Change One Thing

 

pale teal 16/2 cotton, blue 2/16 cotton

 2/16 cotton yarns with two different twists per inch in the ply

Reminder:

I use ply before count to denote ring spun yarn; count before ply for open end spun yarn, because they are very different in their natures.  When I identify them with their 'count' in this fashion, I am *also* telling you how they have been spun.

One of my 'Laura-isms' is 'change one thing and everything can change'.

The changes can be nearly 'invisible' if you don't know what to look for - and any weaver who has not taken at least an introductory class in spinning will not know about the *how* of getting fibre into yarn and why they should know the differences.

So, here I am - again - to explain why.  (Note:  I'm not a spinner, as such, but everyone should at least have an understanding of the basics so they can make 'good' choices.)

What's the difference between the two?  Significant, as it happens.

For ring spun yarn (I'm talking industrial methods here - a loose comparison would be worsted spun for handspinners - but again there are spectrums involved) the fibres are generally combed so that they are aligned parallel, then given X number of twists per inch for the single, and Y number of twists per inch for the ply.  The number of twists for a single that is intended to be plied will generally be more than the number of twists applied during the plying.

Open end spun yarns are more akin to woolen spinning with the fibres in disarray, and then given X number of twists for the singles, and Y for the plying (if the yarn is meant to be plied).

What are those X and Y numbers?  It depends.

Let's take cotton.  Fibre intended for seine twine, for example, is going to have a whole lot more twists per inch than something intended for garments.  And so on.

The spinning mill spins yarn for specific purposes.  They do not set out to make 'bad' yarn.  But weavers can, and do, make poor choices.

When the weaver looks at yarn, there are things they could ask themselves - is the yarn strong or weak?  Does it have a lot of elasticity or no?  Is it stiff or flexible?  How does it feel?  Coarse or smooth?

All of those things can be determined, right down to number of twists per inch for the ply, quite easily.  It simply takes a close look and an awareness that those things are going to have an impact on how the yarn behaves.  And how the cloth they make will behave and feel.  And why you can't necessarily make substitutions without making changes to things like density (epi/ppi).

A few weeks ago I had a question from someone about why their different brands of cotton behaved so differently.

They were using American spun and Swedish spun cotton, and a cotton/linen blend with 40% linen, and they *appeared* to be different thicknesses.

I told them that was because they were.  The US spun 8/2 cotton is open end spun, while Swedish (and Canadian) 2/8 cotton is ring spun.  Swedish 2/8 cotton is also generally spun from Egyptian cotton, while the source for the yarn spun in Canada is unknown, but quite likely the US.  

Egyptian cotton tends to have a longer staple.  The cotton from Brassard has a shorter staple.  The open end yarn (in every sample I've examined) appears to have the shortest fibre used in industry to spin yarn.  In the photo above with the two blues, the dark blue is Borgs (if memory serves) and even though it appears to have fewer twists per inch, it is very strong.  I cannot break a Swedish 2/8 cotton easily with my hands, while I can break the Brassard yarn with my hands without difficulty.

The cotton/linen blend (referred to variously as cottolin, cottlin, cotlin) is, at 40% linen, denser than 100% cotton.  Therefore, even though the yarn is spun to the same number of yards per pound (or metric measure to kilo), it will be thinner than a 100% cotton yarn of the same count.

With open end spun yarn, the fibres not being aligned and generally with fewer twists per single and ply, the yarn is loftier and weaker than the ring spun of the same count.

Knowing these things allows us to understand that if we use open end spun cotton yarn as weft in towels, for example, that will increase the absorbency of the cloth over 2/8 cotton for both warp and weft.  Using the ring spun yarn as warp will reduce breakage in the warp.  Generally I tend to use cottolin as weft only, in part because it is more expensive than 100% cotton.

In addition to these considerations, there is also the fact that 8/2 cotton will release a lot more fibre dust into the air during weaving.  Another good reason to use it only for weft (less abrasion).  Even so, I have filter fans that I use in order to suck the air from the loom away from me and remove as much of the cotton lint from the air as possible.

People who work in the cotton industry can develop 'brown lung' which is like black lung but cotton dust instead of coal dust.  It's probably fine for a small project, but if you have lung issues, I recommend getting one of those box fans and put a filter over the intake side of the fan and make sure you use it during weaving.  Then when the project is done, give your studio a good cleaning to remove any remaining dust from around the loom or your studio area.

The density consideration extends to other fibres, too.  I routinely see people assuring others that 2/8 (or 8/2) Tencel can be used at the same epi as cotton.  Unfortunately, Tencel is a very slippery fibre, PLUS it is much denser than cotton, and therefore it is thinner than cotton spun to the same count.

Tencel on the left, cotton on the right, both spun to 2/8 count (3360 yards per pound).  Given the thinner grist of the Tencel, *my* recommendation for Tencel would be around 24 for plain weave, more for twill.  How much more?  That will take sampling to factor in your weave structure and width, and the degree of drape you want in the cloth after wet finishing.  Remember that Tencel is a regenerated cellulose, and only after wet finishing will you see the true nature of the cloth you have woven.  (Although imho, that's true regardless of fibre!)

So!  Sample!  

Books available here

Classes available at SOS

Classes also available at Long Thread Media

Zoom presentations listed here