Folks,
In the Spring issue of SpinOff, there was an article by Rita Buchanan titled "Woolen/Worsted, R.I.P.", pp.34:37. I've been thinking about this for awhile, and have decided I needed to reply.
Rita basically argues that the the terms 'woolen' and 'worsted' should be put to rest as there's so much misunderstanding about what the terms mean.
In her article she says,
"The dichotomy between worsted and woolen is almost as old as the terms themselves, but the distinctions have never been clear-cut or black-and-white. Both terms have been used in so many places by so many people for so long that their meanings and connotations are like intertangled skeins."
I happen to think that there are a variety of good definitions for woolen and worsted.
In "A Dictionary of Dyes and Dyeing" by K. G. Ponting they are defined:
Woolen: The products of that branch of the wool textile industry that uses short wool, cards them, and later fulls the cloth.Seems pretty clear. It might be nice to add something about the suitable use of the different yarns, but that's probably a bit of nit-picking.
Worsted: The branch of the wool textile trade that uses long wool, combs them, and does not full.
Rita goes on to provide a much larger "Lexicon for Spinners" and suggests that moving away from the terms woolen and worsted would be less intimidating for the spinning community. As an argument, she also has taken a drum-carded sample of Corriedale and spun part of it woolen and part of it worsted (avoiding those specific terms) and says that the differences are too subtle to care about.
So here's where I get into the rant part....
Why use a phrase like "Peter Teal-style short draw" when you can use "worsted"? Or "Mable Ross-style long draw" when you can say "woolen". If the problem is that spinners don't know the difference, than the solution is to teach them the difference. I think the problem is not with the terminology but with a batch of spinners who haven't either taken the time to learn the difference between the yarns or think that it doesn't matter. Well it does.
Rita argues that you can make a variety of yarns from the same fiber source and that they're all good yarns. It regularly happens in her classes. And that's true. But they're not all suitable yarns for specific projects.
Weavers know that if you're looking for a certain kind of fabric, you have to have worsted and for a different kind of fabric, you have to have woolen. There are a lot of yarns in between those too absolutes -- and they have good uses too -- but woolen and worsted really are absolutes. My standard comment is to add "It's like being pregnant. You are or you aren't."
If you're uncertain about the differences in the end result, go into a high-end men's clothing department and ask someone to see a jacket out of a woolen yarn and then compare it to a suit from a worsted yarn.
One of the problems that I think that many of the spinners overlook is that woolen and worsted refers to three major elements. It's not just the spinning technique. It's also the fiber preparation and the fiber source. That's the main reason why I liked the definition by Ponting.
Does this mean that I always spin a true worsted? Of course not. But I am capable of doing so. (Personally, a true woolen is harder for me to spin.) I also think that the knowledge of the terms adds to my enjoyment and understanding of spinning. The ability to make the yarn that I need as opposed to finding a use for the yarn I've made is an important skill.
I think that other spinners would also find that the knowledge useful and wouldn't take away their love of the craft. I hope that spinners will not turn away from these valuable terms.
Rosemary Brock
Los Gatos, CA
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