YARNS Australia

Once you have decided on a project, you'll need to determine the length and sett of your warp. Don't forget to include length for take-up, shrinkage, and loom waste.

For a rough calculation, you could multiply your desired width in inches by your sett (ends per inch), by the length of your warp in yards. This is helpful in deciding how many cones of yarn to purchase or if you already have enough on hand.

When yarn is labelled as superwash, this means that it has gone through a process wherein it had been specially treated to make it machine washable. So, if you are planning to make fabric that would likely be washed in a washing machine, superwash yarn would be the best choice.

Non-superwash yarn, on the other hand, offers a more traditional feel and has not been chemically treated. The nice thing about non-superwash yarn is that your stitches are less likely to unravel and it creates a smoother effect across multicoloured patterns.

The terms "NE" and "Nel" refer to the numbering system used to measure the fineness or thickness of yarn in the textile industry. However, NE is typically associated with cotton yarn, while Nel is associated with linen yarn.

1. NE:
   - NE is a numbering system used for cotton yarn.
   - It represents the number of hanks of 840 yards each in one pound of yarn.
   - The formula for NE is given by NE = (840 * W) / L, where W is the weight in pounds and L is the length in yards.
2. Nel:
   - Nel is a numbering system used for linen yarn.
   - It represents the number of 300-yard hanks per pound.
   - The Nel formula for linen is represented as Nel = (W * 300) / L, where W is the weight of the linen yarn in pounds, and L is the length of the yarn in Nel, with 1 Nel equal to 300 yards.

For more information, kindly read our guide: Understanding Yarn Count in Weaving.