Worsted Wool Worsted cloths are lighter, smoother and more durable, but provide less warmth. However, they are better at keeping off rain. Worsted wool requires more processing (remember, it is made of long staple fibers only), it tends to be more pricey compared to woolens.
Full Answer
Why does worsted wool go shiny?
The one drawback to some worsted wool is that it might go shiny at areas that receive a lot of wear, such as the seat of pants and skirts, because the parallel fibres are pressed more firmly together. Something good to know is that twill weaves are more likely to go shiny than plain weaves after significant wear.
What is Worsted Wool?
A little history on worsted wool. Worsted is a high-quality type of wool yarn. It is named after the small English village of Worstead, in the county of Norfolk and this village was a center for manufacturing in the twelfth century. During the Middle Ages, common agricultural practices were in flux because new breeds of sheep were being introduced ...
What happens after wool is carded?
After the wool is carded, it is then spun into yarn and woven into great big sheets.
Which is better, woolen or worsted?
Here’s what you need to know: Worsted: Stronger, finer, and smoother. Imagine a nice suit fabric. Woolens: Fuzzier and not smooth. Imagine knitted items like sweaters. Because worsted wool is finer, they are better at keeping out the wind and rain, but woolen wool is going to be warmer.
How to make all the short pieces of wool align with the long pieces?
To make all of the short pieces of wool align with the long pieces, so that it all can be spun into a yarn, it is first carded. Carding is a mechanical process that will help to disentangle and mix the fibers. It is sort of like brushing in two directions at the same time with stiff brushes.
Where does wool come from?
As a byproduct of this process, woolen wool can be collected. It usually comes from sheep with shorter wool fibers, but during carding these short fibers can be collected and made into your favorite woolen sweater.
What is long staple wool?
In other words, these sheep produced long wool that we call long staple wool (A staple, in the context of textiles, is a cluster or lock of wool fibers). On the other hand, the older breeds of sheep that preferred more challenging environments produced short staple wool. Concurrently, England was experiencing a migration of Flemish textile weavers.
What Is Worsted?
Worsted can describe a combed yarn, a fabric woven from combed yarn or a yarn weight. As a refresher, here is the difference between combed and carded yarns:
What is Vitale Barberis Canonico?
Vitale Barberis Canonico is fully vertically integrated, which means they control all of the steps above as well as animal husbandry. This allows them to tightly control the quality of the raw material and every step of the fabric production.
What is the best worsted yarn?
Excellent worsted yarns are made of tight crimping wool. Wool fibers are tightly crimped when the surface has many open scales, resulting in a uniform and durable yarn. The yarn is then woven into a fabric. Finally, the cloth is finished.
How to describe a hank?
Obviously, this was not objective enough and so wool merchants in the city of Bradford, England rated the quality of wool by estimating how many hanks could be spun by a skilled spinner from a pound of combed wool. A hank was defined as a single strand yarn of 560 yards length.
How many microns are wool fibers?
SUPER Numbers Today. Through the breeding of sheep, it is possible today to get wool fibers of 14 microns and less, which is not even on the 1968 scale. Therefore, many cloth weavers and suit makers have created their own SUPER number system.
How much weight is a worsted shirt?
Nevertheless, fabrics today are usually lighter across the board than they were 30 or 40 years ago. Most worsteds today fall between a range of 180 – 300 grams per meter (6 – 10 oz) though for practical purposes 210 grams / 7 oz should be as low as you should go unless you are willing to compromise some of the characteristic robustness of a worsted fabric.
What is the most popular fabric for men's suits?
In Part I of our fabric series, we discussed woolen flannel and today the focus will be its counterpart: worsted wool. It is probably the most popular fabric for men’s suits in the world, and although many fabrics are technically worsteds, the differences in quality couldn’t be greater. The goal of the Guide to Worsted Wool is to help you understand everything about worsted wool so you can pick exactly the fabric that is right for your needs.
What is the difference between woollen and worsted?
Worsteds differ from woollens in that the natural crimp of the wool fiber is removed in the process of spinning the yarn. Worsted fabrics need greater care in production. The yarns in the worsted method are lying parallel and undergo more number of spinning steps.The difference between woollen and worsted is, woollens are produced with short-staple yarns , and worsted cloths need longer staple length. Woollen materials are soft and bulky with fuzzy surfaces, but worsted is fine and smoother and maybe crispier. There are different terms in use for describing the softness of textile materials. Wool trade term for the softness is ''Handle'' or ''A good handling''. The opposing term is ''A poor handling'' that suggests the material's poor or harsh hand feel.
What is short draw spinning?
A short draw is used in spinning worsted fibres ( as opposed to a long draw ). In short draw spinning, spun from combed roving, sliver or wool top, the spinners keep their hands very close to each other. The fibres are held fanned out in one hand while the other hand pulls a small number from the mass.
What is worsted yarn?
Worsted ( / ˈwɜːrstɪd / or / ˈwʊstɪd /) is a high-quality type of wool yarn, the fabric made from this yarn, and a yarn weight category. The name derives from Worstead, a village in the English county of Norfolk.
What is Worsted wool made of?
Worsted was made from the long-staple pasture wool from sheep breeds such as Teeswaters, Old Leicester Longwool and Romney Marsh. Pasture wool was not carded; instead it was washed, gilled and combed (using heated long-tooth metal combs), oiled and finally spun. When woven, worsteds were scoured but not fulled.
What is a sliver in spinning?
This produces overlapping untwisted strands called slivers. Worsted spinning refers to using a worsted technique, which produces a smooth yarn in which the fibres lie parallel. Roving and wool top are often used to spin worsted yarn. Many hand spinners buy their fibre in roving or top form.
What is top roving?
Top and roving are ropelike in appearance, in that they can be thick and long. While some mills put a slight twist in the rovings they make, it is not enough twist to be a yarn. The fibres in top and rovings all lie parallel to one another along the length, which makes top ideal for spinning worsted yarns.
What is worsted preparation?
Worsted preparation refers to the way the fibre is prepared before spinning, using ginning machines which force the fibre staples to lie parallel to each other.
Who Are the Main Manufacturers?
Australia and New Zealand are two top-ranked suppliers of high quality wool fabrics. The manufacturing process is time-consuming and expensive.
What is the difference between wool and worsted wool?
Woolen fabrics are spun from short fibers, while worsted wool is made from longer and fine ones. Compared to woolens, worsted wool fabrics are brushed in two directions with special brushes. Wool yarn differs in quality: it is bulky for woolen fabrics and smooth for worsteds.
What is the most popular wool fabric?
In different world regions, particular wool fibres traditionally enjoyed the highest popularity: in Europe, that was sheep, goat, mohair and angora, in the Middle East, people preferred camel, in the footheels of the Himalayas — cashmere, while in the region of Andes — llama, alpaca, guanaco and vicuña. The production technologies and logistics have advanced with times — these days, we have access to any wool fabric type. That is why it is important to know some important features of the each one to make the right pick for your outfit.
What is wool fiber?
About Wool. Wool is a natural fiber clipped from animals such as sheep, goat, ca mel, llama, alpaca, etc. Wool is renowned for its warmth and crease resistance, as well as moisture absorbing properties. One of the softest kinds is the merino wool sheared off merino sheep.
How many goat kids are needed to make a cashmere sweater?
Extremely lightweight and unbelievably soft, baby cashmere is hard to lay hands on. To make one sweater, you’ll need around 19 goat kids.
How long do wool clothes last?
If you are a neat wearer, wool clothes will last for years. Alpaca, for instance, is water-resistant and does not attract dust.
How thick is mohair?
Mohair is resilient and soft, and though its fiber is quite thick (23-24 microns), it has more sheen compared to regular sheep’s wool. One of the key factors that determine the quality of luxury wool is the diameter of its fiber. The smaller the fiber, the softer and lighter the yarn. Table #6.
Why is wool good for sheep bedding?
That inch of wool helps keep sheep comfortable during the hottest periods of the year in much the same way it does for us humans: by wicking moisture away from the surface skin to help dissipate body heat more rapidly. That’s why wool is an excellent choice for natural bedding.
Why is wool good for temperature regulation?
Because wool is able to absorb perspiration into the heart of its fiber, it keeps a layer of dry air next to the skin. This capacity to internalize moisture while maintaining a dry exterior is what makes wool an excellent temperature regulator.
Why is wool a unique fiber?
One of the many wonders of wool is its ability to take up moisture in vapor form. This quality makes wool a unique fiber in that it’s able to absorb moisture from the air. Wool has tiny pores on the outer layer of the fiber that allow vapor to pass through to the heart of the fiber. Because wool is able to absorb perspiration into the heart ...
Why is wool used in the winter?
This means in the winter wool helps to hold in your body heat, while in the summer wool helps your body cool off.
When do sheep start growing?
This allows the sheep to begin growing their wool in time to have a full coat by winter. Shearing in spring also allows the sheep to have at least one inch of wool on their coats in summer.
Does wool sweater keep you warm?
Wool sweaters keep you warm, and somehow, no matter how much you wear it, never gets smelly. But not many of us know why wool helps to keep us warm. You may be surprised to discover that the explanation also clarifies how wool helps to keep us cool!
What is the UK equivalent of worsted weight yarn?
If you've only started to hear about worsted weight in recent years, don't worry. It's not a traditionally British term. This term has increased in popularity, largely thanks to the internet bringing the international yarn community together.
Is worsted weight yarn the same as DK?
No. Worsted is thicker than DK. Worsted is sometimes known as 10 ply yarn, while DK is referred to as 8 ply. These terms aren't totally accurate (the number of plies a yarn contains varies according to the spinner - something that can get quite technical). They're good to keep in mind, though, as they give you a general idea of yarn weight.
What is the best yarn for making scarves?
Generally, a higher ply count suggests that a yarn will be longer-lasting and less likely to pill. Single-ply yarns can be very attractive, but they're usually best for garments like scarves, shawls or cowls; use one for a jumper and it may start to pill very quickly. Yarns with four or more plies are a better choice for making garments that will last.
What is 10 ply yarn?
You may also hear about 10 ply yarn. This term is most commonly used as the Australian worsted weight yarn equivalent, so don't be alarmed if you're stitching a pattern from Down Under and you're not sure which yarn to grab.
How many ply is worsted yarn?
We've already talked about yarn weight, so you know that worsted is also known as 10 ply. In spinning terms, though, worsted can have any ply count! For spinners, a ply is a single strand of yarn. Look closely at the yarn you're using: you might see several fibres wrapped around each other. These are plies.
What is worsted weight yarn?
Essentially, it's a medium weight yarn that's a versatile choice for many projects, from jumpers to mittens.
How big of a needle do you use for a shawl?
For example, if you want to make a shawl with a lace motif, you will probably use a larger needle, up to 8 mm. This will give the fabric a lighter, airier feel, and will clearly show gaps between stitches.
Manufacturing
Wear
- The one drawback to some worsted wool is that it might go shiny at areas that receive a lot of wear, such as the seat of pants and skirts, because the parallel fibres are pressed more firmly together. Something good to know is that twill weaves are more likely to go shiny than plain weaves after significant wear.
Semi-Worsted
- Steer clear of this. This is a fabric with yarns that are spun tightly, but not combed. Manufacturing-wise, this is a cheaper process and usually done with inferior wool. Certainly not what you want in a custom suit.
Super 100S, 120S, 150S – What Does It Mean?
- As the story goes, when the first Super 100s wool was developed back in the 1960s, nobody could believe how silky smooth the wool was. In their exuberance, they exclaimed that it was super! Here’s the whole idea: The higher the number, the narrower the fiber. The number refers to the diameter of the wool fiber. Today, super numbers are creeping higher and higher. Careful sheep …
When You’Re Shopping
- So, what does all of this mean? How do you find the right suit fabric for you? Here’s an easy way to gauge the quality of a suit fabric: Take a handful of fabric and clench it in your fist tightly, then let it go. A high quality fabric will rebound quickly. If you’re looking for something that won’t wrinkle easily, this is what you want. If you’re looking for a suit fabric that will be very durable, kn…
Next Steps
- We hope that this article helped to shed some light on worsted wool. As you can see, there are a handful of key things to look for when you’re out shopping. Consequently, an important part of our job is helping our clients find the fabric that’s right for them.
Overview
Worsted is a high-quality type of wool yarn, the fabric made from this yarn, and a yarn weight category. The name derives from Worstead, a village in the English county of Norfolk. That village, together with North Walsham and Aylsham, formed a manufacturing centre for yarn and cloth in the 12th century, when pasture enclosure and liming rendered the East Anglian soil too rich for the older agrarian sheep breeds. In the same period, many weavers from the County of Flanders moved to …
Manufacture
Worsted cloth, archaically also known as stuff, is lightweight and has a coarse texture. The weave is usually twill or plain. Twilled fabrics such as whipcord, gabardine and serge are often made from worsted yarn. Worsted fabric made from wool has a natural recovery, meaning that it is resilient and quickly returns to its natural shape, but non-glossy worsted will shine with use or abrasion.
Technique and preparation
The essential feature of worsted yarn is straight, parallel fibres. Originally, long, fine staple wool was spun to create worsted yarn; today, other long fibres are also used.
Many spinners differentiate between worsted preparation and worsted spinning. Worsted preparation refers to the way the fibre is prepared before spinning, us…
Weight
According to the Craft Yarn Council, the term "Worsted Weight", also known as "Afghan", "Aran", or simply "Medium", refers to a particular weight of yarn that produces a gauge of 16–20 stitches per 4 inches of stockinette, and is best knitted with 4.5mm to 5.5mm needles (US size 7–9).
The term worsted, in relation to textile yarn weight, is defined as the number of hanks of yarn, each with a length of 560 yards, that weigh one pound.
Automation
Before the introduction of automatic machinery, there was little difficulty in attaining a straight fibre, as long wool was always used, and the sliver was made up by hand, using combs. The introduction of Richard Arkwright's water frame in 1771, and the later introduction of cap and mule spinning machines, required perfectly prepared slivers. Many manufactories used one or more preparatory combing machines (called gill-boxes) before further processing, to ensure straight fi…
Further reading
• Barber, E.J.W. (1991). Prehistoric Textiles. Princeton University Press. ISBN 0-691-00224-X.
• Burnham, Dorothy K. (1980). Warp and Weft: A Textile Terminology. Royal Ontario Museum. ISBN 0-88854-256-9.
• Booth, J.E. (1964). Principles of Textile Testing. London: Temple Press Books.
External links
• "Wool" . New International Encyclopedia. 1905. pp. 640 to 643.
• Standard Yarn Weight System - Lists recommended needle sizes, gauge, etc., for the various yarn weight categories.
• Woolen and Worsted Yarns