What is bobbin yarn and how to choose it?

Bobbin yarn is not a separate type of yarn, but just a type of packaging. It consists of long thin threads tightly wound on a tapered bobbin. Initially, such yarn is intended for knitting on special machines, but savvy needlewomen use it for manual labor.

Let's start with the benefits.

• Among the most obvious advantages of bobbin yarn is the lower price than the varieties in skeins. Unlike the usual balls, the bobbins are designed for an industrial volume. Hence, an economical expense and a decrease in the cost of the finished product.
• In addition, the thread in the bobbin is long and of uniform thickness. You don't need to think about how to unnoticeably connect the yarn and hide the extra ends, knitting is obtained without knots, the finished product looks neat even from the inside out.
• Huge assortment of yarn thickness parameters, composition components and shades allows you to choose material for needlework for every taste and wallet.
• You can independently vary the thickness of the thread depending on the desired result, Create sophisticated gradients in multiple shades, and combine different materials such as cotton and silk.
• Finally, bobbin yarn is truly unique., because to find two absolutely identical bobbins, you need to try hard.

We also note the disadvantages.

• The bobbin yarn is very long, and for convenience, you have to rewind it into several small skeins, which is associated with additional inconveniences.
• Since the yarn is designed for use in industrial conditions, the threads are impregnated with a special chemical composition for better sliding in the machine. At the very first wash, the impregnation is completely washed off, but in the process of work, a specific smell can irritate or even cause allergies.
• The demand for bobbin yarn among ordinary consumers is not too high, therefore, it is very difficult to find it in ordinary stores, you have to order via the Internet or through wholesale and retail purchases.
• It is impossible to buy a small amount of yarn even though sellers agree to unwind a certain part of the reel.

The most popular knitting material is, of course, wool. It is warm, wear-resistant, removes excess moisture well, and therefore is ideal for making winter clothes: sweaters, hats, scarves, mittens, etc. Let's list the types of woolen yarn.

• Alpaca - This is a type of domestic llama, which is bred in the highlands of South America. Alpaca yarn is strong, retains heat well and is quite expensive, since it is usually used without admixture of other fibers.

• Angora... It is made from wool of angora rabbits. Such wool is incredibly delicate, it is difficult to twist a thread from it, therefore angora is used only in conjunction with other fibers: silk, sheep's wool or acrylic. It is possible to wash things made of this material only in dry cleaning, but for the exquisite softness and fluffiness of angora, you can forgive the difficulty in care.

• Mohair - Angora goat wool comes from Turkey. They are fluffy, fine threads, ideal for making down shawls and other fine lace products.

• Cashmere... The most expensive woolen material. It is obtained from the down of wild Tibetan goats. From one animal, you can get only 100 grams of raw materials, and such goats are combed out once a year. Things and yarns made from 100% cashmere are practically not found; they usually include a certain percentage of other fibers in the composition. Cotton with cashmere is especially appreciated. Cashmere fabric is very demanding to care for, but incredibly thin, delicate, yet strong and durable.

• Merino sheep wool... This wool is no less warm and soft than alpaca, but it can be machine washed on a delicate cycle. Ideal for baby clothes.

• Camel's wool. This material is durable, lightweight, warms well in winter, and removes heat in hot weather and prevents overheating. Of the minuses, it can be noted that it is impossible to dye the yarn, but there are more than a dozen natural shades of this fiber.

The second most popular material among needlewomen is yarn of plant origin. They knit mainly summer light things from it. The fibers of plant origin include the following.

• Silk... Strictly speaking, silk is a material of animal origin, but since the silkworm feeds on woody leaves, many people prefer to class it as plant fiber. Be that as it may, it is an unusually smooth, thin and durable material that is appreciated for its hygroscopicity and ability to conduct heat well. For the manufacture of yarn, silk is used only in combination with wool or cotton, since the threads are too thin for knitting.

• Cotton... A democratic material that seems to be created for summer clothes: it is lightweight, breathable and absorbs water, does not fade and is extremely easy to clean.

• Mercerized Cotton - This is cotton that has undergone a special treatment, as a result of which all the fleece is removed. This yarn is smooth, shiny and holds its shape well.

• Linen... Products made from such yarn are best cooled in heat, breathable, absorb moisture and dry quickly. Of the minuses, linen is difficult to dye, so the yarn palette includes only muted natural shades.

And finally, the third type of yarn in bobbins is synthetic fibers. Acrylic, fiberglass, polyamide and viscose are added to natural raw materials to increase their strength, lurex and metallized thread with sequins give clothes an elegant shimmer, and elastane yarns stretch well and are ideal for knitting knitwear. Yarn containing natural and synthetic fibers is called blended yarn. The optimal proportion is 75% to 25%. Such things are worn for a long time, but retain all the advantages of natural materials.

Popular varieties of blended yarns:

• sock - consists of 75% wool and 25% polyamide;
• semi-wool - 50% wool + cotton and / or synthetics;
• a mixture of synthetic fibers - such a yarn can have an interesting structure (for example, boucle or imitation fur), but does not warm at all.

Bobbin yarn is primarily intended for machine knitting. Its threads are covered with a special paraffin compound for easy sliding, so you shouldn't be upset if the cashmere yarn is rough to the touch, like sackcloth. After two or three washes, the impregnation will be completely washed off, and the finished item will become tender and soft. You should buy threads only in trusted stores with good reviews. If the assortment has a material in the desired shade, it is better to place an order right away - finding a suitable color in the case of bobbins can be very problematic. Experienced needlewomen believe that the best yarn for beginners is cashmere merino... This variety is not too expensive, but at the same time much better quality than semi-wool or blended synthetics. Such yarn is soft, gathers well in several strands, it is easy and pleasant to work with it.

The length of the bobbin yarn is indicated by two numbers. For example, 1/15, 2/15, 1/30, etc. The first means the number of folds of the thread per gram, and the second - the footage of this thread per one gram. Single yarns are usually mowed into linen. To correct this drawback, you need to wind it in two strands in different directions. Sellers in stores do not always agree to unwind the required number of threads and divide the bobbin into several small cones. Therefore, it is better to buy a special yarn winder and scales.