‘Fancy’ yarns are those that are made and designed specifically for aesthetic purposes instead of performance. They come in different types, differentiated by color and texture. A special yarn twisting machine is required to manufacture them. Specific textile manufacturing equipment can be used to achieve a particular weaving for purposes like dress material, shirting, suiting, furnishing fabrics, woolen tweeds, and upholstery.
In broader terms, fancy yarn pertains to any type of yarn that contains deliberate variations in color or form, or both. ‘Deliberate’ because the yarns are crafted from staple fibers using the yarn twisting machine and variations are inherently present due to imperfect spinning systems or the fiber material’s non-uniformity. Those variations must be minimized in ‘regular’ yarns to ensure uniformity, abrasion resistance, and strength. However, those variations are deliberately done when producing fancy yarns, enhancing their aesthetics.
Fancy yarns classified
There are many different types of fancy yarns that can be produced using a yarn twisting machine. However, they are typically divided into two broad categories: fiber effect and yarn effect. Fiber effect refers to yarn formed by combining multiple (at least two) yarns after making individual yarns. Both categories can be combined to create a more complex design or effect on the fabric.
Fiber effects
These yarns have different sizes of fiber lumps along the length of the yarn. They are further classified into different types, depending on the size of the lumps.
- Nepp – Also called nupp yarns, these have compact structures with fiber cluster specks found along the base. They have contrasting colors. More subtle effects can be achieved when the color of the base yarn and effect fiber are similar.
- Slub – These yarns have more pronounced effects due to the additional fibers introduced into the stream while being manufactured by the textile manufacturing equipment .
- Flake yarns – These are larger, with loose fiber clusters. They are created by controlling the injection of extra fibers into the fiber stream prior to being spun.
Yarn effects
Also known as ply effects, these can be made using a traditional yarn twisting machine but with the addition of feeding and control devices. They are further classified into the following:
- Knop – This type of yarn consists of sections formed when the core is momentarily stopped as the effect yarn feeding continues.
- Chenille – This fancy yarn is made up of a cut pile trapped by core yarns. A specific chenille machine/textile manufacturing equipment is used to create chenille yarns, usually by flocking or weaving.
- Metallic – Metallic yarns are made of laminated plastic film with transparent coating for wear resistance. The films are cut into thin strips before being woven into yarns. Because of low strength and abrasion properties, these are typically used with compound yarns.
- Marl – These are made by plying multiple yarns together. Each yarn is the same in terms of twist and linear density, but they usually differ in texture or color (or both). Folding them results in a yarn with subtle variations in texture or color. Marl yarn is often used in creating pinstripe suits.
- Spiral – This yarn is formed by spiraling two yarns together, resulting in a corkscrew appearance. One of the yarns is longer than the other, and the shorter one is straight.
- Gimp – Gimp yarns are composed of least three yarns: the core, effect, and binder. They are made in two stages. The first stage is where the effect and core are overfed and twisted together to create an intermediate yarn like a spiral. The second stage is where the intermediate part is twisted with the binder in the opposite direction to remove the first stage twisting. This results in the yarn looking wavy on the surface, and the binder yarn secures those wavy projections onto the core.
- Boucle – Boucle is just like gimp yarns with three components and two manufacturing stages. However, the wavy projections are further away from the body of the yarn.
- Loop – Loop yarns have circular projections. They are formed with four components: the effect, two cores, and a binder. The two cores form the stable triangular space where an overfed effect accumulates to create loops at the first stage of twisting.
- Snarl – This yarn is made like loop yarns, but the effect is twisted lively rather than stable. The loops created by the effect collapse due to the untwisting stress, causing kinks.
Need advice on the best equipment for fancy yarn manufacturing? Talk to us here at Symtech. We have a large selection of yarn twisting machines and other textile manufacturing equipment and are happy to answer your questions.