Yarn Twisting

Yarn Twisting
Yarn twisting
The fundamental characteristics of yarns are:
- twisting
- uniformity of thickness
- tenacity and elongation
- count
Yarn twisting is determined with twist meters. The twist can be to the right (called Z), or to the left (called S).
Yarns are called simple, when they are formed by a single twisted end with a certain number of turns per meter: twisted yarns, when they are formed by two or more ends twisted together in the opposite direction to the first twist.
Heavily twisted yarns are used for warps, slightly twisted ones for wefts, medium twist yarns for knitwear.
Below I describe the various types of yarn twists and patterns:
- Single: Yarn formed by discontinuous fibers joined by twisting. Thread formed by continuous fibers joined with or without twisting. In the case where the thread is made of a single fiber, it is defined as monofilament.
- Twined: Thread composed of one or more ends joined together without twisting – Simple twisted: Thread obtained by twisting two ends of the same count. The twisting twist is in the opposite direction to that of the single ends.
- Compound twisted: Thread obtained by twisting two or more ends of simple twisted threads. Each twisting operation must have a twisting direction opposite to that of the threads that are joined together.
- Cordonetto: Thread obtained by twisting two or more ends joined together with the same twisting direction of the single threads.
- Ondè: Made up of a main thread called core, around which a second thread is wrapped with a slight overfeeding.
The final effect is a surface that presents undulations of limited and regular amplitude. - Crimped: Made up of 3 components: a core thread around which an effect thread and a binding thread are twisted. The binding thread is twisted with the opposite direction of twisting to the effect thread. The effect thread has a slight overfeeding. The final appearance is a grainy and crimped surface, characterized by the presence of marked and dense undulations.
- Bouclè: Made up of at least 3 components, like the Frisè thread. The effect thread is characterized by a strong overfeeding, which leads to the formation of obvious surface loops.
- Vrillè: Made up of 2 components like the Ondè thread. The effect thread has a high degree of torsion, so much so that the surface loops tend to twist on their axis, until they form small curls.
- Moulinè: Made up of 2 or more threads of different colors, twisted together.
- Jaspè: Made up of 3 threads of different colors and sometimes of different counts, twisted together.
- Flamed: Characterized by enlargements in diameter, present at regular intervals, with variable length and thickness, very similar to the irregularities of the yarn called “flaming”.
- Bottonato: Characterized by the surface presence of spherical accumulations of colored fibers or “buttons”, with various colors.
- Chenille: Made up of 2 threads twisted together, which tighten a third thread, an effect thread, overfed so as to form loops that emerge from the body of the thread. The effect thread has high bulk.
A special operation cuts the terminal part of the loops, allowing the thread to unravel. In this way, many tufts of fibers appear on the surface, giving high bulk and a “velvety” surface to the thread. - Covered Spiral: Made up of a core thread, usually elastic, around which one or more threads of different nature are wrapped, with different systems.
The uniformity of thickness can be appreciated by wrapping the thread on a cardboard of a different color than that of the thread itself. The eye, better through a lens, appreciates any differences in thickness.
The tenacity, that is the mechanical resistance, is determined with devices called dynamometers that also give the elongation of the thread before breaking and therefore the elasticity.