Change One Thing

 

When I say 'change one thing, everything can change' some people don't realize that they are actually changing anything when they change brands of yarn.  Or if they don't understand that the way yarn has been spun will impact the quality of their cloth.  Or the experience during weaving.

Let's look at some yarn up close and personal.

The above photo is two yarns that are rated 2/16 (the red/rust on the left) and 16/2 (teal) on the right.

Hold up, you might say, those aren't the same!

No.  No, they are not.

Because the only piece of information that you have is the number of yards per pound, and nothing else.

The 'count' merely tells you the length per weight, not how the fibres were prepared for and the method of spinning.

The open end spun yarn (the teal in the above photograph) is weaker, loftier (more trapped air in it), and has more 'loose' fibre sticking out of it.  Since it is weaker, it will not behave nicely during beaming (if used as warp), it will cast off more lint during weaving and the quality of cloth you weave will be different from a ring spun yarn of the same count.  The ring spun yarn will be stronger, create less lint during weaving, and withstand abrasion better than the open end yarn.

Even if you are not interested in spinning, per se, it's a really good idea to understand how your materials are created so that you can use them 'properly'.

And this is why a ruler wrap is just a starting place.  Given that the open end spun yarn is thicker/loftier than the ring spun, the weaver may want to adjust their epi/ppi to accommodate that difference, too.  

I've just finished a rather large cone of 20/2 unmercerized cotton (as weft) and switched to 2/20 mercerized cotton for weft.  The difference is slight, and I won't know how much of a difference will be made to my cloth until I wet finish both.  In some ways I prefer the mercerized yarn because it is providing a 'crisper' look to the motif.  In the end I may like both - for different reasons.

But change one thing?  And everything can change...