stay tuned for more fiber spinning related articles.  I’d sure like to hear from you if you also dye and spin your own yarns.  If you visit Misfit Yarns you’ll see some of my work.  Naughty Knitterz will soon be displaying some of my work on a newly created Yarn & Fiber Shop page.  No matter if you spell it fiber or fibre you’ll find it there.

If you have email me ( michele@naughtyknitterz.com ) with any questions you might have.

Spin & Grin you Naughty Knitterz! 

Source: Start Spinning: Everything You Need to Know to Make Great Yarn, Maggie Casey, Interweave Press, 2008.  Pictures taken by Michele Grim.

Things to know about Bamboo Yarns (by Yarn Cloud)

I would like to take a few minutes to discuss some of the features of bamboo yarns. If you are asking how can panda food become a yarn you may find some answers right here.  

Bamboo was introduced to the world of hand knitting yarns only a few years ago. It is an excellent choice when it comes to protection of our environment since 100% bamboo is biodegradable and made out of renewable resources. Bamboo can be harvested without destroying the plant and takes a fairly short time to renew. 

I know we all care about our planet but you are probably anxious to hear about the things this fiber can do for you as a crafter. Bamboo is naturally antibacterial and antimicrobial, it can protect from UV rays and was proven to cool body temperature while worn as a garment. Yarn Cloud Bamboo has also earned the European certification of suitability for use in products intended for babies under the age of 3.

Fabric knitted from bamboo has a great drape, looks silky and can be very soft. It looks somewhat like silk or mercerized cotton but it’s quite different from both. One thing to consider when knitting with bamboo is that it can be fairly heavy so afghans made out of worsted weight 100% bamboo while gorgeous will be quite handful.  If you choose to knit a large project from bamboo use rather circular needles since you can rest your work in your lap which puts less strain on your hands and wrist. Small projects from light weight bamboo should not be much different than knitting with any  viscose based yarn.

Some knitters mentioned that bamboo may have the tendency to split while knitting. This is due to a fact it does not have great coherence in its regular spun varieties. The splitting factor is also affected by needles used. We have noticed that when knitted with blunter tip needles made out of bamboo or rosewood the splitting is significantly reduced.

Bamboo has a great absorbing features which may be positive and negative as well. Due to high absorption bamboo when washed has tendency to swell  and takes a long time to air dry. It’s generally recommended to hand wash and air dry projects from bamboo. We have tested our yarns for machine washing and machine drying and we found no problem with neither when done with proper care. Our yarns can be washed on delicate settings on low temperature and tumble dry on low heat. Make sure to check for color fastness first. While generally Yarn Cloud yarns are very color stable some colors may bleed especially when washed for the first time.

I would like to let you know a bit more about Yarn Cloud Bamboo Yarns.

Our yarn comes in 3 different weights (light, worsted and bulky) and 5 different  varieties.

Regular Bamboo is 5 ply and considered light weight. It is great choice for lace scarves, shawls, christening gowns and light garments where drape is desired. Suitable for knitting, crochet and weaving.

Bamboo Magic Waves is a 10 ply variety which is worsted weight and top choice for dishcloths, baby washcloths, baby blankets, toys and apparel. Suitable for knitting, crochet and weaving. This yarn can be used for some Plastic Canvas Projects as well.

Bamboo Soft Spell is our thinner chainette in worsted weight and when knitted it remains more flexible while still keeps it’s beautiful drape. Due to this fact it is better suitable for sweaters and apparel. Suitable for knitting and crochet.

Bamboo Charmed is our thickest bamboo yarn great for totes, handbags, bath mats, rugs and other projects. Suitable for knitting and crochet.

Bamboo Elegant is a 5 ply light weight blended with cotton boucle strand and its general use is similar to our regular Bamboo. Suitable for knitting, crochet and weaving.

The important thing when knitting or crocheting with Bamboo is to chose the right yarn and right project. As I’ve said before Bamboo has a great drape but this may be a problem when looking for close knitted tank top. Soft Spell may be better suitable for that kind of project. If you are not sure you can always ask us a question before you start to prevent any frustration later. We all know how much we hate to unravel!

Some gorgeous products made out of Yarn Cloud Bamboo can be found on Ravelry and we are working on creating customer showcase on our site very soon.

If you have any questions about Bamboo you can always e-mail me at romana.graham@yarncloud.com and I’ll do my best to get you your answer.

At last I would like to mention that in order to support the use of environmentally friendly fibers we have started Yarn Cloud Bamboo Club which offers its members everyday 25% off on the whole line of our Bamboo yarns and several other discounts in other categories. It also offers occasional coupons for even more savings. For more info please visit https://www.yarncloud.com/BambooClub.html.

Romana C Graham

Founder and President of Yarn Cloud