Linen is produced from the stem of the Flax plant and is a surprisingly durable, lightweight fabric and thread that has some really amazing durability and elasticity. The linen knitting yarn is no different here. While the term “linen” has become something of a rather vague and very broad category all its own, the linen knitting yarn is definitely one that you will want to try at least once.
Linens are known to date back to prehistoric times. Sufficient evidence has been discovered to conclude that linen was indeed traded as a currency in ancient Egypt. The linen is also what was used when a person of greatness died due to the symbolism attached to such a valuable and precious commodity. These days, when many people discuss “linens”, they are discussing a wide range of household items that are or at least were made from the linen cloth originally.
When it comes to the properties of linen knitting yarn, your garments may tend to wrinkle a bit easier than anything but maybe some of the tightly knitted cotton garments but linen makes up for this in many ways. The linen knitting yarn produces very lightweight garments that are durable and easy to clean. Most linen knitting yarns will handle machine washing in warm water and with the exception of a few wrinkles, come out none the worse for wear.
Bleeding tends to be kept to a minimum even in warm water so the hand knitted linens will often last for a very long time. Additionally, the linen knitting yarns tend to make garments which are not quite as prone to pilling as some of the other fiber knitting yarns are. The linen, once knitted into a garment, will also work very well at releasing moisture from your skin. The linen knitting yarn also tends to create garments with an exceptional elastic property. Together, these qualities make linen knitting yarn ideal for creating lightweight summer gear for under or outer wear garments.
Pure linen knitting yarn can be fairly expensive but is certainly not unreasonably priced for the most part. The fibers that are used to make the linen knitting yarn are very long and are mostly spun into very lightweight yarns such as lace or baby weights. The linen also has some strange tendencies with dyes and variations may occur. However, it is always a good idea to buy all of your yarn for a single project at the same time from the same batch. Thus, in many respects, the actual absorbency of the linen knitting yarn should not present any major difficulties outside of the norm for most knitters.
Working with the linen knitting yarn may be a little difficult at first as it tends to be a bit stiff and getting the stitches just right may take a little added practice when you first begin working with it but as time goes on, it should become increasingly easier. The garments made from linen knitting yarn have the added benefit of becoming softer and more comfortable the more they are washed so if you are looking to knit a gift that will last forever, linen knitting yarn may give you your best chance to make that happen.