Serious weavers and machine knitters prefer yarn cones over traditional skeins because they provide thousands of yards of continuous fiber. This minimizes the need for knots and joins, which is essential for maintaining even tension on a floor or rigid heddle loom. When you buy weaving yarn on a cone, you are investing in the efficiency and professional finish of your fabric.
The Best Fibers for Weaving and Machine Knitting
Choosing the right yarn for weaving depends on your desired "sett" (the density of the fabric) and the end use of your project:
- Cotton Yarn on a Cone: A staple for kitchen towels and table linens. Mercerized cotton offers a high-sheen, lustrous finish, while unmercerized cotton is prized for its superior absorbency.
- Wool & Alpaca Cones: Ideal for blankets and warm wearables. These fibers "bloom" after wet-finishing, filling in the gaps of your weave for a cozy, cohesive fabric.
- Linen & Hemp: These bast fibers are incredibly strong and lack stretch, making them the best choice for crisp, heirloom-quality summer textiles.
- Synthetic & Blended Cones: Great for high-durability items or those requiring easy machine-washable care.
Pro Tip: If you are weaving with wool yarn on cones, remember that wool "blooms" significantly during wet finishing. Your fabric will look like a "net" on the loom but will close up into a solid, cozy fabric once washed.
How to Calculate How Much Yarn to Buy
When working from hand weaving patterns, you can use this simple formula to ensure you never run out of yarn mid-weave:
- Calculate Total Warp Ends: (Width of project in reed) × (Ends Per Inch/EPI) = Total Warp Ends.
- Calculate Total Warp Yardage: (Total Warp Ends) × (Total length of warp, including loom waste) = Total Warp Yards.
- Calculate Weft Yardage: Usually, the weft takes about the same amount of yarn as the warp (minus the loom waste). A safe rule is: Total Warp Yards × 0.9 = Weft Yards.
- Final Purchase: Add these together and divide by the yards per cone listed on the product page.
Tips for Shopping Weaving Yarns Online
Weaving yarns use a unique numbering system. The first number represents the size (thickness) of the individual ply, while the second number represents the number of plies twisted together.
- Higher First Number = Thinner Yarn (e.g., 20/2 is much thinner than 3/2).
- Yardage per Pound (YPP): Knowing the YPP is essential for ensuring you have enough yarn to finish your warp and weft.
When browsing our cone yarn collection, pay close attention to this number, often referred to as the "yarn count" (e.g., 8/2 or 10/2). The first number represents the size of the ply, while the second indicates the number of plies twisted together. A higher first number typically denotes a thinner yarn.
