Yarn is made up of several twisted strands of material. Each strand is made up of fibres that are all shorter than the length of the yarn. To make yarn, these short fibres are spun into longer filaments. Long continuous strands may only need additional twisting to become yarns. Texturing is a process that is sometimes applied to them.
The characteristics of spun yarn are influenced by the amount of twist applied to the fibres during spinning. A moderate degree of twist yields strong yarn; a low twist yields softer, more lustrous yarn; and a very tight twist yields crepe yarn. Yarns are also classified according to the number of parts. A single yarn is made from a collection of filaments.
A single yarn is created by twisting together a number of filaments or staple fibres. Twisting two or more single yarns together results in plied yarns. Cord yarns are created by twisting two or more plied yarns together.
Yarn is used in a variety of textile processes, including weaving, knitting, and felting.
Raw materials used in the making of yarns
Yarn material is made from approximately 15 different types of fibres. These fibres are classified as natural or synthetic. Natural fibres are those derived from a plant or an animal and are primarily used in textiles weaving. Cotton is the most abundant and widely used plant fibre, and it is harvested when the cotton boll or seed pod is mature.
Rope is typically made from fibres extracted from the plant's leaf or stern. Acetate and linen are two other plant fibres. Wool is made from sheep hair, and mohair is made from angora goats and rabbits. Silk is a protein that the silkworm extrudes in long, continuous strands as it weaves its cocoon.
Synthetic fibres are created by passing a thick solution of polymerized chemicals through spinneret nozzles and then hardening the resulting filament in a chemical bath. Acrylic, nylon, polyester, polyolefin, rayon, spandex, and triacetate are some examples. Some of these fibres have properties similar to natural fibres but without shrinkage issues. Other fibres have unique properties that make them suitable for specific applications. For example, spandex can be stretched over 500% without breaking.