Fibre Facts

Fibre content is one of the most important considerations in choosing the best yarn for your project. Every yarn listed at the elann.com website shows fibre content information, and using our Yarn Search engine, you can search for yarns by fibre. A yarn's fibre content determines not just its care, but its appearance, its drape, and its feel - commonly referred to by knitters as the yarn's 'hand'.

Animal Fibres

Alpaca, Llama and Camel

Alpaca, llama, and camel-hair yarns are all spun from the fleeces of animals which are members of the camel family. These fibres are luxurious, soft and warm, and also very lightweight -- their inner cores are actually hollow, which also adds significantly to their insulating properties. The softness of 100% alpaca is incredible -- you won't be able to resist putting this yarn next to your cheek!

Angora

The very best angora, which is combed from the Angora rabbit, is an extremely soft, fluffy, and warm fiber. Each rabbit can only provide a small amount of angora, so the expensive fibre is often combined with other fibres. This process also helps to alleviate some of the shedding that occurs with angora due to the shortness of its fibres.

Cashmere

While somewhat weaker than wool, cashmere is luxurious--extraordinarily soft, resilient, and receptive to dyes. This rare and expensive fibre is combed once a year from the bellies of the cashmere goat, which lives only in the mountains of China and Tibet.

Mohair

Mohair, spun from the fleece of the angora goat, shares wool's insulating properties and is extremely lightweight. The softest and finest mohair is spun from the fleece of kid angora goats, creating a luxury yarn beyond compare.

Silk

While silk is not spun from animal hair, it is considered an animal fibre because it has a protein structure. Like animal hair fibres, silk does not conduct heat, and is therefore also a good insulator, keeping you warm in winter, and cool in summer. Silk yarn is made from the thread-like filaments the silkworm spins around itself to form its cocoon. When unwound, a single filament can be as long as 1,600 yards, which explains silk's beautiful lustre, drape and strength. There are basically three grades of silk, each a different end product of the three different stages of silk processing, and each has its own beauty. Absolute finest quality silk is the unwound filament, and this grade is referred to as reeled silk identifiable by its unrivaled satiny smoothness and its pure white color. Silk remaining from the reeling process, as well as the discarded cocoons will become the raw material for carded or combed, spun silk yarn. Undyed, this yarn is just slightly honey-colored, and its finish is slightly more matte than that of a reeled silk. Short fibres left behind after the carding or combing process are used to make noil yarn, a richly textured nubbly silk. None of this precious fibre is wasted!

Wool

Wool, spun from the fleece of sheep, is versatile, durable and elastic. A single wool fibre can be twisted and turned 20,000 times without breaking and can be stretched 30 to 50 percent beyond its original length and rebound without damage, which is why a garment made of wool retains its original shape and naturally resists wrinkles. Air spaces between the elastic crimps in wool fibres create an insulating barrier which shields the body from cold or hot air, regulating the body's natural temperature. Its ability to absorb up to one-third its weight before it feels wet to the touch allows wool to absorb perspiration and release it gradually, preventing chills under a variety of weather conditions, and making it comfortable to wear year-round -- the desert-dwelling Bedouins weave their traditional robes from wool! By applying a combination of heat, moisture and friction to the thin, scaly overlapping cells that form the surface of a wool fibre, superwarm felt can also be formed, making wool the fibre of choice for nomadic tribes in Northern Asia as well.

And contrary to what some people believe, wool is also easy to wash. It can be simply soaked in a woolwash, spun, and laid flat to dry, or if it has been treated with a microfine resin that coats the cells of the fibre's surface (the 'superwash' process), it can even be gently machine washed and, in some cases, even dried! The finest grade of wool is from the Merino breed.

Plant Fibres

Cotton

Cotton is a vegetable fibre grown widely in hot climates the world over. It is non-allergenic, and absorbs moisture and dries quickly, giving it a cooling effect. Since it is even stronger wet than dry, it is also very easy to wash. Cottons treated with caustic soda and then stretched to make them smoother, more polished in appearance, stronger, and less prone to shrinkage than untreated cotton yarns are referred to as 'mercerized' or 'fil d'ecosse' (Scottish thread), since the man who invented the process was John Mercer, a Scotsman. The finest and smoothest grade of cotton is referred to as Egyptian cotton.

Linen

Linen fibre is derived from the stem of the flax plant and spun into a lustrous and strong yarn which, like cotton, is both extremely washable and comfortable to wear in hot weather, as it draws moisture quickly away from the body. While woven linen wrinkles easily, knitted linen has wnderful elasticity.

Modal

Modal is a generic name in its own right for man made cellulose fibers. It is manufactured using high quality wooden pulps. It is strong and stable, and at the same time soft, retaining its softness and brilliance, even after repeated washings. Modal is ideal for clothing, as it can breathe. It absorbs up to 50% more humidity than cotton, and does so much faster, keeping skin dry and comfortable.

Ramie

A linen-like fibre commonly used in the Orient, Ramie is strong, lustrous and washes well. It is a little stiff and not particularly resilient, so is often combined with other fibres.

Rayon

Although rayon is man-made, it is not a synthetic fiber. It is spun, either as a filament or staple, from cellulose obtained from cotton lint and wood chips. Two types of rayon are viscose rayon, commonly called viscose, and cuprammonium rayon, referred to as rayon. Rayon has a higher luster and softer hand than cotton, and can be dyed to brilliant colors.

Sisal, Hemp, Jute, Raffia

Hemp, jute and sisal are three vegetable fibres that are heavier and coarser than either linen or ramie. They are often used to make twines and sacking. Hemp and jute come from the stems of the hemp and jute plants, while sisal is produced from the leaves of the agave plant. Raffia, which is a type of straw, has been traditionally used in basket making. However, synthetic raffia, made from rayon, can be knit into decorative items.

Tencel

Tencel is a brand name for the generic fibre lyocell, and is man made from wood pulp. It is a trademark of Courtaulds, the original producer of rayon, who in the mid-1980s revised the rayon process to produce Tencel. The manufacture of Tencel is extraordinarily clean - no poisonous chemical waste is created in its production. It combines the breathability and absorbency of a natural fibre, the durability and easy-care performance of a man-made fibre, and a smoothness, resilience and drape that is unique. The fibre's innate structure produces a sensual, suede-like, peach touch, and as an enhanced cellulosic fibre, readily and dyes deep down into the fibre, achieving dramatic color vibrancy. It can be machine washed and dried, and retains its shape, color and appearance after washing, with minimal shrinkage.

Synthetics

Acrylic

Frequently found in combination with natural fibres, acrylics are synthetics that mimic wool, but without wool's insulating properties. Acrylics tend to be softer and bulkier than the polyamides, and some brands have even been compared to cashmere for softness.

Polyamide (Nylon)

Polyamide fibre is now commonly referred to as Nylon, after the original Du Pont brand name for the polyamide produced by that company. Nylon is very strong, durable, lightweight, easy to care for (can be machine washed and dried), and elastic, which makes it perfect for blending with other fibres to produce hard-wearing sock yarns.

Polyester

Polyesters are very easy to care for. They are extraordinarily wrinkle resistant even when wet and hold their shape well. The fibres' strength is useful when combined with other fibres to add strength and stability to the end result.

The source for the majority of our fibre facts is Vogue Knitting: The Ultimate Knitting Book (Sixth&Spring Books, 2002).