Let's Talk Yarn: Understanding Wool, Silk, and Bamboo Fiber Blends for Knitting
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- čas přidán 20. 11. 2018
- To check out my knitting patterns visit my Ravelry page at: www.ravelry.com... If you would like to receive my monthly newsletter in your inbox click here: eepurl.com/bTpY9T
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For information on wholesale patterns and booklets for local yarn stores visit Stitch Sprouts: stitchsprouts.c...
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The Bijou Basin Ranch Swatch Lab videos I referenced can be found in the following locations:
Himalayan Summit Yak/Merino blend: • Swatch Lab: Bijou Basi...
Gobi Silk and Camel Yarn: • Swatch Lab Bijou Basin...
The silk shawl I showed off is There is Water at the Bottom of the Ocean which can be found on Ravelry here: www.ravelry.co...
The yarn is Penthouse Silk Fingering from Neighborhood Fiber Company: neighborhoodfi...
And the cowl I tried on is Ring the Gack which can be found on Ravelry here: www.ravelry.co...
The yarn is Rios from Malabrigo: www.malabrigoya... - Jak na to + styl
Just a little clarification: at the end, when you're talking about the strength of extruded fibers (bamboo and silk) when wet - silk is extruded, but it is a protein fiber, so should still be plenty strong when wet. In fact, I'm pretty sure it was when I was working on the shawl you show in the video - my first time knitting with silk - I'd asked you about blocking it because I wasn't sure how much I could stretch it. You answered that I could go ahead and block the heck out of it. :) (Which I did, and it turned out great!)
Thanks so much for making a video on this topic!
I find it so difficult to substitute yarns in patterns- I never know what will work because every yarn behaves differently.
I found your review on the bijou camel/silk yarn to be so helpful because you showed how the yarn behaved under different conditions/usages in stitches.
I second a video on the behaviors of different plies and how they can positively or negatively affect your project.
I am still learning that there is SO much more to yarn than just going to a store and grabbing a “pretty” one. Please continue to make these little educational videos- they are very helpful! 🙂
I am going to have to do a bit more research before I can do a ply video, but that is on my list now! Substituting yarns is more of an art than a science - but the more info you have the better you will get at it!
Very informative, thank you!!! Now I know why the ladies at my local yarn store said to me, “You really want to pick your pattern before you pick your yarn.” It seemed to make sense in the first place, but now I feel like I have a deeper understanding of WHY that is so true!
Well, you can pick your yarn first - but you'll have to search for the right pattern LOL. I'm glad you found the video helpful!
I've spent the last 3 years experimenting. Recently, I decided to try silk for the first time. On sale, it was perfect timing (WOW was my suspicion right in thinking it was gonna be costly!), but silly as silly is, I bought before searing for information. I've been interested in micro-knitting for a long time, so plucking yarns of their plies 1-from-3or4 led me to thin-out the already thin strands of these two new hanks I have. I've just finished two small 'full strand' tests and was surprised at the results - now I'm working with 2-strands-from-8 (one is pure, the other has yak). Your video here has made its way to me, and is really helpful - even though I've already started blindly.
Thanks for imparting your knowledge with us.
Joe
Guelph Ontario
I'm so glad I could help a wee bit.
Barbara, you did an amazing job explaining the difference. Thank you for all you do!
I'm so glad you enjoyed the video.
Barbara, this has been fantastic!
Thank you!
Why am I enjoying these informational videos more than tutorials 😂🤓
We’ll, I’m just glad you’re enjoying them! 🤓
@@WatchBarbaraKnit oh yes! Very much so. 🙂
Wow.. this video makes me more knowledge about fibers. Thank you so much .👍👍
Happy to help
Thanks Barbara, I am happy you made this video. I don’t know a whole lot about the different fibers . I hope you can talk more about it sometime soon ❤️❤️
Are there any particular fibers you want to know about?
@@WatchBarbaraKnit Yes. I’d love to know the differences in different wool blends - even superwash wool - with artificial fibers such as acrylic, nylon, and how the ratio of wool to those fibers makes a difference in the yarn’s qualities and ultimately in the final garment. The camel-silk swatch you used in the video is obviously gorgeous yarn, and I’d love to know more about it before I buy it. You could have “technical” videos to help us with that. Many thanks!!
You have a great voice and a clear, straightforward explanatory style. (And not too many"umm's" and "likes"). You could get into podcasting!
Thank you! I've honestly been kicking that idea around ... but it's a lot of work LOL!
I'm new at knitting and this has been a very helpful video! thank you for sharing
I am so glad you liked it!
I’m 9 minutes into ur video and I’m like, huh, didn’t know that! Ty for sharing ur knowledge! Unfortunately I’ve had to buy yarns according to my pocketbook so when I see an acrylic with a bit of natural fiber at a great price, I buy it, having no idea what benefits or properties are added by the addition of natural fiber, now I have a lil bit of knowledge-and u know a lil bit of knowledge is a dangerous thing; so, I will b looking to learn more!! Ty so very much!
I am glad to be with you on your journey!
I made a couple of shawls out of fingering weight wool/silk yarn. They turned out with a fairly good balance of drape and memory.
It's my favorite.
I'm actually crocheting a few things for my daughter's wedding and a reception dress with 100% silk thread. Your video was more helpful to me than any crochet video I've seen yet. Thank you so much for all the information on the the fibers. I now know how to proceed to make sure everything turns out just right. 😊
It is wonderful to hear that this was helpful to you even if it's a different craft! I bet your pieces will turn out beautifully.
So informative! Learned a lot from how you described the nature of the yarn types. I can now see “why” to choose a particular fiber depending on what I am knitting! Thank you!
Glad it was helpful!
Thanks for such a great tutorial on fiber blends!!
You are so welcome!
I loved all the great information! You are such a good teacher, and it is ibvious that you know your stuff! I hope you will do more teaching videos..
I always enjoy whatever your topic is.. I hope you are enjoying your new him, in Florida.., We lived in Nirth Port fir about 18 months, back in 1986 or so..
We are enjoying our new home! I am glad you enjoy my teaching videos and I will think on more!
I know I watched this fabulous video last year, but I watched it again, because I am finally beginning to use real wool, for special projects. I still can’t afford the fancy hand dyed wools, but my LYS carries a nice selection of Plymouth 100% wool yarns, as well as some wool/acrylic blends. I have begun to collect the 100% wool yarns, because I love how they feel, and how beautifully they knit up. The colors are so nice...
These wools do generally cost more than the acrylics I normally buy.., I do mostly charity knitting/crocheting...,but really not that much more than the better acrylics.
I have five grandsons, ranging in age from 24, to 13. Each is getting a wool hat... maybe two. They may, or may not wear them, but I will thoroughly enjoy the knitting!
BTW.., My lovely LYS will actually hand deliver my orders... One if the ladies lives near me, and since I don)t drive, she will often just bring me what I need, How’s that fir small town service? And.., They are helping me get the “feel” of all kinds of great wool yarns. They are, indeed, a blessing in my life.
Plymouth makes great yarns, and you can get good wools at the big box stores too. I particularly like the Patons Classic Wool line and it comes in several different weights. But it sounds like you have an awesome LYS!
This was really helpful! I bought some bamboo yarn because I liked the softness and then I started being unsure if it was any good for the project I wanted it for. Now that I know some of the properties, that helps a lot!
I'm so glad!
Just found you. Thank you for this video - great info!
I'm so glad to be found and glad you liked the video.
This is great info! I didn't know about the properties of the various fibers and your explanations were easy to understand. Thank you! I'm interested in learning about acrylics and other synthetic fibers in terms of drape, strength, and memory compared to animal and plant based fibers. For gift knits, I like acrylics because they're easy care.
Honestly, that's a whole different ball of wax and I don't know that I could make a good general video about them. The thing about completely man-made fibers is that they can literally be anything that the manufacturers want them to be - so any hard and fast thing I try to say could be completely wrong as soon as a manufacturer dreams up something else!
Also keep in mind that acrylic fibers give off shards of microplastics everytime they're washed or rubbed against, and that microplastic gets into oceans, groundwater, plants, animals, etc.
Oh my God!!! This video clarified a lot if doubts i had. Thanks for the info. I am just a beginner. Now i know what to look for❤️
I am so glad to be helpful.
Great information. Thank you.
Thanks for responding... YES! I will watch your videos even though I crochet and dont knit... the information in this video is helpful to all yarn crafters. I have a feeling you will share much more informatiin applicable to both crsfts.
I hope so! Thanks for watching!
Thank you very much for making this video, it made things very much clearer now! Would you consider making a similar video about linen and cotton yarn?
I have some plant fiber yarns I am planning on playing with soon to figure out more about them, so this sort of video might be in the near future!
This was very helpful. Thank you!
My pleasure.
Great show, you have clear a lot of my question on all of the yarns that i like to use.
Fantastic! I'm glad you liked the video.
Fantastic information Barbara!
Glad you think so!
Thank you, very important topic. Thanks very much. I'm shocked to see a thumbs down someone is jealous! lol.
Great video you could to so so many videos about just yarn!!! Happy Thanksgiving yo you and your family.
You know, I really don't pay attention to the thumbs down. The only way I would is if they got close to outnumbering my thumbs up and then I would be concerned that I had really messed something up. Not everyone is gonna like what I do and I'm OK with that. And yes, I could do an infinite number of videos about just yarn LOL.
I have a question. Can I take the scratchy part out of a yarn I recieved in a crate box. The wool is too scratchy for me. Thank you.
I'm not a knitter, but I thoroughly enjoyed this video. Very informative, thank you!
That is lovely to hear. What prompted you to watch? Do you do some other form of fiber art?
@@WatchBarbaraKnit I crochet and am investigating new yarn fibers. If I'm honest, I can cast on and sorta knit. I'm still quite clumsy. Perhaps there's hope for me, lol. 😎
I'm new to knitting and your channel. I subbed to your channel the other night when I was watching the one about needles for beginners. And I am a lefty, trying to learn continental style since I have been crocheting for about 10 years now (picked it up again). I had to get some metal needles, the bamboo ones weren't working for me, way too tight right now . My daughter and I went to Joann and Hobby Lobby Tuesday and I was feeling the wool yarns and the wool blends. Have never used them because I was not sure if I was allergic or not, mainly, (I'm not 😀) and price. HL has hanks of Merino wool and Lyocil (spelling?) so nice and soft for a more affordable price (for my budget). I am learning to knit so I can make myself a shrug that I think looks better in knit (there's a crochet version too). I've wanted to learn to knit but being a lefty makes it hard learning something new like this. My question is would that wool blend from HL be a good choice for the shrug? With crochet I almost always use acrylic, sometimes cotton. Thank you for all the helpful info 😊
The best yarn to use is one that you love and want to wear that fits within the needs of the garment. You have to think about if it needs to be blocked and things like that ... acrylic doesn't really take to blocking unless you steam heat block it.
@@WatchBarbaraKnit thank you 😊
Bamboo and linen tend to be quite slippery and I’m challenged in a multicolored blanket to figure out how to anchor ends and prevent them from slipping out.
With slippery yarns you'll want to leave longer tails that you normally do. One thing you can try is to split the yarn into separate plys and weave those plies in separately.
That silk! I am getting better at lace but not 100% silk investment yet.
Start small!
You are adorable AND informative!
Well, thank you!
Beautiful shawl. Great info. Thanks
Thank you!
thank you, you are a sweetie pie! hugs
Thank you!
Excellent!
Glad you liked it!
Great video. Very comprehensive! ❤️
Thank you! I am glad you found it useful.
Great info. I knitted a wool shawl for my mom but it didn’t have that great of a drape now I understand why lol
You can get lovely drape with a wool shawl, but sometimes you need to go up quite a few needle sizes to open it up. I bet the shawl is warm!
Q: Thank you! Very informative. I’m wondering about how to block a bamboo yarn gauge swatch. Should I stretch it when blocking to get the correct stitch/row gauge or should I just size up in needle size and block it gently? Thank you 🙏🏼
What you need to do is block it how you intend to block the finished project. If you're going to stretch the project, stretch the swatch. If you will only do a gentle block on the project, do the same for the swatch. Keep in mind that bamboo is notorious for growing significantly.
I truly would like to know why it is recommend to not use fabric softener when laundering woollen items 🙏 please can you enlighten us 😊💖 love to learn Deb
Fabric softeners were developed specifically to help prevent static from building up on synthetic fibers. They apply a coat of ... stuff ... to the fabric and depending on how they work they also roughen the surface. The stuff that is in a softener sits on the surface of the synthetic fibers because synthetic fibers are non-porous. With natural fibers such as wool, the chemicals in the fabric softener are absorbed into the core of the yarn and can cause them to lose some of their natural properties. Over time these chemicals can build up in the fibers and cause changes. Some people use them with no lasting issues, but in general it is not recommended.
Thank you very much for this video. This is exactly the kind of information I’ve been looking for, in fact it would be super if you considered making more videos on these topics. Please know this subject is *not* boring at all. Quite the reverse, it is deeply fascinating. Thank you for your channel, for your engaging personality, and for that silk shawl - is there a pattern for it?
There is indeed a pattern: www.tumpedduck.com/designs/there-is-water-at-the-bottom-of-the-ocean/
I have discussions on different yarn fibers scattered throughout my videos but I'll have to go back and really look and see what I've done so I don't re-do stuff LOL. I'm glad this video was useful!
@@WatchBarbaraKnit Thank you for the link to this lovely pattern!!
I really appreciate the level of detail in this video. I recently got some DK bamboo/cotton yarn (Lion Brand's Coboo) and I was trying to figure out what to do with it. It's SO soft and definitely perfect for some socks!! Thanks for the depth of your explanations. I really feel like I can confidently work in things other than acrylic now. (by the way, how would you rank acrylic yarn in your categories??)
I'll have to go back and see what exact categories I used LOL. Acrylic is a bit of a creature of it's own because it is essentially plastic.
@@WatchBarbaraKnit Sorry! I know it's an old video, but it's the first one of yours I watched (found you through search).
I'd be interested to know because it is the first yarn i started using, most of my finished items at this point are either acrylic or acrylic/wool blends due to it being inexpensive and coming in so many colors, as well as it taking up so much of the yarn aisle at stores.
I'm now starting to use more varied fibers and the way you talk about how each behaves was a great intro to that.
Please talk about the structure of yarn fiber next (plies, twists and such) what these things do for a yarn and to what applications each is good for. This is what I understand the least about knitting. Thanks and have a great Thanksgiving holiday. 😀
I will see what I can think up. The problem with such a broad topic is that one could literally discuss it for hours. I was able to make this video because the viewer asked a very specific and focused question. Are there specific structures that you would like to know more about?
WatchBarbaraKnit thank you. Well, if I had to narrow down, I’d like to understand more about what the number of plies does to/for a yarn when knitting up a fabric. Hope that helps but anything you talk about is greatly appreciated. Thanks again I really enjoy your content.
I’m an intermediate-ish knitter but I love watching your tutorials as I have learned something each time. Any chance you might do a fair isle one? I have made the resolution to master that this year but so far looks like it might be next years resolution as well
I'm afraid that I probably don't have any more experience with fair isle than you do ... I've only ever done one stranded project and it didn't go particularly well LOL. I am more addicted to slip stitch style colorwork.
WatchBarbaraKnit I have looked into mosaic knitting and it’s gorgeous as well I just cannot seem to get my floats to cooperate with me in fair isle haha
Hey Barbara - thanks so much for your video on wool, silk and bamboo yarns. I just made a shawl out of silk for a little girl (11 years old - moved to a new city - missing friends). It is beautiful. I haven't sent it to her yet - need to weave in the ends and - the shawl is kind of lacey - even though it's just straight knit stitches on both sides. When I try to weave in the ends - it's noticeable. Initially, when adding a new ball of yarn I knitted the old and new skein for about 20 stitches. But - again - it is noticeable. Planning to rip the whole thing out - start over - and make sure to join the new ball at the end of the row. If you have other suggestions - that would be great. This is the first time I've ever knitted with silk yarn. Thanks so much!
Silk is unforgiving in that way. If you are working with a plied yarn you might want to try separating out the plys and weaving them in separately. They will be smaller and less noticeable.
Excellent! Thanks, could you do one on the structure please? Xxx
I'm still learning more about that but will put it on the list.
I have read here and there that bamboo can sag after a year or two of wear. One person referred to a shawl and the other to a sweater that grew several sizes. I don't remember precisely, but I don't believe either yarn was a blend.
I've heard the same about alpaca.
Yes to both. That goes back to the whole memory issue. Because alpaca has very few scales on the fiber shaft and bamboo has none, there's nothing grabbing and holding it together.
Thanks so much ,very interesting!
I'm glad you liked it!
Great video! Hope you had a Happy Thanksgiving.
Thank you! And I hope your day was a joy.
Hi, can you tell me where you bought the silk? I have a bad experience buying silk. I think what I bought is not silk
This yarn is from Neighborhood Fiber Company, Penthouse Silk Fingering: neighborhoodfiberco.com/collections/penthouse-silk-fingering
Thanks for the great information!
I crochet... do you offer crochet tips and patterns, or only knitting?
Hi! I'm afraid my crochet skills are very basic and advice from me would be pretty worthless LOL. I hope you enjoy the videos anyway.
@@WatchBarbaraKnit ... I do. ♥♥♥
Hi, this info was just what I was seeking. I am working on a basic, 3 color shawl pattern. One half is a mixture of wool and silk. The other half, I was planning to be 100% Alpaca. I understand that it has less resilience than wool, so is the Alpaca likely to stretch out of shape? I was considering replacing it with a 70/30 wool/rayon blend. Any thoughts? Also I commented on another one of your designer (Yumiko?) focused vids the other day asking about design classes. The book I found on Amazon is called Two Simple Shapes by Salena Baca. Thanks for your videos. I always get a lot out of them.
Yes, the Alpaca will stretch much differently than the wool, your blend might be a better match. I'll check out that book!
liked!
Thanks!
hello there just a beginner i would say but i already experience using crochet but didn't created anything, just a practice. Just wanted to ask what do you mean by skein knitting ? thank you in advance!
Different kinds of yarn come packed in different ways. Some comes in balls that you can knit directly from, but a lot of higher end yarns come in what is called a "skein". A skein is yarn wound in a big loop and then twisted to prevent tangling. If you open up a skein and try to knit directly from it you will end up with a giant tangle. One video that might help with this is the one I made on how to use an umbrella swift: czcams.com/video/VfEkmFnVi8o/video.html
What pattern is that cowl in minute 9? Super cute (EDIT: oh duh it's in the description -- "Ring the Gack")
LOL, I'm glad you found it! It is a super fun and fast knit.
i Saw human hair coth made from human hair once
So... silk for socks...
Bad idea?
Silk is actually a very strong fiber and is often used in place of nylon in sock yarns. But it doesn't have much memory so 100% silk socks would be droopy. I'd go for a wool/silk blend if you want that luxury.
@@WatchBarbaraKnit Thanks for answering my question.
Much appreciated!!!
But now that I have 4 skeins of silk already on it's way I need to give it another purpose.