Wiry Texture in Alpaca Fiber
June, Cathy, and I have been having this ongoing discussion about alpaca and crochet. We've been using terms like "hard" yarn. Now the term wiry has entered the conversation.
I have felt wiry alpaca in several circumstances. Mostly, I think the texture I describe as wiry enters the discussion when high-micron or coarser fiber is used. This fiber sometimes feels wiry right off the alpaca and often doesn't get any better with processing.
I have a theory -- and only a theory -- about another way in which the wiry texture gets introduced. My theory is that the wiry feeling gets introduced is when a batt or roving has variable-length fibers with some fibers longer than others -- as when a bit of chest (apron) hair has been carded into a prime blanket fleece. The longer, coarser, hair wraps around the softer fluffy stuff in the spinning process, giving the exterior or the yarn a wiry texture even though the average fleece is nice and soft. To my hands, texture (softness) is weighted toward the coarsest fibers in the fleece. When I combine two fleeces of different diameter, the resulting blend generally feels coarser than the average of the two fleeces to me.
My theory above isn't the whole story. I have had great success softening some not-very-soft, very-long staple suri by blending it with 30-50% huacaya. The resulting yarns and rovings feel softer than the average of the two fibers. In fact, one particular huacaya-suri blend using this batch of suri feels softer than either of the parent rovings. I think some of the softening is because the huacaya adds loft, but I don't think loft is the whole story, either. Something else is happening and I can't explain it yet.
When I'm spinning singles for a two-ply yarn, the singles often feel "hard" or "wiry" because they are slightly overspun. Softness is restored when I ply the yarn because the plying turns the yarn the opposite direction and relaxes some of the twist.
I've been thinking about the hardness I experience in the base of my crochet stitches. I've been attributing this to layers of yarn in the stitch and a bit of tightness in the way the yarn wraps around the stitch. Now, I'm wondering if the stitch doesn't cause some twist as well. If the crochet stitch is, indeed, causing some twist to the yarn, the yarn could be going back into overtwist status and the hardness could be from the twist in the yarn rather than from the topology of the stitch. In this case, I should be able to reduce the hardness I feel in my crochet garments by putting less twist into my singles. I'm going to experiment with this at some point in the future -- just as soon as I finish this black suri fleece I'm working on.
I have felt wiry alpaca in several circumstances. Mostly, I think the texture I describe as wiry enters the discussion when high-micron or coarser fiber is used. This fiber sometimes feels wiry right off the alpaca and often doesn't get any better with processing.
I have a theory -- and only a theory -- about another way in which the wiry texture gets introduced. My theory is that the wiry feeling gets introduced is when a batt or roving has variable-length fibers with some fibers longer than others -- as when a bit of chest (apron) hair has been carded into a prime blanket fleece. The longer, coarser, hair wraps around the softer fluffy stuff in the spinning process, giving the exterior or the yarn a wiry texture even though the average fleece is nice and soft. To my hands, texture (softness) is weighted toward the coarsest fibers in the fleece. When I combine two fleeces of different diameter, the resulting blend generally feels coarser than the average of the two fleeces to me.
My theory above isn't the whole story. I have had great success softening some not-very-soft, very-long staple suri by blending it with 30-50% huacaya. The resulting yarns and rovings feel softer than the average of the two fibers. In fact, one particular huacaya-suri blend using this batch of suri feels softer than either of the parent rovings. I think some of the softening is because the huacaya adds loft, but I don't think loft is the whole story, either. Something else is happening and I can't explain it yet.
When I'm spinning singles for a two-ply yarn, the singles often feel "hard" or "wiry" because they are slightly overspun. Softness is restored when I ply the yarn because the plying turns the yarn the opposite direction and relaxes some of the twist.
I've been thinking about the hardness I experience in the base of my crochet stitches. I've been attributing this to layers of yarn in the stitch and a bit of tightness in the way the yarn wraps around the stitch. Now, I'm wondering if the stitch doesn't cause some twist as well. If the crochet stitch is, indeed, causing some twist to the yarn, the yarn could be going back into overtwist status and the hardness could be from the twist in the yarn rather than from the topology of the stitch. In this case, I should be able to reduce the hardness I feel in my crochet garments by putting less twist into my singles. I'm going to experiment with this at some point in the future -- just as soon as I finish this black suri fleece I'm working on.
posted by Upper Alpacas | 11:55 AM
2 Comments:
YES! Less twist in your alpaca yarn = airier yarn. Also, use a size larger crochet hook if you crochet really tightly. It's all a matter of degree, you know. That Bliss alpaca is 16 micron (or maybe less) - ultra fine. I had to pass some over to June to counter her previous bad experience. :-)
I'm spinning some llama that seems to be proving your theory. It is turning out wiry, unsoft (control skein was one I bought in Woodstock, VT, very soft). I do see guard hairs, but it's not all guard hairs. The drafting of it is tricky...the guard hairs make you relax your guard, and the next thing I know, the roving has separated. We'll see what happens when I ply, but I agree that the resulting yarn tends to take on the texture of the coarser parts of the roving. I'll have to see what I find in Maryland as another control example.
I don't buy much from Etsy shops. Ebay, on the other hand, does allow you to set a minimum so that if you don't see the price you like, you don't have to sell the item.
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