There are innumerable types of threads used in the craft of knitting. However, one truly stands out from the rest – yarns. They are considered as the most popular thread used in knitting. In fact, knitting yarns cover up for the largest percentage of both commercial and hand made knitted garments.

Yarn is a lengthy continuous strand of interlocked fibers appropriate for the production of textiles. Aside from knitting, they are also used for crocheting, sewing, and weaving to name a few. The main difference between a knitting yarn and a thread is that yarns are primarily used in the construction of garments whilst threads are used to stitch fabric pieces together. Knitting yarns are preferred because it is much easier and the fiber is much simpler to manipulate into various pattern designs. They can either be natural or synthetic.

Natural Fibers

The most popular natural fiber is cotton. They are spun into yarns for knitting or weaving into cloth. The most widely used animal fiber is wool which is obtained from sheep. Fibers such as these tend to make warm fabric because they are fairly elastic and extremely breathable.

Synthetic fibers

A lot of synthetic materials are made into yarn, but chiefly acrylic. They can either be all-acrylic or blends such as wool-acrylic in various proportions. Yarns designed for socks contain a tiny percentage of nylon to give it that extra elasticity.

Knitting yarns come in various assortments. Yarns are most commonly dyed with either natural or artificial dyes. Most yarns are only one block of color but in rare cases there are also knitting yarns that are multi colored. Yarns also come in a variety of thickness commonly termed as its weight. A standardized measurement represents 1 as being the finest and lightest up to 6 being heaviest.

Knitting yarns are created by using the processes of spinning or air texturizing. In fact, yarn manufacturing is even considered as one of the very first processes to be industrialized. Some yarns are even given name according to thickness and weight such as lace, sock, double-knit, worsted, bulky and super bulky.

Knitting yarns may be only one of the materials needed in knitting; however it is by far the most critical. Choosing the appropriate kind, texture, and durability will be vital to your work. So it would really be a best move to bank on superior yarns for it will readily reflect on your products.