eNewsletter
January 2004

Needlecraft University's Anniversary

Needlecraft University is now one year old. NU opened its door in January 2003. Since then the site has improved by receiving many new features, classes, and teachers. Best of all, it has received and continues to receive your support. I would like to Thank You for all you support by visiting the web site, taking our classes, and sending us so many encouraging messages. We have wonderful plans for this year. New classes are being prepared, and new teachers are joining our community.

How to choose fiber
Part I

There are many different types of fiber used for producing yarn and thread for needlecrafts. Question always arises to which fiber is better. In the next few issues of our newsletter, we will visit and discuss different types of fiber and talk about their characteristics. Then I leave it to you to choose the best for you and your application.

We can categorize fibers into two basic groups:

Natural
Natural fibers are produced in nature, directly from either animals (wool, silk) or plants (cotton and flax).
Manmade
Manmade fibers are produced synthetically. They are chemical based and through manufacturing processes turn into fiber. Examples are Nylon and Polyester.

Wool fibers come from animal coats. Wool is warm, can breathe, and most importantly can absorb up to 30% of its weight in moisture without feeling damp. As a result it can create warm garments for winter, cold, and damp weather. Wool is resilient and wrinkle resistant. On the other hand it is prone to felting. If you do not want to have felted fabric, pay special attention to use the same water temperature for wash and rinse.

Some wool products feel scratchy and cause people to think they are allergic to wool. Although that might be sometimes true, but most likely the chemicals used to produce the yarn, or the detergent used for washing the product cause the scratch, not the product itself. You can take out part of the chemicals in the fiber by washing the wool before use.

Specialty wool fibers such as Alpaca (from Alpaca, a relative of Llama), Angora (from Angora rabbit), Mohair (from Angora goat), and Cashmere (from Kashmir goat) are known by the name of the animal that produces them, yet they are still in the category of wool.

In the next issue, we will talk about silk.

Nazanin S. Fard

Needlecraft University

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