Since I have been writing about microns and histograms, I thought I'd
bring this up too...
The USDA Wool grade chart looks at spinning count, micron and standard
deviation. So, if you're purchasing fleece from someone, you can get
an idea of how it is going to feel by knowing spinning count/grade.
You can have a fleece where the average micron would grade at 64's.
But if the SD is over 5.19, than it would grade at 62's. So, SD really
does matter in how a fleece will feel.
A caution for anyone buying alpaca, whether this is yarn, fiber or a
garment:
The classification for alpaca varies from country to country.
For instance: In Peru, the micron for "Superfine Alpaca" is 23-26.9.
But in Australia, "Superfine Alpaca" is less than 20 micron. That is a
big difference! In Peru, "Strong" is over 32. In Australia, "Strong"
is 26-30. (Remember what I said in an earlier post about 30-micron
fiber not bending and therefore giving that scratchy feeling?)
My mom had bought a "Made in Peru, 100% Superfine Alpaca" sweater
thinking that it would be nice and soft. Nope! She now knows that if
its coming from Peru, to only buy "Baby" (20-22.9) or "Royal Baby"
(under 20).
(Most of our alpacas are "Baby" or better according to the Peruvian
Classification. So, all that "coarser" neck and leg fiber that I just
had processed to yarn at the mill would still be classified as
"Superfine" or better.)
Gabrielle Menn
www.fanfarefarms.com
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