Why ply wool

Cart: 0 Log in or Create an account. Your cart 0. What is meant by 4 ply yarn? June 03 I see variations on this question asked frequently, so I thought I'd try and share my thoughts on it. Where does the term come from? The dictionary definition of ply is "a strand of yarn or rope" When a yarn is spun, either by hand or by machine, the spinner has a choice of whether to create a single strand the thickness they need, or to create several thinner strands and combine them.

Structure of a 4 ply yarn So, historically yarn was created out of standard thickness plys, or strands, and therefore describing a yarn by the number of these plys used gave a good indication of the thickness of the resulting yarn. Why does it matter? So, what is the best way to describe a yarn? July Shop Update Posted on July 16, June Shop Update Posted on June 18, May Shop Update Posted on May 27, April Shop Update Posted on April 22, March Shop Update Posted on March 26, As the name suggests, this is just one strand of fiber.

With a single ply yarn, manufacturers walk a tightrope between too much twist - leading to an 'unbalanced' yarn that might leave you with a biased piece of knitting - and too little twist, giving a yarn that breaks and pills easily.

The rounded cross-section of a single ply yarn allows individual stitches to fill all the space available to them, giving a cohesive look and a cosy feel to the fabric. The stitches are smooth and bright, without the shadows that come from multiple plies.

Singles are not well-suited to items which will get a lot of wear and tear, like socks or gloves for example. Two-ply yarns have a definite wavy edge, as the two strands wind around each other with nothing else to fill out the gaps. They are stronger than single ply yarns, with the fibers more supported and protected from breaking by the extra twist.

They are also more balanced and unlikely to produce a biased fabric, with the excess twist from the individual plies being used to twist each around the other. The wavy edge means they can be good for color-work, blending the borders of color changes.

They are also traditionally used for lace knitting. Three-ply yarns are more durable than single or two-ply yarns, with all of the twist in the individual plies plus the extra twist to ply them together. They are more round in cross-section than two-ply yarns, less round than single ply yarns, but stronger.

The more plies in a yarn, the stronger, more durable and more rounded it becomes, giving good structure to textured stitches and cables. The more plies you add, the more dense the yarn becomes, as all available space within the column of yarn is used up. Parkes says three-ply yarns are perfect for projects that get a lot of wear and abrasion, like a sock. Plied yarns themselves can also be plied together, producing what is known as a cabled yarn. To make a cabled yarn, singles are spun with the twist in one direction, they are plied in the opposite direction and the plies are plied together in the same direction that the singles were spun, adding even more strength to the final yarn.

This makes a stable yarn with great stitch definition. Cabled yarns can also be made with plies that aren't all twisted the same way for a different effect known as boucle. Understanding how yarn is made and how many plies it has is important even if you never spin your own yarn because different numbers of plies can make a big difference in how the finished yarn turns out and how your project looks, feels, and wears.

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