Understanding Rayon in Yarn and How it is a Natural Fiber

[@melsharp4613]

I made it to the end! Love when you get distracted....I've never met a rabbit hole I could resist going down!!!!! Thanks so much for this info...I've seen those yarns at my LYS but stayed away because I had no idea what they were. Now I'm more confident to try them 😊

[@WatchBarbaraKnit]

I'm glad you like it when I get distracted because that happens all the time LOL! It's great to try something new.

[@13canislupus]

I made it to the end! Super interesting! I think that there's a lot less talk about plant fibers than animal ones and it gets complicated when making knits for my vegan important persons. Thank you very much!

[@WatchBarbaraKnit]

Wool is definitely the most popular fiber out there but living in a warm climate I am always looking for options. Yay for the end!

[@epicnamepwns1242]

I'm a crocheter also interested in most of the other fiber arts and things under the "slow fashion" umbrella. I find it quite frustrating to have so many people (who probably should know better) speaking of rayon as it were just another plastic fiber; so I appreciate this video and hope more people will learn to better appreciate the distinctions of various fiber types.

[@WatchBarbaraKnit]

It is easy to fall into the assumption that man-made = plastic/synthetic which is why I thought being a bit educational might be good. I am glad you enjoyed the video.

[@marynew2806]

Thanks for your research and comprehensive discussion about the fibers. Your information is helping me choose yarns more wisely and have better success with knitting projects! I continue to refer to your videos when starting a new project, because of the improvement in the appearance of finished projects.

[@WatchBarbaraKnit]

Thank you for your kind words. I am so glad my videos continue to be useful.

[@khazbar]

I absolutely love the Truboo & Nuboo yarns but they are so expensive here in Australia, about $10 (Australian Dollars) per ball, so I save up and buy them when I can or hope for a sale! They are wonderful to knit with and so comfortable to wear. Thank you for sharing what these yarns are ☺️

[@WatchBarbaraKnit]

I know that there is a lot of frustration for my Aussie and Kiwi knitters about availability. If it makes you feel any better possum fiber yarn is ludicrously expensive here.

[@dozergetscrafty]

Can you get premier yarns? They have bamboo fair which is really nice.

[@angelicabasque1749]

Made it to the end! Love the innovation of plant-based fibers. I live in south Texas, so for most of the year working with wool & acrylic is non-viable (unless I want the electric bill to reach new heights). It's been fun playing with the different textures of each yarn, both with knitting and crochet. I appreciate you explaining what exactly makes lyocel/tencel so unique, since a lot of the information seems near impossible to find online without hours of searching.

[@WatchBarbaraKnit]

I'm so glad you enjoyed the video all the way to the end!

[@patricialoux5193]

I easily got to the end because the subject was very interesting to me! Cotton/bamboo blends are my favorite summer knit yarns because they feel cool and drapey and I use them frequently. Thank you for the great information!

[@WatchBarbaraKnit]

I'm so glad you enjoyed it to the end!

[@elenabeyers2088]

I made it to the end. Thank you for the information. I was especially interested in knowing what happens when the different types of rayon are submerged in water.

[@WatchBarbaraKnit]

That intrigued me as well and I wonder what it is in the processes that makes viscose so different than Lyocell. But not curious enough to dig that deep LOL.

[@esmereldakaffeeklatch8812]

Made it to the end! Thanks for this informative video. Will be interested to take a look at Nuboo with its different texture.

[@WatchBarbaraKnit]

Thank you for sticking with me!

[@starbrown940]

I definitely got to the end! Thank you! The nerd in me loves this!

[@WatchBarbaraKnit]

Yay for fiber nerds and making it until the end.

[@maryhoge247]

Made it through to the end. I really appreciate the information you've given. It cleared up several questions I had. If you want to know about silk, contact Michael Cook. He's Worm Spit guy, and he teaches about silk all over the place. He lives in Texas.

[@WatchBarbaraKnit]

I will check him out! Thanks!

[@susandorrington7623]

Very interesting episode, thanks! Finally, I find out the difference between rayon, viscose and lyocell : -) By the way, with respect to silk, it is the silkworm that makes the silk, not the moth. The worm spins the cocoon around itself and then becomes a moth inside the cocoon.

[@WatchBarbaraKnit]

I knew I would have someone who would teach me about the moth thing, thank you!

[@everydaygirl83]

Made it to the end!! Great information for us novice knitters so we can make better yarn/fiber substitutions for a project!

[@WatchBarbaraKnit]

Glad it was helpful!

[@cynthiaLibrarian]

You wound up the discussion very well and I appreciated the uses of each described well.

[@WatchBarbaraKnit]

Thank you!

[@amymarchandcollins6338]

I got to the end! Thank you for doing this deep dive. I’ve wondered about the differences between Modal and Tencel and bamboo in yarn. I remember getting a pair of socks when I was in HS that was made from beechwood fiber.

[@WatchBarbaraKnit]

It's kinda wild all of the sources that are used for the cellulose. I totally forgot to mention SeaCell which is a Lyocell made with seaweed!

[@EvieO1950]

I got all the way to the end and learned a lot about rayon. Not a fiber I was very familiar with. I’ve always been a big fan of cotton blend yarns. Thanks!

[@WatchBarbaraKnit]

Glad it was helpful! Thanks for sticking with me!

[@maryannw5289]

Made it to the end! I found this very interesting! I have used wool, cotton, acrylic, and blends of these, but have never knit with rayon. Thanks for all the info!

[@WatchBarbaraKnit]

Thanks for watching!

[@BlueGreenEyedSoulSis]

Thank you. That was very informative. I've been sewing for eons and have never heard it described like this before. I'm also a machine knitter who's been designing garments for years and can definitely attest to the heaviness of cotton. It must have resting places on the body and sometimes even that's not enough and it has to be frogged and completely redesigned for the specific yarn. I especially appreciated the clarification of the process for Lyocel vs. rayon. And yes, I did make it to the end.

[@WatchBarbaraKnit]

There's a part of me that dislikes that we have machine knitting and hand knitting as terminology because they are really two very different arts. People ask me about machine knitting and I'm like oh I am so totally under-qualified to talk about that LOL. It's kinda like crochet vs Tunisian crochet, they're pretty much two completely different things. Just because the end result looks strikingly similar doesn't mean that techniques translate between the art forms. I salute you!

[@Richard_Szobi]

Thank you, great explanation and very useful video. ❤

[@WatchBarbaraKnit]

Yay! That's what I aim for.

[@marytakvam8259]

I made it to the end 😀 Very interesting and has given me a better understanding of the results I have had knitting with rayon.

[@WatchBarbaraKnit]

That is awesome. I am glad that the theory I was talking about resonated with your experience.

[@not2old2bcrafty]

Barbara, thank you for doing the research on rayon (viscose and lyocell) for us. It is very interesting and I now have a better understanding of it.

[@WatchBarbaraKnit]

Yay! That was my goal. When I was researching I had to not get into it too deep tho, there were sites I looked at that had full on diagrams of the chemical structures and stuff and I was like TOO MUCH INFO LOL.

[@neamhai]

Of course I made it to the end. :) I knew generally what all this was about, but I hadn't quite caught up on the Lyocell specifics. Fun to hear those, since I just started a project that's using a Lyocell blend yarn.

[@WatchBarbaraKnit]

Glad I could give at least a little info!

[@DawnBurn]

Appreciate you talking through this

[@WatchBarbaraKnit]

Glad it was helpful!

[@mariannelepley2881]

Just found the video and watched it all the way through! This information was very helpful with making weaving decisions because I don't knit or crochet . I had always thought that unless it said cotton, silk, wool, etc, that anything other than those kind of words meant plastic. So, thank you very much for the information. I recently went to Alaska and learned of a product called SeaCell...yarn made from Seaweed. This is very interesting to me as I am not much of a wool person.

[@WatchBarbaraKnit]

Weaving is so cool! I am so glad that you found this video usefull. SeaCell is one of those rayons with a "weird" fiber ie: seaweed based. You can also find it labeled "Sea Silk" which again is simply seaweed based rayon.

[@krystler7703]

I definitely got to the end! Just fascinating!!!

[@WatchBarbaraKnit]

Woo hoo! Glad to find fellow fiber nerds.

[@georgeannbraden5065]

I made it to the end! I have some Tencil yarn and was wondering about it. Thanks for the info

[@WatchBarbaraKnit]

I bet you will make something fun!

[@shelleymonson8750]

Thank you, this was very helpful; I have always been confused about all those terms.

[@WatchBarbaraKnit]

I'm glad I could clear it up!

[@vickyulrich7973]

Very interesting and I went all the way to the end.

[@WatchBarbaraKnit]

Yay to the end!

[@paulalafontaine8020]

I got to the end.. Won’t remember it all but little bits at a time is how I am learning. Thank you.

[@WatchBarbaraKnit]

Yay end! You can always come back and watch it again, that's the beauty of KZbin LOL.

[@lesliekinder7909]

Made it to the end, I learned a lot.

[@WatchBarbaraKnit]

Thank you!

[@candacemarcalus723]

I watched to the end and informative information. Thank you for all that your do!!

[@WatchBarbaraKnit]

Woo hoo end! I'm glad you found it interesting.

[@radv3959]

Bought some bamboo rayon and really need to learn about this fiber.

[@WatchBarbaraKnit]

I would say the number one thing is SLIPPERY LOL.

[@Sawsan351]

Thank you so much, barbra! I'm new to knitting, and I was looking for these kind of information about yarn fibers! Got to the end and am excited to watch the other videos you made

[@WatchBarbaraKnit]

Yay! Please ask any questions you might have. I'm always looking out for more subjects for videos!

[@hannahc933]

Appreciate much this piece of information. Now I understand better what they are . It help me to chose the yarn for my project. Many thanks ❤.

[@WatchBarbaraKnit]

That was my main goal, to give people confidence.

[@Winterseve86]

I found Botanic which looks lile LBs rebranded nuboo. I am loving coboo so I bet botanic would be even better. Thanks for breaking it all down. I loved the whole video!

[@WatchBarbaraKnit]

I'm gonna have to look for Botanic. Thanks for watching.

[@Magycmyste]

I made it to the end! Thanks! That was super informative, and I know it’ll come in handy when deciding what I want to make with some of my fiber. I’d love to hear if you explore some of the more exotic cellulose fibers - eg banana, mint, Pearl, rose, etc.

[@WatchBarbaraKnit]

I'm afraid that I haven't even heard about yarn made out of any of that stuff, how cool. Yay for the end!

[@LottaSocks]

Very interesting! Saw this headline, googled, read bits here & there. Yes, many rabbit holes to take you on a journey! I’ve been “researching” yarns for summer tops, specifically to keep me cooler, as I don’t do well in heat (let alone humidity!!!), so cotton or linen or silk or hemp blends have my interest. I was surprised regarding “wick-ability” of (certain) rayon fibers. Thanks for a fun & interesting time!

[@WatchBarbaraKnit]

Thanks for joining me on my journey!

[@heidilorenson4463]

Thank you for sharing your knowledge 😊

[@WatchBarbaraKnit]

My pleasure 😊

[@sueparker5465]

Fascinating, I made it to the end! Very good info, thanks.

[@WatchBarbaraKnit]

Awesome, thank you!

[@mathsinger]

I got to the end. Very interesting and informative.

[@WatchBarbaraKnit]

Awesome, thank you!

[@kaylemoine1571]

I just love your description of the processing. God love you.❤

[@WatchBarbaraKnit]

I am glad to hear that, I was afraid it was gonna be boring.

[@kathleensnow5358]

I got to the end! Thank you for the new to me info.

[@WatchBarbaraKnit]

Yay for the end. Glad you liked the vid.

[@R-lyeh]

Very informative, thank you! :) I love Modal, if I don't buy animal fibres, I buy Modal. My favorite type are gradient cakes, they make the coziest winter shawls. (I buy from Woolpedia or Monk Wolle, as you can make your own gradient and I can get solid cakes there, too. Woolpedia ships internationally.)

[@WatchBarbaraKnit]

Those sound like great options.

[@deeann7777U]

Made it to the end, and subscribed! thank you!!

[@WatchBarbaraKnit]

Awesome! Thank you!

[@hill7912A]

Made it to the end. Very interesting. I did pause half way to look up how moths make silk :)

[@WatchBarbaraKnit]

LOL, you don't know how hard it was for me to NOT pause the recording process and do the same thing LOL.

[@cheryldemea2509]

Oh, this was so informative! Thank you 😊

[@WatchBarbaraKnit]

You are so welcome!

[@Bethabara9]

went to the end, lol. i am one of those who always thought rayon was some kind of polyester. i always avoided it too ! sitting here now with some kind of bamboo creation and im knitting and crocheting with it. going to love wearing it!

[@WatchBarbaraKnit]

Yay for the end and it is great that I apparently made this video specifically for you LOL

[@joanneknox5091]

I hung in there with ya, girl! Found it more fascinating than I thought it would be. Glad for the info. Thanks for doing the research and sharing. Always enjoy your knitting related content. 😉😊

[@WatchBarbaraKnit]

Thanks for hanging and finding it interesting.

[@robinmyers8939]

I finished what I was working on when you were halfway through. But the subject matter interested me and I listened to the end. Thank you for all of the information.

[@WatchBarbaraKnit]

That is wonderful to hear, til the bitter end LOL

[@elisekt1860]

I didn’t know about any of this so it was very interesting. I’ve knitted with truboo and like it but will try the nuboo instead just because of what you said and yea I did stay till the end.

[@WatchBarbaraKnit]

I'd be super curious to hear how they compare for you. Thanks for watching!

[@cindyrowits1536]

Of course I made it to the end! Very informative and engaging.

[@WatchBarbaraKnit]

Thank you for sticking with me!

[@michelemenard8364]

Thank you for the information. So helpful. Many thanks.

[@WatchBarbaraKnit]

Thank you for watching!

[@JacqueFairbourn]

Got to the end because I love learning from you!

[@WatchBarbaraKnit]

Thank you for letting me know!

[@kaylemoine1571]

Oh, look at the pretty butterfly!

[@WatchBarbaraKnit]

LOL

[@karenk9685]

Thanks, very interesting-didn't realize all this! Listened to the very end!

[@WatchBarbaraKnit]

I'm glad I was able to teach you something new, yay for the end!

[@adrahtaylor7993]

Very interesting video, learned a lot thank you ! Watched to the end.

[@WatchBarbaraKnit]

Yay End! Glad you liked the info.

[@jessmakingit]

I made it to the end. Love this type of content.

[@WatchBarbaraKnit]

That is great to hear, thank you.

[@lindseywhite3371]

I always stay till the end :)

[@WatchBarbaraKnit]

And I really appreciate that!

[@3534538]

I made it to the end - I always do 🥰

[@WatchBarbaraKnit]

Thank you so much!

[@audreyhackel8709]

Loved this (all the way to the end!)

[@WatchBarbaraKnit]

Yay for the end!

[@Me-Myself-Ann]

This was very helpful

[@WatchBarbaraKnit]

Yay! Thanks.

[@ForestDreaming]

This was so interesting Barbara, I had no idea that rayon was a natural fibre! Ps. I watched to the end too.

[@WatchBarbaraKnit]

It is honestly a common misconception, it is not naturally occurring but it is natural materials. Thanks for watching to the end.

[@sylviamaxwell504]

Hello beautiful..😊 my favorite funny knitting coach, designer and smart as a whip fiber friend!!😊🎉❤

[@WatchBarbaraKnit]

Oh, thank you so much! I love my friends who live in the glowing box on my desk.

[@EmalieTanos]

Very interesting explanation. I was sure all them were plastic. I made to the end 😊

[@WatchBarbaraKnit]

Yay, you are exactly who I was talking to then LOL. Yay for the end!

[@Aromagirl70]

Thank you for thr very informative video!!

[@WatchBarbaraKnit]

Glad it was helpful!

[@karenalbery2773]

I have a a whole bunch of these things in brilliant colors that i would love to use but i am stumped on how to secure the ends. Its so slick it doesnt stay woven and wont hold a knot.....i have tried splitting the plies and everything but sewing them down .......how about a deep dive fiber video into linen or utterly unique fibers like milk protien yarn? (Yes i have some and no i dont know whatvto donwithbit either) ps i totally stayed to the end.

[@WatchBarbaraKnit]

I don't know anything about the milk yarns, would have to look into that. How are you weaving in your ends? It is tough when the yarn is slippery and you have to weave in significantly more than people typically leave.

[@KWargeh]

Thank you fo researching so I didn't have to! All kidding aside, this is information I've needed for knitting, but maybe even more importantly for when I'm purchasing store-bought clothing. Yes, I made it to the end and find this topic fascinating, too!

[@karenalbery2773]

@@WatchBarbaraKnit i usually duplicate stitch onnthe wrong side. This truboo slides right out. But i suppose i havent tried 30 plus stitches.

[@debraklein2649]

got to the end. It was interesting.

[@WatchBarbaraKnit]

Thanks for sticking with it LOL!

[@dozergetscrafty]

I got to the end. I love this type of thing 😂

[@WatchBarbaraKnit]

Thank you so much!

[@SarahJo]

This was super interesting! And yes, I got to the end :D

[@WatchBarbaraKnit]

Thanks for sticking with me!

[@sarahjaneexton151]

Made it!!!🎉

[@WatchBarbaraKnit]

Yay! Thanks!

[@elizabethsleison6079]

Great video!

[@WatchBarbaraKnit]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@joanmachado9063]

Great video thank you

[@WatchBarbaraKnit]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@vilajones8625]

I watched to the end

[@WatchBarbaraKnit]

Yay, thank you!

[@paulagrnsy]

I got to the end!

[@WatchBarbaraKnit]

Thank you!

[@byDsign]

Love yarns with rayon, bamboo, viscose, lyocell, tencel, modal.... all sensual to the touch. Mmmmm! Lovely drape! ✅

[@WatchBarbaraKnit]

Yes, this is one of the big selling points. It's fake silk LOL.

[@byDsign]

@@WatchBarbaraKnit ... I forgot to add silk to that list too!

[@redredwine1277]

Rayon, too slippery. Thanks again Barbara🌹

[@WatchBarbaraKnit]

It is definitely that!

[@elizabethsprenkleforester4655]

Isn’t it silkworms that create silk?

[@WatchBarbaraKnit]

You are correct ... that was a tangent that was a bit of a stumble LOL

[@annabing6721]

I got to the end

[@WatchBarbaraKnit]

Thank you!

[@bonnielundholm5535]

Now I know why some rayons bother me. I'm allergic to soy. I have to touch test them and wait several minute to make sure I don't react to them before buying. I watched to the end.

[@WatchBarbaraKnit]

Thank you for watching to the end LOL. That is super interesting about your allergy. It might be best for you to avoid things that are marked generically and stick to rayons that actually say bamboo or what have you.

[@krahnjp]

The problem talking about synthetics, organics, etc., is not being wrong, it's the fact that the community uses the terms in inaccurate ways, which is what causes confusion (organic is nearly always used incorrectly because of its incorrect use in food marketing). But the more accurate terms often require explanation such as your videos. So there is no easy solution. Best case would be if everyone started describing fibers simply as protein, plant, or petroleum based. But really even that isn't particularly helpful. In the end you just have to learn the qualities of each fiber individually, exactly how you are teaching the differences here. :)

[@WatchBarbaraKnit]

There is so much specialty terminology in the fiber arts that it is easy to get confused. I like your 3 categories but protein would reallllly throw people off LOL. It's a learning process.

[@sunandababu9184]

I always looked down at rayon as artificial. Now I understand natural but man made. Thanks

[@WatchBarbaraKnit]

So I totally made this video specifically for you LOL! Thanks for watching.

[@christinecarr1679]

I got to the end. I'm knitting a bookmark out of 100% polyester.

[@WatchBarbaraKnit]

It might slip out of place LOL.

[@lynnmcrae6659]

Rayon is wood fibre

[@WatchBarbaraKnit]

Most commonly it is wood, but it can be made with other sources of cellulose!

[@larrygreen3988]

Thank you for sharing your knowledge❤

[@WatchBarbaraKnit]

Thanks for being curious!