Plant Fiber-Based Yarns
This article is a part of the Yarn 101 series ⟶ Types of Yarn.
Yarns from plants
To create a plant-based yarn, you need to obtain plant fibers, such as cotton, flax, or bamboo. These fibers are much less elastic and warm than animal-sourced yarns, but they have different properties for which they are valued – for example, high water absorption.
Is this yarn natural or synthetic?
An easy way to determine if the yarn is natural or synthetic is to burn an individual strand and see what happens. Natural yarns are easily flammable and smell like burnt hair because they contain proteins. If the yarn melts instead of burning, it’s mostly or entirely made with synthetic fibers.
Common plant-based yarns
Cotton
The production of cotton starts with harvesting cotton plants, which are native to tropical and subtropical regions – North and South America, Africa, and India. Even ancient cultures cultivated it to make garments. This strong and breathable yarn absorbs dyes easily, so you can find many beautiful hand-dyed color schemes.
Cotton absorbs water very well – even 27 times its weight! This feature makes it perfect for home accessories, such as dishcloths or towels. Cotton summer garments will be great to wear, as long as you don’t go in the water in them. You certainly wouldn’t want to end up in a soggy cotton swimsuit.
top photo by Quince & Co. (ravelry.com), bottom photo by Marina Shemesh (publicdomainpictures.net)
Hemp
In search of alternatives to cotton and linen, yarn makers introduced hemp fibers relatively recently. This durable but soft material is often used for outerwear, sweaters, and macrame. It’s much more productive than other plant-based yarns, outperforming the production of cotton up to 250%.
top photo by frabjousfibers.com (facebook.com), bottom photo by Lode Van de Velde (publicdomainpictures.net)
Bamboo
This natural fiber is a true hero in recent years because it’s considered eco-friendly and breathable. Bamboo plants grow incredibly fast, and you can harvest it without killing the plant. It uses up much less water or fertilizers than other fiber-producing plants, so it’s more sustainable.
Bamboo yarn is often available in combinations with other yarns, both natural and synthetic. It has antibacterial qualities and is soft and breathable, which makes it great for summer garments, socks, and baby accessories.
top photo by SheepGeek (ravelry.com), bottom photo by Pennie Gibson (publicdomainpictures.net)
Explore more from the Yarn 101 series:
⟶ Lace, worsted, bulky, or jumbo…? To find out more about Yarn Weights and Ply, check out this article!
⟶ You can wind yarn into different shapes, such as skeins, hanks, balls, and others – if you want to know more about Yarn Ball Types, check out this article!
