Excuse me? Can I knit vegitarian? Plant based Yarns

One of the saddest things I see when I am having my craft booth, is a child pointing at a toy and the mom shaking her head and telling him or  her "you can't have that honey you are allergic to wool".  Kids do not always understand what that means and often I see tears start to flow. This has resulted me me now being sure to have some organic yarn based toys packed separately from the animal sourced fiber toys.  I love to see the kid's smile when I can point to the opposite table and explain to mom that the toys there are made from plant fibers and are kept separate from the animal fibers for allergy safety.  I have a little flier that I pass out that introduces the organic yarns to the public.  Now that plant based fibers are becoming more prevalent in stores and high demands have resulted in the price becoming more and more reasonable, knitters and crocheters alike, are beginning to incorporate these wonderful yarns into their work.  For clarification, I use the terms organic yarn and plant based fiber yarn interchangeably.However, not all organic yarns are plant based.  In order to be called organic, the animals and plants, which produce the fibers, have to be grown or raised, as well as processed, without the use of chemicals. Organic wool, alpaca, angora, cashmere, mohair, silk, cotton, hemp, and others are available, mostly in natural shades or dyed with plant-based colors. Standards for organic products have been developed by the Organic Trade Association and the US Department of Agriculture.  Plant based fibers are generally organic, as spraying the plants with pesticides can result in damage to the final product. Until I began working on this blog, I had limited exposure to the plant based fibers.  I have used cotton of course with dishcloths and I have tried bamboo for dishcloths and socks.  It was a welcome surprise to find a ball of soy yarn, a hank of milk fiber yarn and a yank of hemp yarn to work with! Some of these yarns are spendier than others of course.. I have found that I can usually get a yard or two of hand produced yarn at the farmers market or home based yarn companies if I ask for a sample. If you check out people who spin their own yarn, you can usually get a sample of enough yarn to make a small swatch.  It never hurts to ask!

 

Bamboo bunny cloth, so soft for baby's bath!

Bamboo and Soy

The grass of bamboo plants is harvested, distilled into cellulose, and then spun into yarn. Bamboo fiber is used alone or in combination with other fibers in yarns. It is known for having a good luster - similar to mercerized cotton - a silky softness and drape, as well as beautiful colors. Bamboo is naturally antibacterial, non-allergenic, and is a renewable resource. This is wonderful yarn to make dishcloths, tiwashi, and scrubbers with.  The antibacterial properties keep the fibers from getting that nasty sour smell that fabrics can get when they are left wet too long.  .  You can expect a product made of bamboo fibers to be long lived and to keep its color and shape through the years.  Bamboo yarn also makes for a wonderfully soft and silky shawl or sweater.As a fabric, bamboo, when the fiber is treated correctly, becomes soft and flowing, with a tendency to take on color well and strong water permeability. This means towels made from bamboo yarn can easily absorb liquid. Clothes made from the same are both breathable and sweat-resistant. Bamboo yarn is also used to make mats, stockings, bed clothes and undergarments. Other types of bamboo yarn go to making surgical clothes, masks and other types of medical cloth. This is due, in part, to the qualities of the naturally present chemical in bamboo wood known as "bamboo kun," which resists pests and bacteria. Advocates of bamboo claim that these chemical continue into bamboo yarn and help fight bacteria in its diverse forms.

Soy fiber is spun from a by-product of soybeans. Soy protein is liquefied and then extruded into long, continuous fibers that are then cut and processed. Soy yarn has been described as feeling like a cross between cotton and linen, with a lofty but cool feel that makes it perfect for warm-weather climates. Soy fiber is used alone or in combination with other fibers in yarns. It is a renewable resource.Made as a by-product of the soybean industry, soybean protein fiber is naturally a light yellow color, like Tussaud silk. Soy fiber takes chemical dyes well (for those of you who are dyers, acid dyes are best and it is not as light/wash fast when dyed with natural dyes) and so this yarn is commercially available in a wide range of colors. The dyed yarn features both sunlight and perspiration fastness. Soy protein yarn is lustrous like silk, and like silk, enjoys a higher breaking strength than wool and cotton (tho' lower than polyester). Unlike polyester however, soy breathes and has a moisture absorption like cotton, making it comfortable to wear in the summer.Because of the high heat at which it is processed, you shouldn't have to worry about shrinking in the wash, and because it is fast to dry and anti-wrinkling, it makes a great garment for travel. Soy has a natural antibacterial resistance to coli bacillus, staph a., and candida albicans, so some many knitters particularly like it for children's and babies garments. It is also moth resistant.A bit of a stretch in my mind, but an argument I know the seaweed yarn makers are claiming for their product as well (and maybe I'm just too much of a skeptic) is the health benefit of wearing this next to your skin. Rich in amino acids, soybean protein is said to activate the collagen protein in the skin.In pilling tests, soybean yarns held up as well as similarly spun cotton yarns and better than similar polyamide yarns. Because of the low crimp in soybean fiber, it does fuzz, but does not pill the way many polyamides did in the "nylon brush" test the industry subjects its yarns to.Although it sounds new and revolutionary, the concept of turning soy fiber into wearable clothing has been with us for years. In fact, on South West Trading Company's Web site you'll find a picture of Henry Ford wearing a Soy Silk suit as far back as the 1940s.Soy Silk is an environmentally friendly fiber made from tofu manufacturing waste. Soy protein is liquefied and then extruded into long, continuous fibers that are then cut and processed like any other spinning fiber.Soy Silk Phoenix yarn has a knitted tube composition that lies flat like a piece of linguini. It is available in undyed form, which is a supersoft shade of ivory, as well as several dyed forms, all of which have a somewhat rougher hand as a result of the dying process.

A Soy Yarn Bear for Doopy!

I was surprised at how easy it was to knit with Phoenix. At the beginning I had my usual tube yarn problems, with the tip of my needle periodically stabbing the guts of the tube by mistake.Damage was minimal and easily corrected with a tug. And after a few warm-up rows I became accustomed to the yarn's higher volume and able to gather speed. Knitting by touch alone was 99% effective, with a few spots where I had to stop and check my work.Progress was fast and my stitches appeared even, with good shape and definition. Swatches formed perfect squares.

I cannot wait to go somewhere I can wear this!

In a cold-water wash, my swatches tinted the water a musty shade of yellow. I saw no degradation of color in the dried swatches, however, which were perfectly relaxed squares of cohesive fabric. No blocking was necessary.Even in warm-water washes, my swatches held up beautifully, although they continued to turn the water yellow for several rinsings.There was very little surface blur or color loss, even when I upped the amount of agitation they had to endure.

Phoenix feels like a cross between cotton and linen, with a lofty but cool feel that makes it perfect for warm-weather climates.he faint roughness in the dyed yarn didn't cause any skin irritation whatsoever, and I probably wouldn't have commented on it if I hadn't had the even softer undyed yarn as a point of comparison.Although the fine stitches that compose the yarn interrupt any visual flow of fiber on the surface, from afar the yarn still has a relatively cohesive sheen (similar to that of mercerized cotton) and relaxed drape to it.My sample skeins had perfect dye saturation except for the reds, which appeared somewhat spotty and uneven. Every fiber absorbs dyes differently, so if you choose to buy the basic yarn and dye it yourself, plan for a little extra experimentation

Cotton

 

"swiffer mop"

Cotton is a vegetable fiber grown widely in hot climates the world over. It is non-allergenic, and absorbs moisture and dries quickly, giving it a cooling effect. Since it is even stronger wet than dry, it is also very easy to wash. Cottons treated with caustic soda and then stretched to make them smoother, more polished in appearance, stronger, and less prone to shrinkage than untreated cotton yarns are referred to as 'mercerized' or 'fil d'ecosse' (Scottish thread), since the man who invented the process was John Mercer, a Scotsman. The finest and smoothest grade of cotton is referred to as Egyptian cotton.

Cotton tawashi bath scrubber

Gassed cotton is mercerized cotton that has had all or most of the excess lint and/or fuzz burned off to bring the color to the surface. Gassed cotton often gives the illusion of iridescence.

 Cotton works for Spring, Summer, Winter, Fall. In sizes both Skinny, worsted and even handspun. Organic Dyed and Completely Color-Grown (ie, naturally occuring colors) can be found here. We love cotton for it's natural lightness, breathability, and the comfort it so naturally imparts. Soft enough for baby, hard-working and elegant enough for a night on the town, cotton is truly a miracle fiber.  Cotton yarn comes in a variety of sizes, colors, and thickness.  Whether it is a sturdy, durable dishcloth, a cute but warm winter hat, or a delicate thread yarn flower, this is one fiber I love to use.

 

 

Corn Yarn

Sometimes carrying the label Ingeo®, which is a brand name, yarn made from corn fiber is like cotton in appearance, is breathable, has high wickability and good flame resistance. It also has more resilience and crimp than cotton, making the resulting fabric springier, and perhaps being easier on the hands to knit with. Made from a renewable natural fiber, the raw materials is abundant. Ingeo® is made by fermenting the simple sugar from the corn plant. This fermentation process transforms the sugar into a polymer called polyactide -tho' I also ran into some sources that called it polylactic acid, but in either case it is shortened to PLA-- which is then extruded at high force like other polymers into a fiber that is spun into yarn.
Corn's properties include low odor retention and good moisture management. It has a fluid drape and is easy to care for. Quick drying like soy, it also has demonstrated increased soil release properties in the industry's washing tests, so stains don't so easily set as with cotton.

Linen

Linen has its fans and foes in the hand-knitting world. Derived from the stalk of the flax plant, linen fiber produces a strong, lustrous material that lasts a long, long time. But soft and fluffy it is not—and for many knitters, that's the most important thing.Fortunately, fibers were meant to be blended, and Soft Linen—almost equal parts linen, wool, and baby alpaca—is a perfect example of a smart fiber blend. The fibers (well blended prior to spinning) are spun into four fine strands that are then plied together into a well-rounded four-ply yarn.Touch it and you'll know that there's something "planty" in there, but you'll also feel the airy slippery softness of the baby alpaca and a squishy warm hint of wool. And if you hold it to the light, you'll see a luminous, almost silky quality—that's the linen talking.Blending warm- and cold-weather fibers creates a "transitional" yarn that helps carry you from season to season. When the temperatures drop, the wool and alpaca keep you warm; and when the temperatures rise, the natural evaporative cooling qualities of the linen kick in.The transitional quality of these yarns exists in both the finished garment and the knitting experience itself. When your hands are eager for warm-weather fibers, but the weather outside isn't quite there yet, you can pick up a skein of transitional yarn and almost feel the tropical breezes—which can be nice when it's mid-March and still snowing outside.
I confess I'm not that fond of knitting with pure linen. I love the luster of linen, and I love the feel of a well-worn piece of linen fabric. But the yarn itself often feels too unyielding and twine-like for my taste.
Knitting with Soft Linen, however, was a surprisingly pleasant compromise. I was able to wrap the yarn comfortably around my fingers and maintain even tension, and the stitches held my slippery Addi Turbo lace needles nice and snug. The yarn does have some firmness to it, and I did periodically have to let go, smooth out the yarn, and reposition my hands to get a good grip.

Periodically I came across long ends of linen fiber sticking out of the yarn—something that I've encountered in every linen yarn I've tried. Fearing that the ends would make the fabric scratchy, I pulled them out of the yarn. The key was to pull out the strand parallel to the yarn to minimize disruption to the neighboring fibers.
Only once did my sharp-tipped needles snag the yarn. With some tugging to and fro, I was able to smooth out the strand and tug the loosened fibers back into place.My stitches were relatively even although they did have some irregularities here and there. In a pure linen yarn I'd be worried because the fibers tend to sit exactly where you left them, no matter how much you block. I hoped that the wool and alpaca would help smooth out the irregularities in the wash.

My swatches washed and blocked beautifully, staying firm and cohesive in the wash and drying—albeit slowly—into perfect shape.No curled edges, bias, or change in gauge, and those uneven stitches relaxed and flattened into a smooth and cohesive piece of fabric. And even my small swatches had exquisite drape.

Judging this yarn on the skein isn't entirely fair because linen becomes softer and more lustrous with wash and wear. But even by the time the yarn had made it into swatches, it had a pleasant hand.After I washed and gently thrashed my swatches for a little while, they became downright soft. I tucked one swatch under my shirt and promptly forgot about it all afternoon—no scratch there.You can tug the fabric to and fro and it'll bounce right back to shape, thanks to the wool. In general, both the wool and alpaca dominate enough to make this entirely appropriate for next-to-the-skin wear, while the linen adds a delicious degree of drape.
The swatches did start to produce small lofty pills after a sustained period of friction. The linen component also wanted to wrinkle when folded or crushed for too long, but the crease lines went away after I tugged the swatch and ran my flat hand across its surface. The fabric would probably begin to look a little shabby over time, but not until you'd gotten quite a bit of wear out of it.

I didn't expect to like this yarn as much as I did.I envision it performing beautifully in a summer tank top, maybe a matching tank and cardigan set. The roundness of the yarn gives it excellent stitch definition. I played with a few basic stitch patterns and loved the seed stitch and feather and fan.In fact, I'd love to see this yarn in a Shawl  using one of the yarn's 10 colors or mixing and matching them all in a series of earthy stripes. You'd need about 850 yards, or 7 skeins, which brings the bill to $63. That's a nice price for a garment with central heating and evaporative cooling to keep you comfortable throughout several seasons.

Modal

Modal is a generic name in its own right for man-made cellulose fibers. It is manufactured using high quality wooden pulps. It is strong and stable, and at the same time soft, retaining its softness and brilliance even after repeated washings. Modal is ideal for clothing, as it can breathe. It absorbs up to 50% more humidity than cotton, and does so much faster, keeping skin dry and comfortable.


Rayon

I can't wait to dive in!

Although rayon is man-made, it is not a synthetic fiber. It is spun, either as a long filament or a shorter staple fiber, from cellulose obtained from cotton lint and wood chips. Two types of rayon are viscose rayon, commonly called viscose, and cuprammonium rayon, the variety that most closely resembles silk. Rayon has a higher luster and softer hand than cotton, and can be dyed to brilliant colors. Viscose rayon is commonly found combined with other fibers. This lustrous fiber is known for its good draping qualities, but it requires care in washing in cool temperatures only. 

SeaCell

So Soft! I will dive in soon!

Sea Cell Knitted

SeaCell is the result of incorporating powdered seaweed into highly absorbent cellulose-based lycocell fibers. Seaweed has long been known to possess high concentrations of trace elements, vitamins, and seawater minerals. The porous, open structure of SeaCell fibers have natural antifungal and antibacterial properties, promoting a healthy interaction between the fiber and the skin - the fiber absorbs what your skin expels, while your skin absorbs the healthful elements carried in the fiber. Even after numerous washings, the health-promoting, beneficial effects of the fiber remain unaffected.


Sisal, Hemp, Jute, and Raffia

Hemp, jute and sisal are three vegetable fibers that are heavier and coarser than either linen or ramie. They are often used to make twines and sacking. Hemp and jute come from the stems of the hemp and jute

 Many new yarns are hitting the market every day composed of  just about anything that grows!  Its a great time to be a yarn Artist!  Part Three of my Review--The Synthetics will be along shortly!