Skein #29 Yarn From Synthetic Fibers

Image 1: Fiber Sample Image 2: Yarn Skein Image 3: Yarn Detail

Fiber

Nylon

Type

Top

Reason for choice of this sample

The others were worse. The synthetic fibers available from spinning suppliers are generally intended for blending in small amounts. When spun alone, most are harsh or dense or both.

Source

Carolina Homespun — San Francisco, California

Preparation for spinning

Broken into lengths for spinning from the fold.

Equipment used

Flyer spinning wheel, drop spindle

Type of spinning

Unsupported long draw

Direction of Twist

Z/S

Number of plies

3

Finishing

Wet blocked, although it has no observable effect.

Suggested uses

Bulky knit or crochet garments. A simple pattern will show the texture of the yarn, use firm stitches to minimize shedding. Also for blanket weft. The lofty yarn makes a warm fabric but it requires careful laundering. The bright white requires some care in color matching with natural fiber yarns.

Notes

Maximum 54 points

Examiner 1: 46

Examiner 2: 43

Both noted the inconsistency in size, but I'm not really sure why. I even mention texture specifically. The requirement for this skein leaves the design completely open except for fiber content: "The size and texture of the yarn and whether the skeins are of singles or plied yarn is at the discretion of the spinner." This is the only thing I got that I remotely liked, and I was still not happy with it.

I hate this yarn, there are so many things I don't like I hardly know where to begin. The mentor said this skein was only for chemical synthetics, so that removed all the interesting new manufactured fibers. I haven't seen acrylic fiber for spinning in years and the EcoSpun someone had stashed away was horrible. That left me with the nylons, which are either weird sparkly things or sock heel reinforcements. I didn't think a yarn of pure Firestar would go over well.

This fiber actively resists twisting and will not set. Nylon is very strong and abrasion resistant, but with this staple length it sheds like crazy in a plied yarn. The only way to stop it is with enough twist that makes it behave like wire. And you just can't get that much into anything that isn't tiny. The single will not behave to get it in a skein without a fight.

Examiner 2 noted that this yarn should be machine wash and dry. Regular filament nylon? Sure. This stuff? No way. Not without blending it with something else, like the wool it was designed to work with.