This article is dedicated to women who are fond of knitting, who want to learn as much as possible about the types of yarn, its features, advantages and disadvantages of various types of yarn.

After all, yarn for needlewomen is the main material that they use, on which the quality of the knitted thing depends. Yarn is the basis of creativity, thanks to which original, beautiful and comfortable knitted products are obtained. The type of yarn, its texture, colors, main technical characteristics – the direction that the knitter’s creativity will choose depends on all this. After all, often many women, having decided to knit something, begin to select models somewhere in magazines, on the Internet. Having settled on the most suitable option, many of us do not strictly follow it in the process of bringing the model to life. At this stage, creativity and imagination turn on, the model is refined, and many change not only the size of the product, but also the color scheme. Some experienced knitters even begin to experiment with the type of yarn. Thanks to this, their work acquires a unique and unrepeatable character. And many women, on the contrary, choose models based on the characteristics of a particular type of yarn. That is why it is so important to know as much as possible about the different types of yarn.

The fact that yarn is made from natural fibers of animal and vegetable origin is known, if not by everyone, then by many women who are interested in yarn. There are a huge number of types of wool yarn. It is made from the wool of various animals (for example, sheep, llamas, etc.). However, the diversity of woolen yarn is based on the use of various combinations of one or another type of yarn, as well as in various combinations of natural wool and artificial or synthetic fibers.

If we talk about yarn made on the basis of plant fibers, then there is also no monotony. Such yarn can be made from a wide variety of plants, the most popular of which are cotton, flax, soy, nettle, and even bamboo. In terms of popularity and greatest demand, cotton and linen are leading here.

In this article, we will try to dwell on the characteristics of linen yarn in more detail and ask the following question: “Linen yarn – what are its advantages compared to other yarns?”

Flax (annual herbaceous plant) has been an agricultural crop since ancient times. It was cultivated in many countries – India, Ancient Babylon, Assyria, later in Greece. Our ancestors, the Slavs, also valued and respected flax. It was sown along with wheat, oats and other crops. Flax was used to make yarn, from which clothes were woven and knitted. For this purpose, the stalk of flax, popularly nicknamed “dolgunets” for its length, reaching about a meter, was most suitable. Flax – long fiber has a smooth surface of the stem and sufficiently strong elastic fibers that can withstand mechanical processing. Before spinning the flax tow and turning it into a skein of yarn, our great-grandmothers carefully prepared the flax. It was soaked for a long time, kneaded, dried, combed. And only then, on long winter evenings, they spun, winding on a spindle, meter by meter, a thin, but at the same time strong, linen thread.

Of course, the technology for making linen yarn has changed significantly since then, and the very quality of linen yarn has also changed. However, since ancient times, the properties of linen yarn, which have been valued since ancient times, still allow us to consider it one of the most popular. What are these qualities? Why is linen yarn so attractive, what are its advantages compared to other yarns?

The main advantage of linen yarn is its good quality and strength. A thread of linen yarn is quite difficult to even break in half just like that. This strength lies directly in the very structure of the flax stem fiber, that is, it is due to nature itself. It is no coincidence that burlap fabric was and is made from linen fibers. Of course, so that linen yarn intended for making clothes is not as stiff as burlap, it is processed using a special technology, trying to make it soft and elastic. However, linen yarn, having a special strength compared to other types of yarn, is inferior to them in softness. In addition, products made from linen yarn are more prone to creasing. This becomes especially noticeable after washing, when a linen product requires intensive ironing. But, nevertheless, such products are able to serve their owner faithfully for more than one year.

The strength of linen yarn and fabric is confirmed by the fact that this material was used and appreciated by most peoples of the world. Even the fact that the oldest finds of the remains of Egyptian mummies, which have been waiting for thousands of years, have managed to survive to this day, according to scientists, precisely due to the fact that they were wrapped in linen bandages that time could not destroy.

Another advantage of linen yarn is their resistance to shrinkage. Many products made of yarn, whether hand-knitted or industrially produced, have one unpleasant feature – they “sit down” after the first wash, that is, they are deformed, reduced in size. Linen yarn does not shrink! Products from it are able to withstand many washings and not change their original shape.

Also, the answer to the question “Linen yarn – what are its advantages compared to other yarns?” Can be the fact that this particular yarn is the most suitable basis for knitting summer clothes. Openwork blouses, blouses, sundresses, dresses, panama hats, even shawls knitted from linen yarn are very appropriate and most optimal for the hot summer season. Why? Yes, again, thanks to the natural properties of flax, it is easier and easier for the human body to maintain normal heat exchange in clothes made of linen yarn in extreme heat. Flax is able to help the skin to reduce the heating temperature to 3-4 degrees. Also, linen has excellent absorbency, due to which a person will sweat much less in clothes made of linen yarn than, for example, in clothes made of synthetic fabrics, from which summer clothes are usually sewn.

Another valuable advantage of linen yarn is its environmental friendliness. Natural material – linen, from which linen yarn is made, does not cause skin irritation, is not an allergen. That is why linen yarn is widely used for knitting children’s clothing. Many elegant and comfortable models for children, ranging from sets for newborns to the most beautiful dresses for girls, are designed based on the use of linen yarn as a material.

Thus, answering the question: “Linen yarn – what are its advantages compared to other yarns?”, We found out that the main advantages of this type of yarn are strength, durability, the ability to retain shape and not “shrink”, the ability to maintain thermoregulation of the human organism, as well as environmental friendliness and natural natural the origin of the material from which it is made, i.e. flax.