Crochet Academy Seminar: Gauge, Drape & Substitution

Transcription

1 Drape is a somewhat difficult-to-define quality used to describe the flow, feel, and hang of fabric. A garment's drape can be loose or fitted; it can also be flowing or textured or rigid or stretchy, or a combination of those and many other traits that explain the nature of the fabric's behavior and appearance. Even before swatching, we can foretell much about the drape a yarn will yield by examining various qualities of the unworked yarn since certain qualities always translate themselves into the completed pieces. Some of this is obvious -- a fuzzy yarn will yield a fuzzy garment, and a bouclé will create a garment with bumps. As was noted in the video, the first quality to assess is shininess as shininess translates into slipperiness when stitched up. This is an important quality because it lets us know how much our stitches will resist grabbing onto one another, and that lets us know how flexible to the hand the completed garment will be. Another test of slipperiness is the ability to rip back the yarn after it's been worked up. Yarn that rips back easily will have the same qualities just listed for slippery yarns, while a yarn that catches on itself is more likely to Drape Crochet Academy Seminar: Gauge, Drape & Substitution have a somewhat dense or inflexible feel to the completed piece. The next trait to note is the yarn's stiffness or rigidity. Bend the yarn into a loop and see how big of a loop you can create before the yarn flops over, no longer able to support its weight. Stiffness is much more important to note for crochet than for knitting, and the stiffer yarns are usually the ones with the most dramatic difference between crocheted gauge and knitted gauge. This is due to the nature of crocheted stitches, which are loops pulled into and stacked upon other loops -- and each loop is another bend in the yarn. If the yarn resists when you bend the yarn with your fingers, it will also resist within the stitches themselves. The third trait to note when trying to determine the drape a yarn might yield is to examine the fiber content. Each "ingredient" in the yarn adds to its overall appearance and feel. By first looking at yarns that have only one fiber content, we can assess how that individual type of fiber might contribute to blends, or what we might want to look for in yarn content when we are choosing substitutions for patterns that offer only one suggested yarn. 1

2 Other traits to examine are a yarn's softness (or squishability, as I like to call it), whether it seems heavy or airy, how much stretch the unworked yarn seems to have, and its tendency to felt. Again, each of the aspects of unstitched yarn translate directly into your completed piece -- stretchy yarns will yield stretchy fabric and yarns with no give will create garments with no give. Assessing stretchiness and heaviness are also important for determining fit and usability of a yarn for a particular project (for instance -- stretchy yarns make bad purses, and yarns that are too lightweight or fluffy might not have the hang needed for the right fit). A yarn's likeliness to felt will determine its usefulness for a particular garment, as it will felt the most in the spots with the most wear (making yarn that felts easily a poor choice for a skirt, for instance, unless you like the idea of tushie pads forming in the exact places your heinie meets your chair!). For the sake of organization, the fibers listed here are broken down into three categories -- animal fibers, plant fibers, and man-made fibers. It should be noted that there is a somewhat blurry line between plant fibers and man-made ones since many of the plantbased fibers have been altered or enhanced through chemical processes. For the purposes here, any fiber which utilizes a petroleum product as a component ingredient will be considered man-made, regardless of any plant or animal fiber content. Sheep's Wool -- within crochet, this is easily the most well-known and frequently used animal fiber. Not all wool, however, behaves in the exact same way. Of all the animal fibers, wool is most sensitive to how it's been spun, and the resulting drape can be altered dramatically depending upon the number of plies and the tightness of the twist. In addition, treated wool (often referred to as "superwash" wool, non-felting wool, or machine-washable wool) also behaves differently than it's untreated counterpart -- most notably that it Animal Fibers 2 has both more stitch definition and more play within the stitches after they've been worked. Wool is a tacky fiber that tends to catch on itself. Its stiffness is in the middle range of all the fibers used in yarns, but this quality is easily manipulated by the manner of spinning and plying wool. In fact, this versatility is one of the reasons for wool's popularity not only in yarns, but in fabric as well. Wool can yield a thick and stiff peacoat as easily as it can become a finely tailored 3-piece suit.

3 Mohair -- mohair comes from the Angora goat. The individual fibers are long, shiny, and crinkled. As well, they are strong enough to want to resist being spun so that the edges of the fibers tend to pop out of the plies. The resulting fabric usually has at least a touch of fuzziness. This resistance to being spun also accounts for mohair's tendency to shed. In addition, these fibers act like barbs that catch on each other, making mohair one of the most difficult yarns to rip back. As a result of these qualities, mohair is most often spun with other fibers to create a blend that takes advantage of mohair's strength and shininess, while mitigating the shed-factor, the fuzziness, or both. Cashmere -- cashmere comes from the underbelly of cashmere goats and relative to other fibers, it is rare and tends to be the most expensive. It is very soft and pliable, has a moderate sheen, and yields a light-as-air fabric that tends to be a bit fragile when compared to wool, mohair or alpaca. It is susceptible to pilling just from stitching, and so although it seems to rip back well initially -- you will notice it suffers from "yarn fatigue" if you rip it back twice. Even considering its lack of durability, its luxury and warmth can't be beat. Like mohair, it is an ideal candidate for yarn blended from multiple fibers. Alpaca -- the animal called the Alpaca yields alpaca fibers, and in appearance looks like a cross between a sheep and a llama. Less tacky than sheep's wool or mohair, alpaca has 3 the least tendency of the three to felt. Alpaca fibers are somewhat heavier than wool (and much heavier than cashmere), and shinier than mohair. Alpaca is more flexible than mohair though, and so yields a smoother yarn. Like mohair (although not to the same degree), 100% alpaca can shed, especially if it is loosely spun. Silk -- although silk is created from the processed plant fiber of mulberry leaves, it is the silkworm which metabolizes and spins the fine strong strands and so it is considered an animal fiber. Silk is the strongest, shiniest, and lightest weight of all the animal fibers. It is often used in blends not just because it is highly prized (and therefore somewhat expensive), but also because silk has the least give of all yarn (even less stretch than cotton). This lack of stretch makes it ideal for weaving, where stretch in a yarn can cause blips and bubbles when a piece is removed from the loom, but crocheted clothing requires some give or else the fabric will be rigid. Lacework (on steel hooks), however, benefits greatly from this lack of stretch and 100% silk crochet thread yields unparalleled stitch definition. Camel -- camel yarns were hard to find until last year when 5 different yarn companies came out with new camel and camel blend yarns. Camel is very similar to cashmere -- it is lightweight, yet very warm. It has a soft sheen, and is a touch stiffer than cashmere when spun.

4 Cotton -- cotton's versatility and strength easily make it the most ubiquitous fiber used within all garment making. From socks to t- shirts to denim, cotton is a fiber that works hard, lasts long, and gets softer with age. Cotton yarn, though, can be a challenge to work with if one is accustomed to wools or acrylics as cotton is heavier, denser, and has almost no stretch. As a result, the stitches and fabric created from crocheting cotton yarn are weightier and less flexible than most other yarns. Cotton is very smooth, easy to rip back, and gives stellar stitch definition. Linen -- created from flax fibers, linen is stronger, denser, and less flexible than cotton. It has a high natural luster and is entirely without stretch. While a poor choice for most close-fitting garments, it is perfect for pieces that are enhanced by the structure and durability of the fiber -- jackets, satchels, jewelry, shaped hats. Rayon, or Viscose -- this fiber is created by chemically treating plant fiber (also known as cellulose). Although a fairly weak fiber, prone to breaking and pilling, rayon's popularity can be attributed to its ability to mimic the appearance of other fibers. Rayon can also Plant Fibers be created as a type of microfiber, and is often used as a component ingredient in yarn blends in this way. Microfiber is a term used to describe fibers whose individual filaments are very very fine, and the resulting drape is usually very soft, flexible, and shiny. However, rayon microfibers are also very fragile, and while they are easy to rip back, the stress of that process will cause immediate and apparent yarn fatigue. As well, rayon microfibers do not wear well over time, and are therefore not the best choice for creating durable pieces. In almost all cases, I advocate hand-washing and self-care over using a dry cleaner, but microfibers are so prone to breaking that I recommend taking them to a professional for cleaning. Ramie -- although not frequently found in yarns, occasionally it is a component ingredient. Ramie is often used as a less expensive substitute for linen and has many of the same properties. However, ramie is much less durable than linen and will wear over time more like cotton. As a result, it isn't the best substitute for linen if it is the body and structure you desire. However, if it is the sheen and hand of linen -- as in lacework -- ramie is an acceptable substitute. 4

5 Man-Made Fibers Before I go list the qualities of the individual man-made fibers, I'd like to explore their production and composition. Nylon, acrylic, and polyester all use fossil fuels as key ingredients in the production of these polymers. It would be accurate to say that each of these fibers is a form of plastic. When used in blends with natural fibers, manmade fibers can enhance strength and appearance, but there is always a trade-off in wear-ability because these fibers have no wicking ability and therefore trap all moisture close to the body much like being wrapped in a plastic casing. Personally, I can feel and hear the plastic in synthetic yarns. When I work with 100% acrylic, I can hear and feel it squeaking and, quite frankly, it drives me mad (mad, I tell you!). I'll try not to pass on too much of my bias in the following information, but as a general disclaimer -- I do not find 100% synthetic yarns to be useful in garment-making, except for, perhaps, outerwear. I find 100% synthetics very useful for the craftier crochet projects and occasionally for purses or accessories, but for garments worn close to the body, I find their fit and feel to be unacceptable. When used in blends with natural fibers, however, synthetics can lend their better qualities while still providing a yarn that allows the body to breath, and have a more pleasing (less plastic) feel against the skin. Acrylic -- acrylic is derived from a petroleum product and can be described, with complete accurately, as a form of plastic. Acrylic is most often used as a cheap substitute for wool, and that's about the best thing I can say about it for garment-making. It is both inexpensive and (usually) machine-washable, and those traits are responsible for its popularity as a yarn fiber. Although it usually has a somewhat tacky feel, like wool, it doesn't felt (at all). It's a touch elastic and will stretch out over time. When crocheted, it responds similarly to wool. Soy Silk -- although the fibers created from soy are plant based, the soy cake from which they are derived is treated with polyvinyl alcohol. While this process is considered fairly environmentally clean, it is still considered a petroleum product, and it would be accurate to say that the soy cake becomes plasticized in order to become soy fibers. One big difference between soy silk and the other synthetics, though, is that soy silk breathes and feels good next to the skin. Soy silk is very shiny, very slippery and very easy to rip back. It is lightweight with a little bit of stretch. It is often used as a silk substitute, and is somewhat less expensive than silk. 5

6 Nylon -- nylon is created through processing coal, water, and air into a polymer, and was designed in the mid-20 th century as an alternative to silk. Nylon yarn can be somewhat elastic and is almost always very shiny and very flexible. As a component in a blend, nylon is often used to strengthen natural fibers and reduce their tendency to felt, as with wool/nylon sock yarns. Nylon tends to be very sensitive to heat, and while it doesn't shrink -- it can melt or warp. However, as it is completely non-absorbent (and is actually considered water-repellent), it will dry quickly on a noheat setting. Polyester -- another petroleum product, polyester is most often used in novelty yarns. It adds strength and durability. Although quite elastic, polyester has "memory" and will return to its original shape after being stretched. It is shiny, soft, and very easy to rip back. There are many other man-made fibers. It almost seems like they come up with new ones every day. In the interest of getting this posted so that y'all can read it for this week's class, I'm wrapping it up here. The next set of materials will be on how the various ways that yarn is spun change the overall drape of the completed piece. 6