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Info

Yarn Terms

Worsted Spun Spinning of the fibre includes the process of combing, which results in all the fibres laying more or less parallel to each other as well as removing short fibres.  This system is used and is appropriate for longer fibres such as mohair. The result is a yarn which is smoother and stronger and has more drape than a woollen spun yarn.  This type of yarn pronounces the sheen of the fibre.  The stronger yarn is good where aggressive blocking is required to show lace patterns as in fine shawls.
Woollen Spun Suitable for shorter fibres as there is no combing.  Fibres and lay crisscrossed in the yarn. The result is a bulkier or springier yarn with less sheen.
Weight This is the number of yards or meters to a particular weight.  eg Wagtail Yarns 2 ply Lace has  750 meters weighs 100gms From this you can get a good idea as to how thin or thick the yarn is generally
Ply This generally refers to the weight of the yarns.  Eg 2 ply (Lace) or 8 ply (DK or Semi-Worsted) weight.  It does not refers to the number of ends put together to make the yarn. At Wagtail Yarns, we have created a little confusion here as we have a 4 ply knitting yarn that has 375 metres in 100gms and we have a craft cord also called a 4 ply that has 26.5 metres in 100gms ie.  the Cord is much thicker than the knitting yarn.  The 4 ply knitting YARN has 2 ends, while the 4ply CORD has 4 ends.  And the 16ply CORD has 16 ends.
Fold

At Wagtail Yarns, we use this term to note how many ends the yarn has.  For instance, both our 2 ply and our 4 or 5 ply yarns have only 2 ends folded (twisted) together to make the yarn.  But the ends used in each type of yarn are a different weight.  But we can and have made the 4ply yarn using 4 ends folded together, but it is still the same weight as if we only used 2 ends.

IE.  A particular ply can be made using any number of ends,  but as the number of ends are changed, the weight or thickness of the end must also change in order to  maintain the same ply / weight.

  
End

At Wagtail Yarns, this refers to the single spun end that comes off the spinning frame.  This end is then plied to make the desired yarn.  The single end has less strength that the plied ends.

  
Brushed Yarns vs Bloom / Halo 

Brushing yarns requires a special machine as is a process carried out to make very fluffy yarns.  The resulting yarn is knitted loosely and creates a light weight fabric.  Brushed yarn results in a particular style of garment.  This is a process often used with Angora or Mohair fibres.

Mohair yarn that is not brushed shows off the sheen of the mohair better.  It also lends itself to a wider range of style of garments than brushed mohair.  However unbrushed mohair will, when knitted produce a bloom or halo ( it will  not look as clean as cotton).  The extent of the bloom or halo will differ from knitter to knitter.