Know the fibre before the yarn
48 fibre sheets — where it comes from, how to recognise it, what it is good for, and its physical facts with their source. The engine consumes yarn only through your swatch; here is the story.
Translated from Italian. A native knitter has not reviewed this translation yet.
Synthetic
Crude oil
Acrylic
The synthetic that imitates wool: cheap, brightly coloured and easy to wash, it is the workhorse of carefree projects. It asks little in re…
Crude oil
Aramid (Kevlar / Nomex)
The armour fibre: extremely strong in tension and flame-resistant, it neither melts nor burns. It is technical, for protection and reinforc…
Crude oil
Carbon fibre (3D knitting)
It is not a clothing yarn but an engineering material: extremely stiff, extremely light and with no elasticity. It is knitted only in techn…
Crude oil
Elastane / Spandex
The elastic core of yarns: a single strand, added in a blend, gives fit and recovery to swimwear, leggings and cuffs. It is almost never wo…
Aluminium
Lurex / Metallic yarn
The thread that brings light into the knit: a metallised ribbon that glints with every movement. It is stiff and a little sharp, so it is n…
Crude oil
Microfibre (ultrafine poly/nylon blend)
An ultrafine synthetic fibre with a velvety hand and the typical peach-skin effect: light, soft and slippery, valued not for the material b…
Crude oil
Nylon / Polyamide
The reinforcement fibre par excellence: extremely strong, elastic and light. In knitwear it is almost always used in small doses, to make s…
Maize
PLA (polylactic acid / bioplastic)
The plastic that grows from plants: a polyester made from the sugars of maize, cane or beet instead of petroleum. Lustrous, light and stabl…
Crude oil
Polyester
The most widely used synthetic fibre in the world: practical, strong and colourfast, it holds its shape and dries quickly. In knitwear it i…
Crude oil
Polypropylene (Polycolon)
The lightest fibre there is, so light it floats on water: it absorbs no moisture, pushes it away from the skin and dries in no time. It is …