Hey there, yarn bestie Jeff from over here and you are listening
to skiing until the podcast that unravels it all.
Today's episode. Well, we are going full on itchy
Scratchy. Yes, we're talking about yarn
sensitivities. What makes some yarns feel like
corn flakes on your skin? And what yarns to look for if
you cannot stand the itch From lanolin allergies to mystery
rushes to why that one skin you swore was soft suddenly feels
like you're knitting with cacti. Whether you're a delicate flower
with skin that reacts to everything or just curious about
what makes some yarns feel like butter and others like
sandpaper, this one's for you. So let's scratch the surface.
Obviously figuratively, not literally.
Please, no literal scratching. And let's dive into it.
All right, let's start with the big one.
OK, Lanolin. Lanolin is a natural oil or more
like a waxy like substance that comes from sheep's wool.
It's basically what keeps their fleece waterproof and, you know,
cozy and protected. You know, it protects their wool
and their skin. Think of it as a sheep building
moisturizer if you want. When the wool is processed, the
lanolin is often washed out, But in some yarns, especially
minimally processed, or they're also attacked, sometimes as
lanolin rich wools, those traces obviously remain.
And in the yarn world, that means untreated or minimally
processed wool might still have some lanolin hanging around.
Now, some of us totally fine, others redness, itchiness or
even hives. Yeah, lanolin sensitivity or
lanolin allergy is real and it can make knitting or crocheting
wood wool kind of a nightmare. So lanolin is also in tons of
lotions, in tons of lip balms and yeah, just cosmetics.
So if you've had reactions to those before, keep an eye out
when you're choosing A yarn you know.
But don't worry, there are tons of non lanolin options and we
will get to dose. Now I have a little pro tip
here. If you want to test if lanolin
is the culprit, try comparing handling superwash wool and
untreated wool. Superwash wool is often treated
to remove the lanolin and obviously also prevent felting,
and it is therefore a safer option for sensitive skin, while
untreated wool is just raw, beautiful raw.
It's baa rah rah ba ba baa. OK, but there is a small Church
of us. There is the Church of the
lanolin lovers. OK, there is a group of people,
crazy people that absolutely swear by lanolin.
I'm one of them. I think lanolin is amazing.
It's moisturizing, it's soothing, it's self cleaning,
water resistant, antibacterial, it softens as you go and it's
just it's amazing. I think, you know, it's it's
super hydrating. So it it mimics human oils or
human skin oils, which is why it's actually used in, you know,
tons of creams, tons of lip balms, nip salves as well.
Hello, new mommies. And even makeup removers.
Now, yarn with a touch of lanolin can help moisturize your
hands as you work, especially, you know, dreamy in winter
months. Lanolin also helps wool repel
water and odors. That's why untreated wool
garments like, you know, traditional fishermen, sweaters
and so on actually stay fresh longer and are, you know,
naturally a bit dirt and water resistant antibacterial because
it's believed that lanolin has these antimicrobial powers,
which is why it's great in, you know, reusable cloth diaper
covers or wool based baby Ware. And it softens beautifully over
time, especially with handling and with Ware.
Some knitters and crocheters love that it actually creates
this bond between the yarn and their hands.
It's almost like breaking in a good pair of boots if you want
so I'll Lanolin can cause itchiness, crazy allergic
reactions and some folk totally valid for others.
It's like the secret sauce you know of a cozy, luxurious yarn.
If you can use it, it's basically the woolly equivalent
of a spa treatment. So.
But if you can't, don't worry, there are tons of amazing
lanolin free yarns that your, you know, skin will love equally
as much as you will. So let's eventually get to that.
One little thing I wanted to mention is that I have lanolin
in my household and tubes. Let's go not only in my yarn.
I really truly believe in the power of lanolin.
So I use it for so many things. I moisturize with it after I
shave my legs. I put it on my baby's bum if he
gets a rash. If I get a cut, I will put some
lanolin on on it as well. If I get you know, a scratch or
something like that as well. Lanolin, I use it religiously.
So if you are looking for a natural option to moisturize, to
have some antimicrobial properties, to hydrate a little
extra and you are not allergic to lanolin or you are not
sensitive to lanolin, give it a shot.
I think it's a better option than using, you know, some
chemically filled cream or or so forth.
OK, so maybe it's not the lanolin, but your skin still
gets pissed off every time you use that specific kind of yarn,
you know? So what gives?
Let's talk microns. And no, sadly not the French
pastries. It's not La Jure goodies, but
woolies. So some wool are super soft
while others are super itchy. And this doesn't have to do with
the lanolin, it can have to do with their thickness of the
fibers that is spun into the yarn you're using.
So the microns. So the Micron measures the
diameter of a fiber, so how thick a little strand of the
wool is, or how thin. The lower the Micron count, the
finer and softer the fiber. For instance, merino wool, the
goddess of the wools. Merino wool is around 18 microns
and that's soft enough to wear. Next to the skin of course are
wools like Shetland or Icelandic around 30 plus microns, which
might feel, you know, it teaches sensitive skin and even to non
sensitive skin for that matter. So it's not about cheap versus
expensive. It's about fiber structure.
So some people can wear rougher wool without any problems, while
others, well, hello wool rush. Alpaca and bamboo have lower
microns actually, and they are naturally hypoallergenic, so
that's why they feel really, really nice, you know, Pro tip
here. Now let's get even nerdier.
Even if a yarn is made from soft fiber, if it's loosely spun, it
can feel scratchier. Now why is that you might ask?
Well, because it loose twists and loose twist yarns are
therefore fluffier so the fibers are kind of sticking out more
which can actually irritate the skin.
Tightly spun yarns are obviously smoother and less likely to
cause friction or too prickle, and same actually goes for the
ply. Single ply yarns tend to fuzz up
faster and feel softer at first, but they can also get splitty
and pill. Multiple plies, on the other
hand, you get more durability, better stitch definition, and
sometimes a firmer feel. So if you're making wearables,
especially baby clothes or scarves or anything that kind of
touches your neck or wrists or just skin in general, if you're
planning on making a sweater that you just wear straight
against your body, test for the texture first.
Rub it against your inner arm, rub it against your neck.
If it feels like a Lego brick, maybe save it for a bag, you
know, or, or wall hanging art or something like that.
We interrupt today's episode to bring you another thrilling
threat spinning adventure with your Indiana Jones, where we
uncovered the most luxurious, bizarre and downright legendary
materials in fiber history. So let's get to it.
Today's shiny suspect silk yarn, the original queen of craft.
She is glossy, she's ancient and totally high maintenance.
OK, pictured us. Our story begins in ancient
China around 2700 BCE with the legendary Empress Lezu.
The tale goes like this. She was chilling in the garden,
sipping some hot tea when a cocoon fell into her cup.
I actually did that. I did that sound effect myself.
And instead of screaming, as you know one would have, I would
have screamed. She watched it unravel into a
long and delicate threat. Intrigued, she began
experimenting, unraveling cocoons, spinning them into
thread, and boom, the first silk garments were born.
Now China. China kept the secret of the
silk making, also called sericulture, locked down for
over 2 millennia. That's a secret kept for 2000
years. We're talking about a full spy
thriller here. Smuggling silkworm eggs or
Mulberry seeds out of China was punishable by death.
It wasn't until the Silk Road expanded that silk spread into
India, into Persia, into Europe and beyond.
So what is actually silk yarn now?
Mulberry silk comes from the Bombick's Mori silkworm, a
domesticated species that has been raised in captivity for
thousands of years. Now.
These little Divas, well, they have a really fancy diet.
They can only eat the leaves of the white Mulberry tree.
The Morris album, Just like some of us thrive on, you know,
almond milk, matcha latte, whatever, or cozy fiber sashes.
These worms won't touch anything else.
Strawberry leaves no. Raspberry leaves, No, no.
OK, but what about black Mulberry or red Mulberry?
No, no and no. Only white Mulberry.
That single leaf diet produces cocoons that are pure white and
they are ultra soft, but most importantly, incredibly easy to
spin into long continuous fibers, sometimes over 1000
meters long from a single cocoon that's 1093 yards by the way.
So because of the controlled diet and the controlled
environment, the Mulberry silk is the highest quality silk you
can get. It's smoother and it's shinier
than wild silks. It's more uniform in color and
texture. It's easier to dye with rich,
saturated colors, and it is stronger and finer, making it,
you know, perfect for delicate crochet knitwear and deluxe
garments. Now, it's the kind of silk that
says, you know, I moisturize, I do yoga, I glow.
So it's called Mulberry silk not because it's smells fruity, but
because its entire origin story is rooted literally in those
sweet Mulberry leaves. And the worms.
They wouldn't have it any other way.
Now, how do you harvest these cocoons to get the silk?
And trigger warning here, the cocoons are boiled or steam to
soften the saracen, which is the sticky protein that holds the
fibers together. And yes, this process
traditionally sacrifices the worms because they before they
can become a moth. But then the filaments are
reeled or unwound and twisted together to make the threats.
These can be spun further into silk yarn ready for knitting,
for crocheting, for weaving, or just, you know, putting it on
display somewhere. Yes, it's a very, very sad
process and not everybody's comfortable with the traditional
methods, but there are actually incredible alternatives to the
Mulberry silk. It can be the pea silk or called
also the Eimsa silk, where cocoons are harvested after the
moth has emerged. Now the result obviously is a
shorter fiber and it's a slightly nubbier texture, but
obviously more moth friendly. Then there's also the Tusa silk,
which is a wild silk make from cocoons found in forests,
usually a bit more texture and naturally kind of honey colored.
And then the airy silk, which is native to India, also moth
friendly and incredibly strong. It's also called, I think, the
fabric of peace. So these silk types are amazing
for crafters who want that luxurious texture without
sacrificing, you know, their ethics.
Luckily, silk yarn isn't just for royalty anymore, though it
kind of feels like it. It's also known for being
incredibly drapey, which makes it, you know, the perfect fiber
for a flowy garment. Ola or racy, racy wrap, right?
With Lacy wrap, it holds beautiful shimmer and depth.
It reflects light like nothing else.
Great for temperature regulation, so it's breathable
and insulating as well. Science.
And it is incredible for dye absorption.
So it sucks the pigments beautifully from coloring, which
makes, you know, indie dyers really love working with silk
generally. But fair warning, it is
slippery. It's like trying to raggle wet
spaghetti. You'll, you'll want to, you
know, have a good tension and maybe mix it with something like
wool or with cotton or bamboo to get a better grip.
Maybe not bamboo because that's also kind of slippery as well.
So yeah, cotton or wool and, and yeah, so silk is one of the
strongest fibers out there by weight.
It's actually tougher, tougher than steel.
That's why it was used historically, not just for
luxury, but also for bowstrings, for parachutes and even for
surgical sochers. Yes, that's because it's also
biodegradable. So, you know, your fancy silk
shawl could also decompose someday, but she will look
iconic until then. So because, you know, silk is
more than just yarn. It's it's history and it's
luxury. It's a thread that connects you
to thousands of years of human ingenuity and, you know, royalty
and rebellion and tea accidents. So think about it next time you
run your fingers across the skein of shimmering Mulberry
silk, you know, just remember that the glow.
That's pretty much almost 5000 years of of drama.
So that was all for today's yaar Indiana Jones adventures.
Now back to our main topic. Now, if you've got yarn
sensitivities, do not worry. There's a whole world of options
out there that don't involve prickly sheep or surprise
reactions. So here are some highly
sensitive skin MVPS. We got the classic, the soft,
the breathable, the safe for everybody or nearly everybody,
the cuts and cuts and cuts and cuts and great for summer
garments, great for I think just overall everything, right?
Then we got bamboo. Silky smooth with natural
antibacterial properties. Yes, yes, yes.
We like this. Actually, bamboo is sometimes
used to replace silk, which is our next alternative here.
Silk or silk blends even. Yes, they are expensive, but
luxuriously, luxuriously luxurious.
Luxuriously smooth and gentle on the skin.
And we have linen as well. Yes, it's a little crunchy at
first, but you know, linen softens beautifully over time
and it has an incredible drape, tensil or lyocell, which is
sustainably produced. Fiber, super soft as a whisper.
Milk fiber yarn as well. Yes, milk made from milk
protein. Super soft.
Weird as well, but very, very nice.
And of course acrylic. Yes, totally syntelic.
Syntelic what is up with me today?
Totally synthetic and often a good hypoallergenic options,
though sometimes it can get a little hot.
So those are some really, really great replacements if you are
super sensitive to wool. Now, if you want something soft
but still a little bit kind of woolly, or if you can tolerate
wool, or if you're not allergic to linen, and that's what I'm
trying to say here, try superwash merino.
You know, try superwash merino because it's incredible.
It's amazing for for children. It's amazing for babies.
Also some alpaca blends as well, or even possum blends.
You know, we talked about it on Weird Air Monday in the previous
episodes, I think. Yeah.
Possum yarn. Yes.
But let's say that you've picked a yarn that works for your skin,
you know, but you are still reacting.
So here are some very sneaky factors that might actually be,
you know, gaslighting us here. They might be messing with us.
We have, or at least I noted down three of them.
We have dye chemicals. So some vibrant yarns can
actually irritate your skin because of the dye chemicals
they're using. Try undyed yarn or try naturally
dyed yarn. Then there's also dust.
And you know, storage funkiness. So yarn can obviously gather a
lot of dust. Even when it's stored super,
super well can still gather dust.
But if you give it a gentle wash or you air it out before
crafting, then it should do the trick.
And then we have detergents and soaps.
So wash your finished piece in a gentle scent free detergent and
rinse thoroughly. I know that it can be a bit
tricky to let go of your usual laundry habits.
And yes, I see you floral scented fabric softener lovers.
That was me before I got Albert. But trust me, your fibers will
thank you. Harsh detergents or added
fragrances can strip natural fibers.
They can irritate sensitive skin or even mess up with your final
texture. So think of it like giving your
project a spa day, not a chemical peel.
Go gentle, go scent free and rinse like you're trying to
impress a merino sheep. Actually, a little tip here
before you move on to creating a very very large project.
When you are making your little Swatch, your gauge Swatch, wash
it, block it and then try it out.
Test it for any reactions and you will.
Because once you've knitted or crochet a piece after you wash
it and block it, it can have a very very different feel.
So block your Swatch before committing to a big project.
It will soften the yarn or it will give the yarn the final
shape it will have. And this will help your test for
any reactions. So if you're just tired of
guessing what non itchy actually means, I hope today's episode
help you decode the mystery of yarn sensitivities.
Because at the end of the day, crafting should feel good.
You know, like cozy socks, hot tea, cotton blap.
Good, not rashy or scratchy or stressy.
So if you got a favorite sensitive skin yarn or a story
about, you know, that one time when you tried to make a blanket
and then then ended up with a rash that looked like a crochet
lace, send it in. I'd love to hear it.
And maybe, maybe it's going to end up in a future Tangled Tail
segment. Until then, keep your yarn
gentle, your stitch is comfy, and your project's cozy enough
to hug. OK, love you, bestie.
Bye.