The most enjoyable aspect of spinning is that you get to work with many different types of fiber. Each one brings with it its own properties that make it challenging to work with. Each one has its own unique character when it is completed.
Natural fibers, without exception, require several successive processes to obtain clean and uniform fiber, suitable for yarn. This short fiber, (a few centimeters), has a rough or twisted surface that facilitates its cohesion with similar fibers.
Natural fibers can be:
Of animal origin.
- Wool
- Silk
- Mohair
- Cashmere
- Angora
Plant-based.
- Cotton
- Linen
- Jute
- Hemp
And artificial fibers.
Chemical fibers are obtained by extrusion: regenerated cellulose in the case of artificial fibers or synthetic polymers in the case of synthetic fibers. These fibers are long, i.e. they are already spun to be able to manufacture fabrics with them, but they can also be cut to spin them as if it were natural fiber.
The wool of the sheep is easily synthesized, as it is curled by nature, but can also spin the hair of other animals, such as yak, goat, angora rabbit, and alpaca, among others.