Crochet + Fiber · Reference
Wool, ply and wear
Ply is how many singles are twisted together to make one strand, and twist is how hard they are held. A softly spun yarn feels wonderful in the skein and pills within a season. A firm three or four ply feels ordinary in the hand and looks the same in ten years.
Step by step
Step 1
Untwist an inch and count
Let a few inches of yarn hang and let it untwist. Count the singles. One or two plies wear soft and fuzz early. Three and four plies hold a stitch edge and resist abrasion — that is what we want for a blanket that lives on a chair.
Step 2
Do the pull test
Hold six inches and pull firmly. A well-twisted yarn stretches and springs back. A soft yarn drifts apart and leaves a halo. If it drifts on your hands, it will drift on the arm of the couch.
Step 3
Match ply to place in the house
Firm three-ply wool for blankets, throws and anything that gets sat on. Softer two-ply for shawls and mittens worn against skin. Mercerised or long-staple cotton for kitchen cloths, which get wrung out and washed hot.
Step 4
Read the staple, not just the breed
Long-staple wool — Corriedale, Romney, Bluefaced Leicester — pills far less than short fine merino, because there are fewer fibre ends to escape. A wool-alpaca blend gains drape and gives up a little of that resistance; that is the trade we make on our upgraded blankets.
Buy for the ply and the staple length, not the softness in the shop. A blanket earns its softness in the third year.
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