yarn

What is the difference between knitting and weaving yarn?

One of the biggest challenges when starting out in weaving is determining which yarns are suitable for your project. There are is certainly a huge variety of yarn available to the modern weaver, but that can be part of the problem – how to choose?

Both knitting and weaving yarns can be used for weaving, in fact, I recommend that brand new weavers start out with knitting yarn because they are forgiving, affordable and readily available. Knowing the differences between yarns that are made specifically for knitting or for weaving will be a huge help to you when planning your next project.

*This post contains affiliate links. For further information, please see my disclosure policy.

Because choosing yarns is such an important (and sometimes puzzling aspect) of weaving, I have already made several resources on the topic, some of which you can find here:

Choosing and Using Yarns in Weaving…

3 Yarns Beginners should Avoid…

What do all the Numbers Mean?…

Now let’s have a look at what I consider to be some of the main aspects that differentiate a weaving from a knitting yarn.

Appearance

Knitting yarns are often sold in a ball, yarn cake, hank or skein. These can all vary in size and total weight. They will often be wrapped with a label that details what the yarn is made of, country of origin, knitting and crochet information (like needle or hook size), the total weight and the washing or care instructions.

Some knitting yarns will be sold on a large cone, particularly yarn that is for flatbed knitting machines, as it’s important to the machine tension that the yarn feeds off freely.

Weaving yarns will usually be sold on a cone of some kind. These cones can vary in shape and weight according to the type and thickness of the yarn. Spools are more uncommon, but you will sometimes see weaving yarns sold that way too.

2. Yarn Thickness

In general, knitting yarns are thicker than weaving yarns. Knitting very fine yarn on needles is not for the faint hearted and most knitters will tend to go with thicker yarns for practical reasons (and for sanity!)

A weaving loom on the other hand, and in particular, multi shaft looms are really set up to accommodate much thinner yarns. On my floor loom, I never use a yarn that is greater in size than a fingering weight, as it would be difficult to thread through my texsolv heddles, which would be wearing on the yarn. I only have a 10 dent reed on this loom too, and that is fairly standard for a multi shaft. It’s the same with my table loom. So, there is the expectation that you won’t be weaving with very thick yarns.

The rigid heddle loom is more accommodating when it comes to thicker yarns, as the dent size varies from as high as 15dpi to 2.5dpi!

3. Amount of Stretch

Knitting yarns will generally have more elasticity and stretch whereas weaving yarns are often somewhat tough and rigid.

This makes sense when you think about it – a knitting yarn usually has a pretty easy life compared to a weaving yarn. A loom puts the yarn under tension and friction – it needs to be able to stand up to the process. Weaving yarns are also used to make a woven fabric for items like towels and clothing, that requires a tough and robust yarn.

That’s not to say that you can’t weave with an elastic yarn, you absolutely can, you will just need to factor in that stretch component to your calculations so that you’re not shocked to find your piece loses a lot of length once it’s no longer under tension.

4. Amount of Twist

A knitting yarn is most often used for wearables, and therefore needs to be very comfortable against the skin. Usually, it won’t have the same level of twist as a weaving yarn. Again, the weaving yarn is strong and hardworking, so the increase in twist gives it that extra durability.

If you have a knitting yarn that seems to have a very loose twist, it is likely that it won’t be suitable for warping with. A good test to use if you’re unsure is the drift test.

5. Strength of the Yarn

This relates very much to the last point. Knitting yarns don’t need to be under a lot of tension. You hand tension a little as you knit, and the rest remains in the ball, waiting to be gently fed off and used.

A weaving warp undergoes a lot of tension, so using a weak yarn for your warp is almost a guarantee of an unhappy weaving experience!

6. Yarn Availability

There are thousands of knitting yarns available all over the world. Whatever colour, type, size you desire, you will not be too hard pressed to find it!

Weaving yarns are a bit more limited. This is improving over time as more home weavers take up the craft and weaving is seeing a bit of a resurgence in popularity (yay!)

There are also a lot more knitting yarn suppliers than weaving yarn suppliers, but again, this is on the improve. In Australia, we are blessed to have Thread Collective for a big range of weaving supplies. If you would like to find suppliers in your area, check my Weaving Suppliers List.

7. Measurement Systems and Terminology

This is one of the most confusing aspects for new weavers who are trying to make yarn choices.

The measurement systems for knitting and weaving yarns are different, and these differences can further change from country to country! Super confusing!

I recommend my Weaver’s Toolkit Ebooklet for charts that will help you convert yarn terms to navigate the confusion. My short class What do the Numbers Mean? will also be helpful for those of you who want to understand why certain measurement systems are used and what they mean.

The easiest way to determine whether the yarn you have is suitable for the project you want to weave is to determine the sett using an inch ruler. I have two resources that will show you how to do that:

What is sett?

How to determine sett…

I’ve made a video to compliment this post where you can see me talking about specific yarns from my personal stash and showing you what they look like:

I hope this was a super helpful post for you!

Until next time…

Happy Weaving!

What is a superwash wool yarn?

by Kelly 20 Comments

I have talked quite a bit about yarns in weaving recently, but now I would like to get a little more into the specifics of individual yarns. Superwash wool yarn is a somewhat controversial yarn for fibre artists. In this article, I’m going to attempt to outline what superwash woollen yarn is in a factual manner.

I contacted my local, much loved woollen mills (Bendigo Woollen Mills) where I buy a lot of knitting yarn to use in my weaving projects. They were very helpful in explaining how their superwash yarns are treated and in pointing me towards further information to aid my own research. Interestingly, they said that although they offer both treated and untreated yarns, due to customer demand, 80% of their yarns are superwash.

I want to start by pointing out that I think it is very important for each weaver to decide whether they want to use a particular yarn or not, based on their own personal preferences. I have a huge number of students from all over the world and all different backgrounds. I pass no judgement on a weaver’s personal choice and I do not support yarn shaming in any shape or form.

If you’re in the beginner phase, and your head is swimming with confusion in regards to yarn choices, I have some helpful and free resources for you. You can begin by eliminating possibly troublesome yarns, at least for your first few projects, by reading 3 Yarns Beginner Weavers should Never Use! Then move on to the in depth Choosing and Using Yarns in Weaving.

If you’re really baffled about yarn sizes, I have two other resources that will really help you out. The Weaver’s Toolkit is an e-booklet that provides you with yarn conversion charts, recommended heddle sizes and a bunch of other quick reference information. I also have a short class What Do All the Numbers Mean? that will take your through an explanation of what all those numbers on your weaving yarn cone mean and various measuring systems that are industry standards.

Alright, let’s have this superwash discussion.

When you purchase woollen (usually a knitting yarn), if you read the care label instructions, it will either say “hand wash” or “machine washable”. This is how you know whether it’s a superwash yarn or not – machine washable means that it is superwash. And that means that the yarn is treated. Let’s investigate the treatment process further and why the wool is treated in the first place.

We all know that wool is quite hairy and clingy. Woollen yarn just loves to grab onto itself – the surface is scaly and these scales want to be joined as one! This is accentuated in the washing process. If you wash a non superwash wool yarn in hot, soapy water and create some friction, you will end up with felted fabric.

The superwash process removes these outer scales of the yarn with chemicals. The yarn is then coated with a synthetic coating (Hercosett is the industry standard) which smooths the exterior of the yarn. Because the scales are no longer present to interlock with one another, and the additional synthetic coating has been used, it becomes impossible for the yarn to felt in the washing process. It also means that, under the right conditions, a finished woollen piece can be washed in a washing machine (always follow care instructions for temperature specifics and correct steps). The superwash process generally leaves a yarn with a soft, smooth feel.

So, what is all the controversy about? There are a few main issues that some people have with superwash wool.

Environmental impact
Is the treated product still “natural?”
Economic impact

*I need to put in a disclaimer here. This information has been collated from my own internet research. I have tried to only include facts without opinions. Some of the things I’m going to mention here are difficult to talk about with a lot of accuracy as it may not be measurable and also I only have access to information I can find on the internet. If, for example, I mention potentially toxic waste water, I have no way of quantifying what level of toxicity or if the toxicity is actually present. I don’t work in the industry, I don’t have inside information. The intention of this article is just to share information so that weavers can make informed choices when purchasing yarn and do some further research if it’s a concern for you.

Environmental impact:

The superwash process uses large amounts of water. In addition to the quantity of water used, some consumers are concerned that the waste water leaving the yarn processing plants could be toxic.

Then there are the chemicals themselves. Hercosett is a polyamide-epichlorohydrin polymer and some argue that it is a highly dangerous substance, while other sources will state that the chemicals used to create the polymer are toxic, but this doesn’t mean that the end product (the polymer itself) going through the correct chemical process is not safe.

Is the end product still natural?

The end product, in its basic form, is a woollen yarn that has a very fine exterior coating of polymer. As polymers are a type of plastic, some will argue that the yarn itself, following superwash treatment is now a plastic product and no longer natural. I have also seen some insistence that this type of polymer is not a type of plastic. You begin to see what I mean about conflicting information and opinions!

Others will hold the view that the product is still very much wool, it just has an artificial coating that is not actual detectable. This could be seen in the same light as many commercially available textiles in which “sizing” is used. This involves the application of resins (these can come from various sources, including petroleum) to fabric or clothing prior to retailing. Sizing is used to make clothes or fabric hold their shape and look good prior to purchase. This may be a poor example on my part though, because as far as I know, the sizing can be removed when you wash the fabric or clothing prior to use.

Economic impact:

Many woollen yarns are processed off shore for superwash processing. The country of choice in which to have yarn processed is often China as it is cheaper for businesses to send they yarn, have it processed, then have it sent back again. Many countries just don’t have the facilities for this type of processing.

I know that I’ve only covered the basics in this article, and given the differing information and opinions on the use of superwash wool, I’m going to provide a varied list of links from other people’s websites here in case you want to do some further research of your own:

Superwash and its alternatives

What’s Wrong with Washable Wool

The Truth about Superwash Wool

About Superwash Treatment

In Support of our Australian Wool Industry

Is Superwash Yarn Environmentally Sustainable

And of course, if you want to find even more information, then google is your friend.

Thank you for joining me today! I invite comments on this topic, but as it can be a sensitive one, I ask you to keep it a respectful and helpful discussion. Thank you for keeping this a happy and informative space 😊

Until next time…

Happy Weaving!

3 Yarns Beginner Weavers should NEVER use!

by Kelly 59 Comments

Choosing the right yarn for the right project can be a huge conundrum for newer weavers. There are so many yarn choices for weaving that it can be very confusing to know where to start.

If you want to know more about the basics of choosing yarns when you’re just starting out, you will want to read this post which includes a couple of super helpful videos where I walk you through some of my stash and the ways I’ve used certain yarns in my weaving.

I usually recommend specific yarns for new weavers to try, based on my experience with which yarns are the most economical, easy going and likely to give consistent, more predictable results.

This post contains affiliate links

But today, I’m going to do the opposite. I’m going to talk about the yarns that a new weaver should not use, and even go so far as to say that a newer weaver should NEVER use these yarns to begin with!

Pretty extreme, huh? Trust me, you will thank me for it!

So, how do I know about these three particular yarns that should be locked up and kept in a closet marked with NO GO – NEW WEAVERS NOT PERMITTED?

Because I hear about it all the time! The anguish of a new weaver who unwittingly picked a yarn that “looked pretty” and now is in a terrible anguish, caught in the balance between the idea of cutting the project off the loom prematurely or giving up on weaving altogether because it “doesn’t seem like my thing“.

Friends, it does not have to come to that and I am here to tell you how!

There are three yarns that you should avoid at all cost. Not forever, just to begin with. Later, you will have the experience, know how and possibly patience to deal with these yarns, but to begin with you want to keep it as simple and achievable as possible.

Think of your beginning weeks, months, or however long it takes (remember we all learn at a different pace and that is absolutely fine and normal. If you have any qualms on this note, please take the time to watch the video on Slow Learning down below).

The first few projects at least should be devoted to getting to know your loom. It’s like a honeymoon period, hopefully a happy one! But, if you think of your beginning stages in this way, as the learning phase, it won’t matter so much if you don’t always get amazing results as you will be learning what you need to know.

You’re probably itching to know what these three avoidable yarns are. I won’t keep you in suspense any longer.

Mohair.

I’ve put this one at the top of the list for a reason. Don’t use it if you’re a beginner. I can’t be much more blatant than that. Just don’t do it. You will be sorry.

Meet Anna. Why do I have a random doll included in this post? I’ll explain. I made this doll for youngest daughter’s first birthday present, almost 10 years ago. She has stood the test of time pretty well, but is in need of a wig refurbishment. At the time, I was a dollmaker and sold my dolls on Etsy. I made the dolls from all natural materials, so their skin was a lovely soft cotton, they were stuffed with clean, carded wool and I would often use mohair to make wigs or hair. By the way, if you’re interested in a 10 year old tutorial on making a doll similar to this one, I have a two part tutorial here.

The point is, I used to have a huge stock of mohair but have used it all up in dollmaking. So instead of showing you a ball of mohair, I’m going to show you the back of the doll’s head to help illustrate why you should not use mohair as a beginner weaver.

Check out that fluff. Yes, mohair is uber fluffy! See that halo? (This is going to become a recurring theme!) Mohair sticks to itself. Very much. You carefully warp your loom and begin weaving, only to find that you don’t seem to be a able to get a clear shed. Sound familiar? Every. Single. Time. You change sheds, the warp threads stick to each other and you wonder how on earth you are supposed to get your stick shuttle through an either non existent or at the least, very messy shed. It doesn’t make for a fun weaving experience.

2. Fine, rigid threads.

By this I mean a weaving thread like an 8/2 cotton. These types of yarns will usually be sold on a cone rather than in a ball or skein.

Why do I think they’re a bad idea for beginner weavers? Firstly, they will have little to no elasticity. This is a problem for newbies (ahem, and veterans!) because they are difficult to warp with the correct and consistent tension. Which can be really frustrating. Especially on a rigid heddle loom where you can’t achieve as firm a tension as you can on a floor loom. When you’re not familiar with these types of yarn or don’t have much general weaving experience, you don’t want a yarn that won’t stretch a little. Yarns with elasticity (like, say a dk or light worsted wool) are so much easier to warp and work with. They will stretch out and contract back nicely on the loom and for that reason I call them very “forgiving” yarns. They help rather than hinder your warping and weaving process. They will be your newbie friends. The inelastic, thinner yarns can be your friends later.

The second point about these yarns is that they are thin. Which means they take longer to warp. Then they take longer to weave. When you’re just starting out you really want to choose shorter, approachable projects that don’t feel like a year long commitment to finish one item. Thicker yarns will be a huge help in this respect. They weave up quickly and with less problems.

3. Luxury Yarns

There are plenty of yarns that come under this category so I will point out a few specifics.

Baby alpaca is a gorgeous, sumptuous yarn. No, it doesn’t come from actual baby alpacas, it is classed and graded as a very fine fibre, and is extremely soft, hence the name. It also has a halo. It’s not fluffy in the same way that mohair is, and it’s not as difficult to weave with. But yes, it will still be a pesky, sticky yarn to weave.

The exact same rule applies here to Angora, possum and some cashmere fibres. Once again, save their scrumptiousness for a little later on.

Ah, silk, beautiful, shiny, luscious silk. I love weaving with it. Now. I didn’t attempt weaving with it until I had a lot of experience under my belt. I mean, have you seen how expensive silk yarn is? 😲 I knew I didn’t want to make that investment unless it was for something really special that I was ready for. Also, the fineness of the 60/2 silk above (similar to sewing thread in thickness) makes it doubly unsuitable for newbies.

Luxury yarns are just that – a luxury. Which means they will have a price tag to match. I’ve heard some newbie weavers say that they couldn’t resist a luxury yarn for their first project. I understand that your first project is a special one, but you need to be a realist about it too. Weaving is a learning curve. Skills like weaving neat edges and achieving good tension take time and are not likely to be perfected in your first project. You are really feeling your way with your first project. If you add the stress of having to make something nice with your very expensive luxury yarn on to the experience of learning to actually use your new loom, it will often be a recipe for disaster.

Let me put it this way: I’ve never heard a new weaver regret that they used inexpensive yarn for their first project. But I’ve had many, many, many messages from people in distress that things are not going according to plan and they spent so much money on the yarn. Save yourself the stress and start out with an inexpensive, light worsted/dk/Aussie 8ply wool.

Now, if I could only find a way to get this message to every new weaver in the world, I think there might be a lot more happy weavers out there.

This post is also available in video format-

So, time to fess up. Have you had a less than positive beginner experiences with one of these three yarns? Let me (and everybody else, just in case someone needs more convincing!) know about it in the comments.

Until next time…

Happy Weaving!