Fibers

[adrian_turtle]

I am considering using a peg loom, as I have not done since 1977. The person lending it to me speaks of ergonomic hooks, and said I should remind her to give me some thick wool, because the wool in the donation box is too thin for a beginner. It didn't occur to me for quite some time that she could possibly have meant wool from a sheep. Obviously you give a beginner some kind of synthetic. Especially when the idea is to make hats to give away to people who might be allergic to wool.

I sort of expect that in casual usage, yarn for knitting is called wool, thread for sewing is called cotton, and the special thread for embroidering is called silk. Is this standard? Regional? Generational? I thought people who actually did fiber crafts would be more specific, but this is somebody who is quite deliberately inviting people who can't knit to join the knitting group, so who knows.

Comments

[kate_schaefer]

Huh. I haven't encountered the usage you mention, so I suspect it of being regional, since you and I are roughly similar generations. I sew and embroider, and I would never name threads for either as cotton or silk unless they were actually cotton or silk. Generic sewing thread is usually polyester, which I do not use since I prefer mercerized cotton. Generic embroidery thread is usually cotton, which I do use, but I also use rayon, which is a good substitute for silk, which is a specialized, expensive embroidery thread. My sister knits, and she is always specific about the fiber in her yarn, to the point of saying what kind of wool it is (merino, cashmere, whatever; I don't speak wool myself).