Yarn: Natural Fibres
A discussion at the look of characteristics of natural fibre yarns
Wherein we discuss the origins and properties of some of the most popular natural fibres around, including wool, cotton, cashmere, silk, and more!
The fibre content of the yarn that you choose can greatly influence the way your finished piece not only feels, but also looks and drapes. Certain fibres are warmer, and have greater elasticity (meaning they will bounce back to shape). Unfortunately, as fun as it would be to cover all the fibres of the world, there just isn't enough room on this page, so herein will be a detailing of the major players in the yarn world.
Alpaca
This is a wonderfully warm fabric, made from the hair of the Alpaca. The majority of the world's Alpaca wool comes from its indigenous home of Peru, at an estimated 4000 tons a year. It's an incredibly soft fabric and keeps its shape nicely, which means that even after you've worn the item you've made, it will still retain excellent shape. It's all about personal preference, but this wonderful fibre is even softer and less abrasive than merino. It's a good choice for knits that require maximum warmth - don't try this on a summer camisole, as you'll find yourself quickly overheating.
Cashmere
This is the champagne of natural fibres. Everyone knows and loves cashmere as that soft fibre with light weight while still having the ability to keep you extremely warm. Cashmere comes from the Kashmir goat, bred in Asia and its natural colours are grey, white and brown. Cashmere is excellent at retaining its shape after it is worked and works beautifully as a felted item.
Cotton
A lot of knitters or crocheters have problems with cotton retaining its shape while working with it - it is notorious for stretching out and not going back. However it's a great fibre to work with for summer garments, and is wonderful in a wool-cotton blend yarn. Cotton is produced from the cotton plant, making it a great choice for vegans and people not comfortable using animal-based fibres. However, the long-term environmental damage is something of a concern, as cotton production in factory plantations can lead to high concentrations of pesticides and other chemicals within the soil and water systems. A good choice for the environmentally concerned is organic cotton yarns - something that is becoming increasingly available.
Mohair
Forget the images of the 70's this yarn drums up, mohair is another wonderfully soft, resilient, and lightweight fibre. It's made from the Angora goat and has a feeling reminiscent of silk. Mohair does have a certain "fuzz" factor to it - making it difficult to work with for the knitter or crocheter who isn't used to working with a fibre that has little strands of hair flying about and tends to shed while being worked and worn.
Silk
This wonderfully light and breezy fibre comes from the fibres from the silkworm larvae cocoon. It is spectacular for a summer top, and produces a lustrous garment. Being as expensive as it is, it's a good idea to keep the silk yarn for a small garment, like a camisole or a luxurious scarf, or use it in a blend.
Wool
The old classic. The term "wool" traditionally only encompasses fibres that come from sheep, but can often be applied to fibres obtained from goats and alpacas as well. Wool can be bulky and scratchy, or it can be fine and soft. It is warm and breathable while having great elasticity making it perfect for sweaters, cardigans, scarves, toques or anything else your heart desires. There are wools that still retain their lanolin content, making it water resistant and even more capable to standing up against colder climates (the variety of aran wool is notorious for this). A great yarn is a beautiful wool blend - wool/cashmere, wool/silk, wool/cotton...the varieties are endless and can give you a luxury feel without the luxury price.
Merino
This fibre is made from the breed of merino sheep, highly prized for its soft wool. Merino is much softer, finer and far less abrasive than other breeds of sheep, and superfine merino is highly prized. It has all the great properties of sheep wool, plus more.
Angora
Angora is made from the hair of the Angora rabbit. These little rabbits have ridiculously long fur, making them look like a huge ball of hair. This, like mohair, is another furry fibre, making it another one that likes to shed. It is an extremely light and delicate fabric, making it difficult to care for, and has a high drape factor - meaning little elasticity so it may stretch and might be difficult not only to work with, but also difficult to get back to shape once finished.
This is just the tip of the iceberg. There are so many yarn choices ranging from the mundane to the exotic. Exotic fibres would include bamboo, camel, oppossum, soy silk, musk ox (a.k.a. Qivit) amongst many others, and those will be discussed in an article in the future.
Next, a look at vegan knitting and crochet, choices for vegans looking for animal free yarn, as well has having some vegan knitters/crocheters share their views on the craft.
© Kelly Gilliam, text and images. Reproduction without permission is prohibited.
