Novelty yarns include a wide variety of
yarns
Yarn is a long continuous length of interlocked fibres, used in sewing, crocheting, knitting, weaving, embroidery, ropemaking, and the production of textiles. Thread is a type of yarn intended for sewing by hand or machine. Modern manufactur ...
made with unusual features, structure or fiber composition such as slubs, inclusions, metallic or synthetic fibers, laddering and varying thickness introduced during production. Some
linen
Linen () is a textile made from the fibers of the flax plant.
Linen is very strong, absorbent, and dries faster than cotton. Because of these properties, linen is comfortable to wear in hot weather and is valued for use in garments. It also ...
s,
wool
Wool is the textile fibre obtained from sheep and other mammals, especially goats, rabbits, and camelids. The term may also refer to inorganic materials, such as mineral wool and glass wool, that have properties similar to animal wool.
As ...
s to be woven into
tweed, and the uneven filaments of some types of
silk
Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoons. The best-known silk is obtained from the coc ...
are allowed to retain their normal irregularities, producing the characteristic uneven surface of the finished fabric. Man-made fibres, which can be modified during production, are especially adaptable for special effects such as crimping and texturizing.
Complex yarns
Novelty yarns are sometimes referred to as complex yarns. A yarn which makes a fabric is not always smooth and uniform. Complex yarns are the uneven yarns which may be thick and thin or have curls, loops, twists and even differently coloured areas along their length. This look of the yarns are used to add interesting effects in fabrics. In complex ply two or more complex yarns are twisted around each other to form loops, curls and knots to create fancy effects. Many knitting yarns are complex ply yarns which give interesting textures in finished products. They consist of three parts: coreply yarn, effect ply and binder yarn.
Types
Bouclé
Bouclé
Bouclé is a looped yarn or the resulting fabric woven from this yarn.
The yarn is made from a length of loops of similar size, which can range from tiny circlets to large curls."Bouclé." ''The Oxford English Dictionary''. 2nd ed. 1989. To make ...
, or looped, yarns are created by loosely looping an effect yarn around a base yarn. They can be made of any type of fiber and are usually composed of three plies, or strands, wrapped around each other. The texture is created by spinning one of the three plies more loosely than the other two. Fiber artists who choose to create projects in bouclé yarn must use extra care because if not handled carefully, the loose strand may split and snag on the knitting needles or crochet hook.
Chenille
The soft, fuzzy surface of chenille yarns, which resemble
pipe cleaner
A pipe cleaner or chenille stem is a type of brush originally intended for removing moisture and residue from smoking pipes. They can also be used for any application that calls for cleaning out small bores or tight places. Special pipe cleaner ...
s in appearance, can be created in several ways. Most commonly, a fabric is first produced and then cut into narrow strips resembling a yarn. Then, when the fabric is cut, the raw edges become very fuzzy and produce the chenille appearance. Other chenilles are created by trimming a loosely attached effect fiber to create the fuzzy appearance. Still other chenilles are created by attaching or gluing fibers to the yarn.
Core
A yarn in which the core has been wrapped by another strand, such as of cotton or nylon around an elastic base as used in commercial socks.
Corkscrew or spiral
The appearance of corkscrew or spiral yarns is achieved by using yarns of two different fibers and often twisting one under a different tension than the other.
Crepe yarns
Crepe yarns may be classified as fancy yarns and are created by tightening the twist given to a yarn, resulting in a kinked or looped strand.
Eisengarn
Eisengarn
''Eisengarn'', meaning "iron yarn" in English, is a light-reflecting, strong, waxed-cotton thread. It was invented and manufactured in Germany in the mid-19th century, but is now best known for its use in cloth woven for the tubular-steel chairs ...
, meaning "iron yarn" in English, is a light-reflecting, strong, waxed-cotton thread. It is made by soaking cotton threads in a starch,
paraffin wax
Paraffin wax (or petroleum wax) is a soft colorless solid derived from petroleum, coal, or oil shale that consists of a mixture of hydrocarbon molecules containing between 20 and 40 carbon atoms. It is solid at room temperature and begins to m ...
solution. The threads are then stretched and polished. The end result of the process is a lustrous, tear-resistant yarn which is extremely hardwearing.
[''Industriegeschichte aus dem Bergischen land'']
(in German). (Accessed: 27 November 2016)[WDR digit project. ''Eisengarnfabrikation in Barmen''.]
(Video (16 min) in German). (Accessed: 27 November 2016).
Invented in the 19th Century, eisengarn was used as a weaving yarn and for making lace, ribbons and lining materials.
The yarn is also known as ''Glanzgarn'' ('gloss' or 'glazed' yarn) and can be knitted into woollen clothing and other textiles to add shiny highlights.
Eyelash
Eyelash yarn
Eyelash yarn is a type of novelty yarn. It has a thread base, with several long strands spaced at even intervals that jut out at an angle from the main strand. The long strands, or hair, can be metallic, opalescent, matte, or a combination of typ ...
is made from a polyester fiber with a furry texture resembling eyelashes. These novelty yarns are made of a thin central ply surrounded by short "hairs". This yarn differs from "fur" type yarn in that it contains evenly spaced threads at intervals between lengths of bare core thread, whereas fur yarns have an abundance of threads covering the entirety of the core thread. Eyelash yarn comes in a wide range of colors, with the "hairs" sometimes being made of multicolored or metallic fibers.
Ladder
Ladder yarn
Ladder yarn or train tracks yarn is a type of novelty yarn. It is constructed like ladder
A ladder is a vertical or inclined set of rungs or steps used for climbing or descending. There are two types: rigid ladders that are self-supporting ...
resembles a ladder, with two flat threads representing the two sides of the ladder held together by a strip of material at the center that represents the rungs. The material at the center of ladder yarn can be metallic, beaded, or otherwise adorned. This type of yarn is more often used to create trim or embellishments than to knit or crochet entire garments.
Metallic fiber
Metallic fibers are often classified as fancy yarns and are created by adding a metallic fiber or yarn to the blend. These are not to be confused with actual wire used in jewellery that is sometimes knit or crocheted.
Nub
A nub is a small bump or knot created by tightly twisting the fiber around the base fiber. The nub is most easily identified when the effect and base yarns are of different colors.
Plarn
Plastic yarn, or “plarn”, is constructed from plastic bags, large toilet paper and other commodity wrappers (e.g. planting soils sacks etc.); it can be used to weave, knit or crochet plastic mats, baskets, small bags and totes of all kinds.
Ribbon
Ribbon yarn
Ribbon yarn or tape yarn is a kind of novelty yarn. It is made of ribbon, but generally not the kind of ribbon used in sewing and millinery. Rather, they are ribbons made especially for knitting or crocheting, with some in a tubular form, some wo ...
resembles a ribbon. It can be made from synthetic or natural fibers, such as silk or cotton. Some ribbon yarns are flat, while others are tubular in construction.
Slub
A slub or thick spot in a yarn is created by varying the tightness of the twist of the yarn at various intervals.
References
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Yarn
Knitting
Crochet
Weaving