Type of Yarn Fibers

All types of yarn for knitting or crocheting are made from natural or synthetic fibers. Different types of yarn fibers have specific qualities - some good, some not so good. Often, manufacturers blend different types of yarn fiber to offset an undesirable characteristic.

Wool:

Wool (made from the fleece of sheep) is the queen of yarns, and it remains a popular choice for knitters. Here are some of your wool yarn options:

• Lamb's wool: Comes from a young lamb's first shearing.
• Merino wool: Considered the finest of the fine breeds.
• Pure new wool/virgin wool: Wool that's made directly from animal fleece and not recycled from existing wool garments.
• Shetland wool: Made from the small and hardy native sheep of Scotland's Shetland Islands.
• Icelandic wool: A rustic, soft yarn.
• Washable wool: Treated chemically or electronically to destroy the outer fuzzy layer of fibers.

Fleece:

Examples include mohair and cashmere, which come from Angora and Kashmir goats, respectively. Angora comes from the hair of Angora rabbits.

Silk, cotton, linen, and rayon:

The slippery, smooth, and often shiny yarns.

Synthetic:

Including nylon, acrylic, and polyester. Straddling the border between natural and synthetic are soy, bamboo, corn, and other unusual yarns made by using plant-based materials.

Novelty:

Novelty yarns are easy to recognize because their appearance is so different from traditional yarns:

• Ribbon: A knitted ribbon in rayon or a rayon blend.
• Boucle: This highly bumpy, textured yarn is composed of loops.
• Chenille: Although tricky to knit with, this yarn has an attractive appearance and velvety texture.
• Thick-thin: Alternates between very thick and thin sections, which lends a bumpy look to knitted fabric.
• Railroad ribbon: Has tiny "tracks" of fiber strung between two parallel strands of thread.
• Faux fur: Fluffy fiber strands on a strong base thread of nylon resemble faux fur when knitted.

Specialty:

These traditional types of yarn create special looks in knitted items:

• Tweed: Has a background color flecked with bits of fiber in different colors.
• Heather: Blended from a number of different-colored or dyed fleeces, and then spun.
• Marled (ragg): A plied yarn in which the plies are different colors.
• Variegated: Dyed in several different colors or shades of a single color.