Trend Report By Maile Mauch
Editor of ClothsLineEZine™
2007 Yarn Shows in San Diego and Columbus
Well the word is getting out that Home Decor accessories are a hot item for knitters- we knew that!!
Fine and eco friendly yarns were a big hit for the baby boomer knitters making garments for their grandchildren.
Texture achieved by shiny or mercerized yarns, boucle or chenille yarns and variegated, is hot! A trend that has been building and is not going to go to the wayside like eyelash and ladder yarns. Knitter's want to see their stitches and create patterns accented by the yarn.
Below are the Hot Trends and what yarns we are using to achieve the new looks in knitwear!
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Hot Trend: Eco Fibers
Yarns and threads are going green. Many companies showcased yarns made from corn, bamboo, hemp and soy. Some were solo fiber yarns and others blended. We have used the Naturalee product by - Pisgah Yarn & Dyeing Co., Inc and made some items that washed well, felt good to the face and used a size 5 needles, so perfect for baby socks and face cloths.
Hot Trend- Fine Gauge Yarns
Socks, Baby Items and Lace are great items for fine gauge yarns. Seen in solids and variegated these items are delicate but strong. We use Article 960c by Honeysuckle Yarns a 6/3 ply 100% cotton baby fashion weight yarn available in a large variety of colors and variegated. The Naturalee product is another fine gauge yarn that knits up wonderfully.
Hot Trend- Space-Dyed Fibers
Space- Dyed or Variegated yarns are fun to knit with, each time a new color pattern appears. The "pooling" that goes with these types of yarns create texture with a simple stockinette and "WOW" factor in a slightly textured item. We love to use solids and variegated yarns together and Pisgah Yarn & Dyeing Co., Inchas the largest variety of cotton in both worsted and double worsted weights.
Variegated and overdyed Rayon Chenille again Elmore Pisgah with their Ruby Mills Honeyscukle Yarns you have to see the color selection to believe it! Easy to order online.
Visit the article and patterns for variegated yarns.
Hot Trend- Sparkle and Shine
Shimmer, opal, sheen are some key words for the yarns with a little touch of sparkle. The mercerized cottons and cottons that have an accent of opal are HOT! Great to use for garments, home accessories and all your knitting.
You will find us using two different threads with sheen and size 5 100% Cotton: Mercerized Cotton Article 960 & Country Cotton Cabled™
Honeysuckle Yarns Opalescent Accents is a great thread to use for cloths, bookmarks, home accessories, we are currently using it in some Holiday items.
Hot Trend- Texture
Texture as in chenille or boucle yarns not the wild eyelash or ladder yarns of yesteryear. Texture yarns where you can see the stitches and the yarn accentuates the stitches.
Rayon Chenille by Honeysuckle available in solids, variegated and over dye, a color for all your needs. This yarn is beautiful knit up and easy to work with, no worming or splitting.
Yarn consists of several strands of material twisted together. Each strand is, in turn, made of fibers, all shorter than the piece of yarn that they form. These short fibers are spun into longer filaments to make the yarn. Long continuous strands may only require additional twisting to make them into yarns. Sometimes they are put through an additional process called texturing.
The characteristics of spun yarn depend, in part, on the amount of twist given to the fibers during spinning. A fairly high degree of twist produces strong yarn; a low twist produces softer, yarn with luster; and a very tight twist produces crepe yarn. Yarns are also classified by their number of parts. A single yarn is made from a group of filament or staple fibers twisted together. Ply yarns are made by twisting two or more single yarns. Cord yarns are made by twisting together two or more ply yarns.
Almost fifteen billion pounds of spun yarn was produced in the United States during 2005, with 40% being produced in North Carolina alone. Over 50% of spun yarn is made from cotton. Textured, crimped, or bulked yarn comprised one half of the total spun. Textured yarn has higher volume due to physical, chemical, or heat treatments. Crimped yarn is made of thermoplastic fibers of deformed shape. Bulked yarn is formed from fibers that are inherently bulky and cannot be closely packed.
Natural fibers—cotton, flax, silk, and wool—represent the major fibers available to ancient civilizations. The earliest known samples of yarn and fabric of any kind were found near Robenhausen, Switzerland, where bundles of flax fibers and yarns and fragments of plain-weave linen fabric, were estimated to be about 7,000 years old.
Cotton has also been cultivated and used to make fabrics for at least 7,000 years. It may have existed in Egypt as early as 12,000 B.C. Fragments of cotton fabrics have been found by archeologists in Mexico (from 3500 B.C.)., in India (3000 B.C.), in Peru
(2500 B.C.), and in the southwestern United States (500 B.C.).
Cotton did not achieve commercial importance in Europe until after the colonization of the New World. Silk culture remained a specialty of the Chinese from its beginnings (2600 B.C.) until the sixth century, when silkworms were first raised in the Byzantine Empire.
Synthetic fibers did not appear until much later. The first synthetic, rayon, made from cotton or wood fibers, was developed in 1891, but not commercially produced until 1911. Almost a half a century later, nylon was invented, followed by the various forms of polyester. Synthetic fibers reduced the world demand for natural fibers and expanded applications.