Yarn is a long length of continuous interlocked fibers that are used for producing textiles, by knitting, sewing, crocheting, rope making and weaving. Knitting is method or way of turning yarn into cloth; knitted fabrics consist of parallel horizontal courses of yarn. These courses are joined to one another by interlocking loops, where a short loop of yarn is wrapped over the bight of the other course. Yarn that is very thin is referred to as thread.
Although the origin of knitting cannot be precisely ascertained, the oldest knitted pieces are those of socks and stockings. It is known that these early socks were created by an ancient craft known as Nalebinding, which involves fabric creation from thread by making a number of loops and knots using a needle. References of true knitting in Europe date back to the early 14th century. During Queen Elizabeth’s rule, knitting schools sprang up across the country as a source of income for the poor. Knitting was very common during the 17th and 18th centuries among the residents of the Scottish Isles who knitted sweaters socks, stockings etc. Knitting patterns were issued during World War II among people to make winter wear for soldiers of the Army and Navy, giving people a positive sense of achievement by being able to contribute towards the war effort.
Yarn making was among the very first process to be industrialized. Yarn is created by either air texturizing or by spinning short lengths of different fibers. Yarn for fabric is manufactured by adding different proportions of synthetic fibers which have strength, fire retardant qualities and artificial lusture, which are blended with natural fibers which consist of good water absorption and skin soothing qualities. Yarn can be made from a number of synthetic or natural fibers; cotton-polyester and wool-acrylic fibers are widely used blends. Commonly used natural fibers are wool, alpaca, angora and cashmere. Yarn is made up of a number of piles, where each pile is a single spun yarn. These single piles of yarn are then twisted in the opposite direction and piled together to form a thicker yarn.
Commercial yarn is made from a combination of synthetic and natural fibers. They may be used un-dyed or colored using artificial or natural dyes. Most of them have a single uniform color, but there is also a wide selection of variegated yarn available. With knitting yarn, one can create beautiful colors and styles of not only clothes, but items like toys, blankets, bags, lace curtains, etc. |
