Page "Knitting" Paragraph 80

A yarn's usefulness for a knitting project is judged by several factors, such as its loft ( its ability to trap air ), its resilience ( elasticity under tension ), its washability and colorfastness, its hand ( its feel, particularly softness vs. scratchiness ), its durability against abrasion, its resistance to pilling, its hairiness ( fuzziness ), its tendency to twist or untwist, its overall weight and drape, its blocking and felting qualities, its comfort ( breathability, moisture absorption, wicking properties ) and of course its look, which includes its color, sheen, smoothness and ornamental features.

Other factors include allergenicity ; speed of drying ; resistance to chemicals, moths, and mildew ; melting point and flammability ; retention of static electricity ; and the propensity to become stained and to accept dyes.

Different factors may be more significant than others for different knitting projects, so there is no one " best " yarn.

The resilience and propensity to ( un ) twist are general properties that affect the ease of hand-knitting.

More resilient yarns are more forgiving of irregularities in tension ; highly twisted yarns are sometimes difficult to knit, whereas untwisting yarns can lead to split stitches, in which not all of the yarn is knitted into a stitch.

A key factor in knitting is stitch definition, corresponding to how well complicated stitch patterns can be seen when made from a given yarn.

Smooth, highly spun yarns are best for showing off stitch patterns ; at the other extreme, very fuzzy yarns or eyelash yarns have poor stitch definition, and any complicated stitch pattern would be invisible.