Yarn is a long continuous
length of interlocked fibers, suitable for use in the production of
textiles, sewing, crocheting, knitting, weaving, embroidery and
ropemaking. Thread is a type of yarn intended for sewing by hand or
machine. Modern manufactured sewing threads may be finished with wax or
other lubricants to withstand the stresses involved in sewing.
Embroidery threads are yarns specifically designed for hand or machine
embroidery.
Structure of Yarn
- Spun Yarn is made by twisting or otherwise bonding staple fibers together to make a cohesive thread. Twisting fibers into yarn in the process called spinning can be dated back to the Upper Paleolithic, and yarn spinning was one of the very first processes to be industrialized. Spun yarns may contain a single type of fiber, or be a blend of various types. Combining synthetic fibers (which have high strength, artificial lustre, and fire retardant qualities) with natural fibers (which have good water absorbance and skin comforting qualities) is very common. The most widely used blends are cotton-polyester and wool-acrylic fiber blends. Blends of different natural fibers are common too, especially with more expensive fibers such as angora and cashmere.
Measurement of Yarn
- Yarn quantities are usually measured by weight in ounces or grams. In the United States, Canada and Europe, balls of yarn for handcrafts are sold by weight. Common sizes include 25g, 50g, and 100g skeins. Some companies also primarily measure in ounces with common sizes being three-ounce, four-ounce, six-ounce, and eight-ounce skeins. These measurements are taken at a standard temperature and humidity, because yarn can absorb moisture from the air. The actual length of the yarn contained in a ball or skein can vary due to the inherent heaviness of the fiber and the thickness of the strand; for instance, a 50 g skein of lace weight mohair may contain several hundred meters, while a 50 g skein of bulky wool may contain only 60 meters.
Color of Yarn
- Yarn may be used undyed, or may be colored with natural or artificial dyes. Most yarns have a single uniform hue, but there is also a wide selection of variegated yarns:
- Heathered or Tweed : Yarn with flecks of different colored fiber
- Ombre: Variegated yarn with light and dark shades of a single hue
- Multi-Colored : Variegated yarn with two or more distinct hues (a "parrot colorway" might have green, yellow and red)
- Self-Striping : Yarn dyed with lengths of color that will automatically create stripes in a knitted or crocheted object
- Marled : Yarn made from strands of different-colored yarn twisted together, sometimes in closely-related hues