Wearable Plant Yarns

Last Month I started to think about designing myself a sweater. So this month I've moved on to thinking about yarn. I last posted about Vegan Yarns back in 2019. Since then I have made many mistakes, so maybe it's time for an update!

Being allergic to wool I have no choice but to find an alternative. I have ruled out acrylic yarns for many reasons. For starters it is really bad for the environment. I see garments made of plastic being advertised as 'Green' because they are made from plastic bottles. Immediately I think, wouldn't it be better if those bottles had been recycled back into bottles so that we aren't just producing more virgin plastic? Is it just me or does it sound stupid to you too?

 

As a fabric Acrylic is horrid! It is squeaky and starts to bobble before you have even finished making the item. We Crafters are making Slow fashion. After spending hours and hours on your project it would be nice if the item lasted for years and years. As a yarn it is hard to unravel when you make a mistake. And then! there are the washing disasters. It is way too easy to destroy your work of art by melting it in the wash or in the dryer.

 

Cotton 

The go-to plant based yarn of choice is cotton. Now I want to introduce a concept which might help us. I've started off writing about an 'alternative' to wool, but it's not an alternative at all. Cotton is nothing like wool. Cotton is heavy and has long smooth fibres. Wool is light and lofty made of short curly fibres. It acts like those hook and loop fasteners, which is why it is easily felted. Cotton soaks up moisture, wool repels it. I could go on, but the point I am trying to make is that we shouldn't be thinking of substituting plant based yarns for wool. Instead we need to consider each material for it's own merits. I know, I've learnt the hard way!

 

So let's consider cotton. Not all cotton yarns are the same.

 

Consider a tightly spun mercerised cotton. It's the absolutely perfect thing for Amigurumi. It doesn't split easily so you can use a small hook to get really tight stitches. Your creation can be tightly stuffed and needle sculpted to get and keep just the right look. But you wouldn't want to wear a garment like this.

 

This is Drops Muskat. 50grams=100metres. The recommended hook size is 4mm. Although it is mercerised, it's lightly spun. It doesn't have any more stretch than if it were tightly spun, but it does have more drape. 

This swatch was made with a 4.5mm hook. I think I could have gone with a bigger hook except that I was trying to match gauge.

This is the sweater. You can see that it has drape, but it is rather heavy. So perhaps I should have used a finer cotton weight.

 

This is Sirdar Luxury Soft 4ply. 50grams=208metres. Sadly I don't think they make it any more. The recommended hook size is 3mm and it is also lightly spun.

As I went with a 3.5mm hook it has plenty of drape. So I am now thinking we have to go with the lighter weight cotton yarns, lightly spun and use larger than recommended hook sizes. 

For instance this Rico Cotton Essentials has 50grams=130m and, despite being mercerised, is also lightly spun.

I've also used it for this sweater which I think is one of my better makes. Although I've messed about with the pattern a little, it's by Linda Skuja. I think the drape comes from the hook size and long stitches Linda has chosen for the pattern.

 

Even if we went down to a lace weight cotton yarn there are choices to be made. A number 10 crochet cotton can be soft or stiff. Unfortunately most of us plant-based yarn-users are forced to shop on line as those lovely bricks and mortar stores are either stuffed full of acrylic yarns or beautiful hand dyed wools. We have to make sure we do our homework.

 

Pima Cotton Boucle DK

50grams=110metres

 

Back in 2019 when I wrote my first article, VeganYarn.co.uk. was just beginning to trade. I had yet to discover their Pima cotton boucle DK, which is now my absolute favourite yarn and completely different to any of the yarns I'd ever used before. It's quite heavy but incredibly soft. I think we should consider it as at least a worsted/Aran weight. The structure has lightly spun fibres in the centre, rather like wool roving, but they are wrapped with a thin cotton thread which is what gives it that boucle texture.

Using these open stitches and a 5.5mm hook I ended up with a gorgeously warm and fluid shawl. 

 

Pleiades Sock Yarn 4ply

50grams=160metres

Many of the plant based yarns are not suitable for socks as they are too delicate and lack elasticity. So for socks you will want a yarn with a purpose. This Pleiades yarn is a Cotton Tencel mix, each of the 4 plies has an elastic core and it makes socks fit beautifully, as I can attest. These socks are made using just Slip-stitches, the elastic makes the stitches so easy to work.

Anna Maj Socks designed by Anna Lindmark

 

Cotton is sadly not the most ecologically friendly yarn on the planet. But there are alternatives. Probably the most common these days is Bamboo.

  

Bamboo

Unfortunately, although Bamboo is a very sustainable plant it is the processing which causes us some concern. If you would like to know more, this article might help to answer some of your questions. 

Bamboo has a lustre and takes colour very well, thus producing jewel like tones. Unfortunately it is very heavy. If wool is like hook and loop tape, Bamboo is like glass! If anything you have far too much drape. Drape plus the heavy weight is not a good combination. Mostly Bamboo yarns are mixed with either wool or cotton to overcome some of these problems.

 

Viscose/Rayon/Lyocell/Tencel

Rayon Thread

These are all man made fibres which use plant fibres rather than petrochemicals like acrylic. It all depends on which process is used. Viscose/Rayon were first developed at the start of the twentieth century, originally referred to as artificial silk. One process was developed in the UK the other in the USA, hence the different brand names. Viscose/Rayon fibres are cheaper to produce than cotton. They dye more easily and drape well. However, they also use more chemicals to make and produce a weaker fibre, especially when wet.

 

Lyocell 

This is yet another Viscose process but it uses amino oxide rather than carbon disulphide.  While this makes the product more expensive, it's better for the environment and safer for the workers. Tencel is produced using this process.

 

Tencel DK

50grams=112metres

 

This super glossy Tencel yarn is from VeganYarn.co.uk. One of the joys of this yarn is that it takes colour beautifully. As you can see it is glossy, feels soft to the touch and has a ridiculous amount of drape. You can also read that as slippy. The long smooth fibres means it has none of the felting magic of wool. This particular yarn is made from recycled Eucalyptus and being naturally white requires no bleaching.

 

Linen

DMC Natura Linen

58% Linen, 26% Viscose, 16% Cotton

50grams=150Metres 

 

Linen is a coarse stiff fibre which we are told softens with washing and wearing. Like Bamboo it has an ability to absorb moisture. This explains why it is so often used for summer clothes and in bedlinen. It is also frequently blended with other fibres to take advantage of these properties while avoiding the disadvantages, as seen in the DMC Linen yarn above.

 

Hemp

Hemp Fingering Weight

50grams=217m

 

Often advocated for because of it's full green credentials, both as a crop and in the manufacturing process. This particular product has been bleached. In all properties it's very similar to Linen. However this yarn is not like the plied long coarse strands of Hemp that I have used before. This alone makes me very excited to see how far the plant yarn industry has come since my last post.

 

Pineapple

Pineapple Fingering Weight

50grams=175metres

 

Many of the up-coming plant based yarns are the waste left over after harvest. This has to up their green credentials! Just as with cotton the quality of the yarn will vary from supplier to supplier, especially if the yarn is handspun. 

This Pineapple yarn is softer lighter and smoother, unlike the samples I have played with before. Like many of the plant based yarns it softens with washing and wearing.

 

Aloe

Aloe Fingering Weight

50grams=200metres

 

Made from the plant fibres after the juice has been removed. A very fine yarn with a slightly uneven finish. We are advised that this delicate yarn must be handwashed only.

 

Ginger

Ginger Handspun Lace Weight

50grams=595metres 

 

I'd never seen Ginger yarn before, so it appears in this list due to my curiosity. How else would we know? This particular yarn is incredibly fine so you would probably have to hold it together with another yarn for crochet. However, there are other fibre arts, or so I'm told! I think it would be interesting used in a woven cloth. The yarn is un-dyed, the colour is entirely natural. 

Seaweed

Seaweed Fingering Weight

50grams=145metres

 

You wouldn't call many of these natural fibres soft, but there is a light halo around the plied yarn which makes it pleasant to handle. String it is not! 

The Experiments

Now that I have all of these beautiful samples to play with, I need to try and work out the best way to use them. What hook size should I use? What sort of stitch pattern creates the most light weight, comfortable , warm and wearable fabric? How do we add depth and stretch to an otherwise heavy and dense yarn? What happens when I wash them? I will always advise you to measure, wash, dry and re measure your swatches before embarking on a project, especially with a yarn you have never tried before. I once had a disaster with some Soy yarn that bloomed after washing. That is to say it relaxed and grew.

 

I blocked the swatches by soaking and handwashing in the same way I would if it were a garment. After blotting out the excess water with a towel, I laid out the samples and smoothed from top to bottom and before allowing them to dry. 

Let's imagine we are making a sweater crocheting from the top down or the bottom up. By the time the garment is finished there will be quite some weight pulling down on the rows of stitches. To get an accurate gauge swatch we need to take that into account. If I were making a sleeve to sleeve garment the rows of my gauge should be considered as if the swatch were turned 90⁰. In that case I would smooth the sample from side to side.

  

Pineapple Unblocked vs Blocked

I decided to start with the Pineapple yarn and a 4mm hook. I was thinking about what sort of stitch would be dense enough to create a warm fabric without being too heavy. It also needs to allow for drape and movement.

I used an extended Double-crochet (-UK, extended Sc-USA). 

My unblocked swatch measures: 16 stitches x 14 rows to 10cms.

Blocked it measures: 17 stitches x 16 rows.

This means that the fabric has shrunk slightly, it also feels softer now.

 

Hemp Unblocked vs Blocked

The Hemp yarn seems a little finer, so I decided to go down to a 3.5mm hook and worked my stitches alternating between back loop only and front loop only Double crochet (-UK, Sc-USA). Working into a single loop helps to increase the drape, and by alternating which loop it creates this beautiful texture. Originally, I thought that the only thing I really like about this hemp was the colour and it's name, Pinky and the Brain. This is exactly why you need to try out the yarns! I have to keep reminding myself that it is hemp. There is a high twist to the ply which creates a little stretch and give in the yarn. There is a DK version also available from VegansYarns-UK.

My unblocked swatch measures: 22 stitches x 20 rows to 10cms.

Blocked it measures: 22 stitches x 21 rows.

There has been little change in the gauge but the fabric also feels softer but also very slightly plumper.

 

Aloe Unblocked vs Blocked

Initially I was considering holding this very fine Aloe yarn doubled, but then I saw it as an opportunity to use a denser stitch. After a little trial and error I went with a 3.5mm hook and a Treble-treble Linked stitch, (Uk, Dtr-US). Because this creates a one sided fabric, I used Front-loop-only Dc (-UK, Sc-US) on the even numbered, return rows. In reality these Linked stitches are very short, upright rows of Tunisian. The resulting fabric is warm, soft and flexible. I am not sure that I would describe it as having drape, however. I think it would work best for a light-weight mid-season sweater or cardigan.

My unblocked swatch measures: 21 stitches x 5 Linked stitch and 4 Dc rows to 10cms.

Blocked it measures: 23.5 stitches x 5 linked stitch and 4 Dc rows.

The fabric has tightened quite considerably but only along the width. 

 

Seaweed Unblocked vs Blocked

For the Seaweed yarn I reverted to my favourite pastime, playing with slip stitches. I'm so lucky that I have the most wonderful crochet friends who inspire me, answer my questions and find solutions. Recently I asked my Slip stitch guru, Anna, what would happen if we mixed Yarn-over slip-st with slip-st. This is one solution, alternating rows of Back-loop-only Yarn-over slip-st and Blo Slip-st. I used a 4.5mm hook to achieve this soft stretchy fabric that has depth and texture without weight. It is so stretchy that the problem is how to measure gauge. I suggest making sure the sides of your swatch are straight before measuring.

My unblocked swatch measures: 21 stitches x 29 rows to 10cms.

Blocked it measures: 23 stitches x 25 rows.

The fabric is now more stable having shrunk in the width but grown in the length. It may be because of the slip stitches I chose, rather than the yarn. I would have to work another sample in a different stitch to check this.The fabric doesn't feel any softer. 

 

Tencel Unblocked vs Blocked

With the Tencel the problem to be overcome is how to reduce the amount of drape! But the yarn also splits, so my thinking is that we need to keep the stitches short. So I went with a simple cluster which highlights the glorious colours of this yarn and also allows a little of the stitch pattern to peak through. Row1 is (Dc, Ch2, Dc) in the first stitch, skp2, repeat. Row2 is simply (Dc, Ch2, Dc) into the ch2 of cluster below. By placing the hook into the 'Chain2-space' there is less opportunity to split my yarn and it's also a speedy stitch to produce. That's (Sc, Ch2, Sc) in US! I used a 5 mm hook.

My unblocked swatch measures: 7.5 Stitch repeats x 17 rows.

Blocked it measures 7.5 Stitch repeats x 14 rows.

I was expecting the fabric to become looser. As you can see the width has remained unchanged but the swatch has lengthened. Perhaps I should have gone with a smaller hook? As it is, this fabric would make a wonderfully fluid shawl. 

 

Pleiades Sock Yarn Unblocked vs Blocked

We're told that Pleiades sock yarn can also be used for clothing. I have swatched with it before and so I have an idea what to expect. Even using a small hook you can achieve a stretchy fabric, but with a larger hook the fabric has drape plus stretch. Using what we have already discovered, I went with a 5.5mm hook and a Treble Herringbone stitch.

My unblocked swatch measures: 13 stitches x 11 rows. 

Blocked it measures 14 stitches x 11 rows.

I was expecting this result having used the yarn before. The tension held in the plies relaxes and the stitches plump up. So the fabric appears to have tightened up but otherwise retains all of stretch and drape.

 

 

I've really enjoyed this process and the opportunity to play with yarns I normally wouldn't consider. It's so easy to stick with what we know. I'm not sure that all my experiments have been successful, but at least I have learnt a lot! Now it's your turn to peer review my experiments and add your thoughts and experiences!