Side by side
| Warmth | Elasticity | Drape | Wears | Washing | Next to skin | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wool | High | High | Moderate | Very well | Hand wash; superwash in machine | Merino yes; coarser wools over a shirt | Low to mid |
| Alpaca | Very high | Low | High | Well; pills if brushed | Hand wash | Baby alpaca yes | Mid |
| Cotton | Low | None | High, and it grows | Very well | Machine | Yes | Low |
| Linen | Low, cool | None | High | Improves with every wash | Machine | Yes, once washed | Mid |
| Silk | Moderate | Low | Very high, with sheen | Well | Hand wash | Yes | High |
| Mohair | High | Moderate | Airy | Well; sheds | Hand wash | Tickles some people | Mid to high |
| Cashmere | Very high | Low | High | Pills; wears softly | Hand wash | Yes, the softest | High |
Wool
The default, and for good reason: wool is warm, springs back when stretched so ribbing stays ribbed and sleeves stay the length you knit, forgives uneven tension, blocks into shape and lasts for decades. Merino is the fine, soft end — the wool for next to the skin — and longwools, highland and Icelandic wools are the hardier, hairier end for outerwear. Untreated wool felts in a hot machine; superwash wool has been treated so it does not, and goes through a cold gentle cycle. The superwash guide covers that choice. The wool shelf is most of what we stock.
Alpaca
Warmer than wool for the same weight, silkier, with no lanolin, and without wool's spring: an alpaca garment drapes and grows rather than holding a shape. Baby alpaca is the fine grade; suri is the lustrous, straight-fibered breed. Alpaca shines in scarves, shawls and loose cardigans and struggles in fitted ribbing and socks, which is why so many alpaca yarns are blends with wool. The alpaca guide and the alpaca shelf go into it.
Cotton
Cool, strong, machine washable and inelastic: a cotton garment stretches with wear and does not recover, so it wants a firm gauge and structure. Heavy for its yardage. The classic for washcloths, baby blankets and summer tees; blown or chainette cottons like Juniper Moon Cumulus fix the weight problem. The summer yarn guide and the cotton shelf.
Linen
Stiff on the needle and better after every wash, with a dry hand and a drape nothing else matches. The fiber for summer tops and shawls that get machine washed and tumbled, and the one most often blended with cotton to soften the start. The linen shelf.
Silk
Sheen, drape, strength and a cool, smooth hand, at a price; almost always blended, because pure silk has no spring and shows every stitch. A little silk in a wool or alpaca yarn adds luster and weight to a shawl or a dressy cardigan. The silk blends shelf.
Mohair
The fiber of the halo: kid mohair, usually blended with silk at lace weight, knits into a fabric that is mostly air and surprisingly warm, and it is held alongside another yarn to put a halo on a sweater. The halo tickles some people and sheds a little. Brown Sheep's Lamb's Pride puts 15% mohair into wool for a softer halo and a yarn that felts like nothing else. The mohair shelf.
Cashmere
The softest and warmest fiber for its weight, and the least durable: it pills and wears thin under friction. Pure cashmere is a scarf or a cowl; blended into merino it makes a sweater yarn that is soft at the collar and tough enough for cuffs. The cashmere shelf.
The softest fibers for sweaters and scarves
For a scarf or cowl, where nothing wears it out: cashmere or a cashmere blend (Artyarns, Malabrigo Caprino, Juniper Moon Saxony), then baby alpaca (Juniper Moon Herriot, Plymouth Baby Alpaca), then a merino single (Malabrigo Worsted). For a sweater, where durability matters as much as hand: a plied extrafine or superwash merino (Malabrigo Rios, Dream in Color Classy, Plymouth Worsted Merino Superwash), a merino-cashmere blend (Artyarns Merino Cloud), or an alpaca-merino blend (Blue Sky Extra, Suri Merino). Anything with mohair or brushed alpaca is soft to the hand but can prickle at the neck; try a swatch against your wrist.
Blends
A blend takes what each fiber does well. Wool with alpaca adds warmth and drape while keeping memory (Berroco Ultra Alpaca). Wool with cotton makes a summer sweater that keeps its shape (Blue Sky Sweater, Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece). Wool with nylon is a sock that lasts. Wool with silk adds sheen and drape (Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool, Noro Silk Garden). Merino with cashmere is a sweater that feels like a scarf. The fiber content on a ball band is listed in order, and the first fiber is the one that sets how the yarn behaves.
Wool-free
For people who cannot wear wool: cotton, linen, alpaca (no lanolin, and many wool-sensitive knitters wear it), silk, bamboo and the plant-fiber blends. The wool-free shelf is that set.