True Blue Fiber Friends

--= FIRST DRAFT =--

At its most basic, yarn is a collection of fibers twisted together to form a cohesive strand which can then be used in weaving, knitting, crochet or other fiber art techniques.

Yarn may be a single ply (also called a "singles"), or it may be plied with other singles to form a plied yarn. Most commercially available yarns are in three or four plies. In order to twist two or more singles together, the singles must first be twisted in one direction. When they are plied, they are twisted together in the opposite direction.

Typical yarn is twisted right handed (clockwise) for the singles and left handed (counter clockwise) for the ply, but this is not always the case. You can check which kind of twist a yarn has by looking at the diagonal lines of fiber across it. If the fibers slant up to the right, it is called "Z" twist. Note how the center of the letter "Z" slants up to the right (like an accent ague). If the slant of the fibers is up to the left, it is called "S" twist. Note how the center of the letter "S" slants up to the left (like an accent grave).

So most yarn is spun "Z" and plied "S," which is how knitters prefer it. The act of knitting, at least in the West (yarn goes counter clockwise around the needle), tends to add "S" twist to the yarn, making it a tiny bit more twisted. Crochet, on the other hand, tends to add "Z" twist to the yarn, making it a tiny bit less twisted. Crocheters and Eastern style knitters (yarn clockwise around needle) tend to prefer "Z" twist yarn, though it is less readily available in the U.S.

How a yarn is wound into a ball, or unwound from the ball, can also affect the twist of the section of yarn being worked.

When viewed from above, a cone of yarn will form a letter "p" or a letter "q" depending on the side from which the yarn unwinds. Examine a cone from the narrow end with the tail of the yarn pointing toward you to see this more clearly.

Unwinding a "p" wound cone tends to add "Z" twist to the yarn, while unwinding a "q" wound cone tends to add "S" twist to the yarn. So again, a knitter will tend to prefer a "q" wound cone because it adds twist.

What if the yarn is taken from the center of a center pull ball, instead of from the outside?

When yarn is taken from the center instead of the outside, it is twisted in the opposite direction. A "q" wound ball, which adds "S" twist when unwound from the outside, will add "Z" twist when unwound from the inside. Remember that for knitters, "Z" twist unplies the yarn.

If you are knitting from a center pull ball and notice your yarn is kinking (over twisted) or unplying (under twisted), try switching to the opposite end of the yarn. For example, if you are drawing yarn from the center of the ball and it is unplying, try using the end on the outside of the ball instead. It shouldn't unply as badly.

If you are pulling from the outside of the ball or cone (which has no "inside") and don't like the twist, try flipping the ball over to unwind in the opposite direction. Good luck flipping the cone! You might be better off rewinding the amount needed for the project into a ball instead.

How you wind yarn with a ball winder determines whether the resulting ball is "p" wound or "q" wound. Pay attention when winding to make sure you are getting the type of wind you want for the planned project. If a yarn shop winds it for you, and in the opposite direction of what you would prefer, simply pass the center tail through the center of the ball and back out the other end.

With a ____ ball winder, turning the crank clockwise will result in a "q" wound ball while turning the handle counter clockwise will result in a "p" wound ball.