How To Choose The Right Yarn For Your Project

Choosing the right yarn for any project is key. This is the beginning of the end.

In weaving you need to ensure your yarn is strong enough to withstand tension, a lot of tension in fact. The loom holds the warp (read warp vs weft: a simple guide for beginners blog post to learn more on warp and weft in weaving) under an extreme amount of tension, to ensure your woven fabric is taut.

soft cotton, colourful yarns

The warp yarn needs to be stronger than the weft yarn, but it often depends on the fabric’s final use. Will you be washing it? Wearing it? Or just hanging it on a wall? You can use a variety of yarns for the weft but if you are washing the cloth after then ensure the yarn can be used this way.

Speaking from knowledge as a weaver and woven textile designer, the best way to test a piece of yarn before using it in your warp, is: to take a length of the yarn off the cone (or ball) about 50cm or so in length (doesn’t have to be exact) and then hold each end of the piece of yarn in your left and right hand. Now pull on the yarn, with your left hand moving to the left and your right hand moving to the right – to stretch test the yarn. If the yarn breaks instantly – it would not be suitable for a warp. If the yarn breaks after some tugging for a while – you decide, often this can happen with merino wool or especially finer yarns. You decide if you would like to take the chance?! If the yarn is not breaking at all – this is the yarn for your next project. However there are a few other things to consider…

The fibre of the yarn, is the yarn really hairy or sticky? This can cause problems with weaving, where your yarns or shed will stick and not create the cross of yarns and making mistakes in your pattern. The colour of the yarn, do your yarn colours work together to match or compliment each other? Another decision to consider is using the same thickness or ply of yarn, to ensure the woven fabric doesn’t create any gaps or unevenness.

My two favourite yarns are merino wool or cotton. Two very different yarns. They work in different ways but both give the fabric a softness.

soft cotton yarns

Let me know how you get on and what yarn you are choosing for your next project?