First make some nice 14-ply, worsted spun, wool yarn. It is easy with a tension box type Lazy Kate:
to get:
It's grist is about 360 ypp, which means that it is ~ 25% lighter than the Super Bulky LB Wool Ease (LB WE, 288 ypp). The 14-ply yarn is much denser than the SB LB WE, and thus is easier to knit into very warm fabrics. Another advantage is that it is more elastic, allowing skin tight garments to move with the body, and still be perfectly comfortable. In addition, skin tight garments are inherent warmer. Thus, this is an excellent yarn for gear used for extreme conditions. (Sometimes, California has wickedly extreme weather,)
Thus high-ply yarns can be used to knit warmer fabrics that can be thinner and more flattering than objects of similar warmth knit from 2 and 3 ply yarns. This is a serious advantage for for the fashion conscious in cold climates Multi-ply yarns are also enormously more durable. Over the years, not having to reknit/repair objects, saves much knitting, If your knit objects last more than a few years without repair, then you are not active enough. I have hand spun, hand knit objects from Nepal that are pristine. They are pristine, because they are crap! They sit in a drawer. They were made for foreign climbers that only spent a few weeks in Nepal, and then left. Hand spun, hand knit is NO guarantee of quality or warmth. My aunt got a bunch of my early hand knit objects. One those hats I know was worn almost every day for 7 years. When she died, it was almost pristine. She was very frail, and treated it very gently. I put that much wear on a hat in one winter of sailing, skiing, and etc, - even when I have Lyme Disease with coinfections.
With such a multi-ply yarn, it is trivial to knit a fabric that is lighter, thinner, more weatherproof, and more durable than what can be knit with from a yarn with only 2 or 3 plies, or from a 5-ply yarn constructed with high ply-twist.
Modern commercial 1,000 ypp 5-ply and 1,120 ypp 5-ply yarns are designed and spun to produce fabrics that are not weatherproof! "Experienced" knitters recited the myth that commercial 5-ply yarns produced the warmest fabrics to me, and I believed it -- until I did my own testing. Weatherproof fabrics can be produced from such yarns, but it is a significant effort. I had to learn to knit such fabrics so I could measure the effort. Those "Experienced" knitters were telling me the harder way to knit such fabrics, not the easy way.
The seed of truth in that myth is that the older multi-ply yarns with less ply twist, were the best path to warm weatherproof fabrics. Modern 5-ply, high-ply twist yarns are designed to so that decorative stitches "pop". Yarns, that can be more easily knit into very warm fabrics can be hand spun using less ply twist. Experienced knitters had not understood that there was a real difference between high-ply twist and low ply twist yarns. Lower ply twist gives the yarn more "fill", which is the easy route to warmer fabrics. Likewise yarns with cable construction tend to be stiff, and difficult to knit into weatherproof fabrics. Such cables yarns are good for summer socks that must be durable and cool. Again, knitting cables yarns into weatherproof fabrics can be done using long gansey needles and a knitting sheath, but it is slow, hard work. I know this by testing and comparing yarns, and the fabrics knit from them. The bottom line here is that the best handspun 1,000, ypp 5-ply can produce yarns that knit into warmer fabrics than modern commercial 1,000, ypp 5-ply tend to produce. And yes, 1,000, ypp 5-ply can produce warmer fabrics than 1,120 ypp, 5-ply, When both are knit on the same needles, the difference in warmth will be on the order of 25%, but if the finer yarn is knit on finer needles, then the difference is likely only 11%. (You cannot get there using US3 needles! Alert knitters keep a journal, and know this.) Using fine needles, hand spun 1,120 ypp, 5-ply with low ply twist can easily be knit into fabrics that are much warmer than fabrics commonly knit from commercial 1,000 ypp, 5-ply yarns with high ply twist.
Thus, as we consider the warmth of fabrics knit from the above 360 ypp, 14 ply, it needs to be compared to modern commercial 1,000 ypp, 5-ply, and best handspun 1,000 ypp, 5-ply. The 360 ypp 14 ply above knits into fabrics that are about 50% warmer than best handspun 1,000 ypp 5-ply spun for warmth, and about 3 times warmer than the fabric produced by knitting 1,000 ypp, 5-ply, (commercial Guernsey yarns) on the typical modern 2.25 mm (circular) needles.
Fabrics knit from the above 360 ypp, 14 ply are only very slightly warmer than fabrics knit from LB WE, (or MacAusland's heavy 3-ply) but the fabrics knit form 360 ypp, 14 ply, will be much lighter in weight, have much better hand and drape, have more stretch and elasticity, and be more durable. In total, they are altogether more comfortable to wear in cold conditions.
In short, factors that affect the warmth of knit fabrics include:
Yes, I spin such yarns, and knit such fabrics right here in Warm Sunny California, because these days, this is where the technical skills are. Remember, the knit objects that protected Shackleton's men on the Antarctic ice were knit in Balmy England, because that is where the technical skills were. When I was a kid, the best technical skills for down clothing were in Boulder, Colorado - a place where Native Americas had wintered, because it had pleasant winter weather. North Face clothing was founded in San Francisco and grew based on experience gained by going to places with wicked weather. Patagonia came out of Southern California, by way of experience gained in other places. Even REI was founded in a place with fabulous year-round weather (Kent, Washington). And, the great knit objects that allowed British seamen to navigate the cold and stormy Southern Ocean, were knit in tropical Hong Kong circa 1790 1830.
to get:
Craftsmen need to deeply understand their materials.
Thus high-ply yarns can be used to knit warmer fabrics that can be thinner and more flattering than objects of similar warmth knit from 2 and 3 ply yarns. This is a serious advantage for for the fashion conscious in cold climates Multi-ply yarns are also enormously more durable. Over the years, not having to reknit/repair objects, saves much knitting, If your knit objects last more than a few years without repair, then you are not active enough. I have hand spun, hand knit objects from Nepal that are pristine. They are pristine, because they are crap! They sit in a drawer. They were made for foreign climbers that only spent a few weeks in Nepal, and then left. Hand spun, hand knit is NO guarantee of quality or warmth. My aunt got a bunch of my early hand knit objects. One those hats I know was worn almost every day for 7 years. When she died, it was almost pristine. She was very frail, and treated it very gently. I put that much wear on a hat in one winter of sailing, skiing, and etc, - even when I have Lyme Disease with coinfections.
With such a multi-ply yarn, it is trivial to knit a fabric that is lighter, thinner, more weatherproof, and more durable than what can be knit with from a yarn with only 2 or 3 plies, or from a 5-ply yarn constructed with high ply-twist.
Modern commercial 1,000 ypp 5-ply and 1,120 ypp 5-ply yarns are designed and spun to produce fabrics that are not weatherproof! "Experienced" knitters recited the myth that commercial 5-ply yarns produced the warmest fabrics to me, and I believed it -- until I did my own testing. Weatherproof fabrics can be produced from such yarns, but it is a significant effort. I had to learn to knit such fabrics so I could measure the effort. Those "Experienced" knitters were telling me the harder way to knit such fabrics, not the easy way.
The seed of truth in that myth is that the older multi-ply yarns with less ply twist, were the best path to warm weatherproof fabrics. Modern 5-ply, high-ply twist yarns are designed to so that decorative stitches "pop". Yarns, that can be more easily knit into very warm fabrics can be hand spun using less ply twist. Experienced knitters had not understood that there was a real difference between high-ply twist and low ply twist yarns. Lower ply twist gives the yarn more "fill", which is the easy route to warmer fabrics. Likewise yarns with cable construction tend to be stiff, and difficult to knit into weatherproof fabrics. Such cables yarns are good for summer socks that must be durable and cool. Again, knitting cables yarns into weatherproof fabrics can be done using long gansey needles and a knitting sheath, but it is slow, hard work. I know this by testing and comparing yarns, and the fabrics knit from them. The bottom line here is that the best handspun 1,000, ypp 5-ply can produce yarns that knit into warmer fabrics than modern commercial 1,000, ypp 5-ply tend to produce. And yes, 1,000, ypp 5-ply can produce warmer fabrics than 1,120 ypp, 5-ply, When both are knit on the same needles, the difference in warmth will be on the order of 25%, but if the finer yarn is knit on finer needles, then the difference is likely only 11%. (You cannot get there using US3 needles! Alert knitters keep a journal, and know this.) Using fine needles, hand spun 1,120 ypp, 5-ply with low ply twist can easily be knit into fabrics that are much warmer than fabrics commonly knit from commercial 1,000 ypp, 5-ply yarns with high ply twist.
Thus, as we consider the warmth of fabrics knit from the above 360 ypp, 14 ply, it needs to be compared to modern commercial 1,000 ypp, 5-ply, and best handspun 1,000 ypp, 5-ply. The 360 ypp 14 ply above knits into fabrics that are about 50% warmer than best handspun 1,000 ypp 5-ply spun for warmth, and about 3 times warmer than the fabric produced by knitting 1,000 ypp, 5-ply, (commercial Guernsey yarns) on the typical modern 2.25 mm (circular) needles.
Fabrics knit from the above 360 ypp, 14 ply are only very slightly warmer than fabrics knit from LB WE, (or MacAusland's heavy 3-ply) but the fabrics knit form 360 ypp, 14 ply, will be much lighter in weight, have much better hand and drape, have more stretch and elasticity, and be more durable. In total, they are altogether more comfortable to wear in cold conditions.
Swatch from best 360 ypp, 14 ply worsted spun yarn
knit on US 3 long needles
In short, factors that affect the warmth of knit fabrics include:
- fiber - fine or coarse
- spin - woolen or worsted
- grist of singles
- twist per inch of singles
- number of plies/ total grist of yarn
- ply twist
- needle size
- how needle is used, e.g., hand held, knitting belt, or knitting sheath
- tension of yarn as it is knit
- stitch used in the knitting
Factors affecting warmth of objects include:
- yarn used
- stitch used
- needle size
- how needle is used
- fit/ wearing ease
- waist opening
- size and shape of neck opening
- sleeve construction
- total area of body covered (e.g., a hoodie is warmer than a sweater and hat, but a sweater, comforter, and balaclava is likely to be warmer still)
Factors affecting over-all body warmth include:
- weather/ wind, cold, wet, and etc.
- base layers
- over layers
- warmth of knit objects
Yes, I spin such yarns, and knit such fabrics right here in Warm Sunny California, because these days, this is where the technical skills are. Remember, the knit objects that protected Shackleton's men on the Antarctic ice were knit in Balmy England, because that is where the technical skills were. When I was a kid, the best technical skills for down clothing were in Boulder, Colorado - a place where Native Americas had wintered, because it had pleasant winter weather. North Face clothing was founded in San Francisco and grew based on experience gained by going to places with wicked weather. Patagonia came out of Southern California, by way of experience gained in other places. Even REI was founded in a place with fabulous year-round weather (Kent, Washington). And, the great knit objects that allowed British seamen to navigate the cold and stormy Southern Ocean, were knit in tropical Hong Kong circa 1790 1830.
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