Q1、What is yarn made from?
A.Yarn is made from many different fibers — animal, plant and vegetable. Animal fibers include wool, mohair, angora, silk, cashmere, llama, alpaca and qiviut (musk ox) and are made of mostly protein. Cotton, linen and ramie are vegetable fibers. Synthetic (man-made) fibers include acrylic, nylon, polyester, metallics and microfibers.
Each fiber has its own qualities, and they are often blended to take advantage of the best properties of each.
Q2、What are plies?
Years ago, yarn was referred to by the number of strands (plies) twisted together. This wasn’t a problem at the time, because crocheters and knitters understood that a two-ply yarn would be much thinner than a four-ply yarn.
Today, however, yarn sizes can range from the finest gossamer threads to extra-bulky yarn. Yarn manufacturers now give us more information so that we can be confident in substituting yarns. Ply refers to the number of strands twisted together to make a particular yarn – it no longer describes a weight or class of yarn.
The diameter of these plies is what determines the weight of the yarn. A very fine yarn can consist of several tiny plies, while a heavy yarn may only consist of one unspun ply.
Q3、What is gauge?
Gauge is the number of stitches per inch and the number of rows per inch a crocheter or knitter gets when stitching with a particular size of yarn and a specific crochet hook or knitting needles.
Gauge varies from stitcher to stitcher, even when they are using exactly the same yarn and hook or needles. It is very personal. One person may get 4 stitches to the inch with a worsted-weight yarn and a size G crochet hook, while another gets 3.5 stitches to the inch. This may not sound like much, but that half stitch per inch can make your finished garment several inches too big or too small.
This is why making a test swatch is so important.
Q4、What is a swatch?
A swatch is a small sample piece of knitting or crocheting made in the stitch pattern using the size of yarn and hook or needles called for in the pattern. A swatch will help you determine if you meet the designer’s gauge.
It will also give you a good indication of whether or not your chosen yarn will have the desired hand (feel) and drapability.
For best results, make a crocheted swatch that measures at least 6 inches square and then measure the stitches in the center of the swatch to determine gauge.
Q5、How do I measure gauge for knitted patterns?
Most knitting patterns and some crochet patterns will tell you to make a swatch (test piece) using the stitch pattern called for in the project. For instance, some knitting patterns may say to cast on a certain number of stitches and work a certain number of rows in the specified pattern. When bound off and smoothed out on a flat surface, the piece should measure the size specified in the pattern.
The pattern may say “20 stitches and 24 rows = 4 inches stockinette stitch.” To make this test piece, use the size needles the pattern directs you to use and cast on 20 stitches. Work 20 rows in stockinette stitch (alternating knit and purl rows). After 20 rows have been completed, bind off. Lay the piece flat on a table and measure the width and length. If you knit to the designer’s gauge, your piece should measure 4 inches wide and 4 inches tall.
If your pattern instructions don’t say to knit a test swatch, you can measure the stitches and rows by using the method below for measuring crochet gauge.
Q6、What about the gauge in a crochet pattern?
Many times, a crochet pattern will not tell you to make a gauge swatch. It may say instead “4 stitches and 4 rows = 1″.”
To make a swatch (test piece), use the yarn and hook size called for and chain enough to measure about 6″. Work in the specified pattern for about 6″, then fasten off. Lay the piece flat on a table. Place a small ruler (here’s where a sewing hem gauge with a moveable pointer comes in handy) with the 1″ mark at the beginning of one stitch. Count the number of stitches between the 1″ mark and the 2″ mark on a horizontal row. If there are partial stitches in between this inch, count the stitches in between two inches or three inches, until you have the number of whole stitches. This is your stitch gauge.
Next, place your ruler so that the 1″ mark is at the bottom of a vertical row. Count the number of rows between the 1″ mark and the 2″ mark. Again, if you have partial rows, count another inch or two until you have the number of complete rows. This is your row gauge.
Q7、What if I don’t knit to the designer’s gauge? Does this mean I can’t make this pattern?
If your gauge doesn’t match the designer’s gauge specified in your pattern, don’t panic. Most stitchers seldom match a gauge exactly.
Everyone knits or crochets with a different tension, which affects gauge. If your gauge is larger than that specified in the pattern, switch to a smaller hook or set of needles and try another swatch.
Q8、What is polyamide?
The polyamide fibre, commonly known as nylon, is very strong, durable, lightweight, easy to care for (can be machine washed and dried), and elastic, which makes it perfect for blending with other fibres to produce hard-wearing yarns like sock yarn.
Compared to polyester, polyamide is softer and more flexible, but it also absorbs more water and dries slower.
Q9、What type of information can I find on the DROPS yarn labels?
All DROPS yarn labels include information about fiber content (wool, cotton, etc.), weight in grams and ounces, length in meters and yards, washing instructions and symbols (explained here), color number, dye lot number and yarn group information.
Q10、What are the DROPS yarn groups?
All DROPS yarns are classified into 6 different thickness groups (A to F). Yarns in a same group have similar knitting tension/gauge, and can therefore be interchanged in patterns; however the length may be different, so when substituting always calculate the amount of meters/yards needed for the pattern to know the amount of yarn you need to get.
Q11、 Can I use a different yarn than the one mentioned in the pattern?
Yes, as long as the yarn can be worked in the same knitting tension/gauge. Always swatch to make sure you get the same number of stitches in width and rows in height as given in the pattern.
Remember that different yarns with different textures, will give the garment different looks. The yardage/length may also be different, so when substituting always calculate the number of yards needed, in order to know the amount of yarn you need.
Read more about how to calculate the amount of an alternative yarn – and how to replace 1 thread of a yarn with 2 or more of another, here.
Q12、 What does it mean when a yarn is “Superwash”?
A superwash wool is a special wool product that has been treated or processed in a way that allows it to be machine washable. Many people are afraid to work with wool because it is so easy to shrink (though some shrink wool on purpose) and superwash wool can allow them to work with great fibers without worry. (Read more here).
Q13、What does “Oeko-Tex® certified” means?
The Oeko-Tex® Standard 100 was introduced at the beginning of the 1990s as a response to the needs of the general public for textiles which posed no risk to health. The Oeko-Tex® Standard 100 is a globally uniform testing and certification system for textile raw materials, intermediate and end products at all stages of production. The test for harmful substances comprise substances which are prohibited or regulated by law, chemicals which are known to be harmful to health, and parameters which are included as a precautionary measure to safeguard health.
For more info go to www.oeko-tex.com
Q14、 Where are the DROPS yarns produced?
You can read about where all DROPS yarns are produced in each of the yarns shade cards and in our price list.
Q15、Why are your yarns so cheap?
As Northern Europe’s largest brand of hand knitting yarns and designs, we have unique opportunities to work with the very best raw materials and make savings that benefit you. That’s why you can buy DROPS yarn 20-30% cheaper than similar products!
Q16、 How accurate are the colours on the shade cards online?
When obtaining images for the shade card, we do our best to achieve the highest level of color accuracy. Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee how images will appear on your computer screen. Every monitor displays color differently, some colors might look darker than they really are, and some colors might be more saturated on some screens. If you experience that many of the yarn colors looks different on your screen than the actual color of the skeins, you can adjust the setting on your monitor.
Q17、 What is a micron? What does super fine / extra fine mean?
The fineness of yarn fibers is measured in microns (thousands of millimeters). Super fine alpaca wool is 26-28 microns. Fine merino wool is less than 21.5 microns and extra fine merino is under 19.5 microns. The less microns the softer and more delicate a quality can be, the more microns the more hard wear the quality will be.
The reason why the microns in a yarn’s fibers are important is that the yarn will eventually become something else, and how delicate or coarse a yarn is will determine in part what we use it for. That’s why we recommend the softest yarns (like DROPS Baby Merino) for baby clothing, or why we choose to use a more hard wear yarn like DROPS Snow, for a seating pad or slipper.
Q18、Why are the colours in my skeins of print yarn different?
The reason why two skeins of a same print yarn look different can be 1) that both skeins are part of different dye lots; 2) that the skeins have been dyed using a technique called “magic print” (the one used for example in DROPS Delight), which provides unique patterns and smooth colour transitions to each skein, meaning also that within one dye lot, lighter or darker varieties might appear.