All about yarns for weaving

Yarn, available in all colours and thicknesses. Are you planning to make or have something made from yarn? There is a difference between yarns that are mostly used for weaving, knitting and crocheting. Each yarn type is different. In this blog, we will tell you about yarns that we use for weaving.

How is yarn made?

Yarn can be made from all kinds of fibres such as; cotton, flax or synthetic fibres. Natural yarn is made by twisting (spinning) natural fibres together. Synthetic yarn is usually made by a process involving chemicals. The resulting substance is then spun/pressed into strands. Although all yarns are initially spun as single yarns, the yarns can be twisted together to obtain a 'twined' yarn. Twisting the yarn makes it thicker and firmer, allowing it to be used for different purposes.

Each type of yarn can be twisted differently and therefore each type of yarn also gets a different texture. After this, the right thicknesses are found and finally the yarn can be coloured. 

Different types of weaving yarns

Below we discuss the most common weaving yarns used by our machines. 

Recycled polyester → Recycled polyester, also known as rPet, is made from plastic bottles. The production of recycled polyester requires a lot less raw materials and emits less co2 compared to virgin fibres. There are two ways to recycle polyester - mechanical or chemical. Mechanical recycling involves melting plastic to make new yarn. This can only be done a few times before the fibre loses its quality. In chemical recycling, plastic molecules are broken down and turned into yarn. No new raw materials or energy are needed for this.

Organic cotton (GOTS- certified) → Organic cotton is better for the environment as well as for cotton farmers. Organic cotton is grown without insecticides and pesticides and is spun without the addition of any chemicals. Our organic cotton is GOTS certified and meets all strict environmental and social criteria.

Nylon→ Nylon, also known as polyamide is derived from petroleum. Nylon was created as a synthetic imitation for silk. Due to scarcity of silk fabrics, an alternative was sought during World War II. Nylon proved to be lightweight but strong, and cheaper than silk.

Nylon has a natural sheen, is long-lasting and recyclable. One of nylon's properties is that it is very elastic, but is also heat and melt sensitive. 

Yarn facts

- There are different ways to measure the thickness of yarn. The thickness of yarn is shown as wt. The higher the number, the thinner the yarn is. We ourselves use DTEX, DTEX is the weight in grams of 10000 metres of yarn. 

- Blend yarn is a mix of wool and another type of yarn such as cotton or synthetic.

- Cotton is the most commonly used natural fibre. 

EE Labels and yarn

EE Labels, EE Exclusives and sister company Nominette specialise in label weaving. Quality yarns are therefore very important to us. With more than 122 years of experience, we have the best professionals and machines to make top-quality woven products.

EE Labels is the most sustainable label supplier in the Netherlands. We are one of the few companies still weaving ourselves in the Netherlands. In addition, more than 50% of our yarn for weaving labels is recycled, and this share is increasing. These recycled yarns consist of 100% PET bottles. More and more colours in recycled yarn are being added. However, we first use up our current stock of yarn (which is more sustainable). When we place a new order, that colour will be ordered in the recycled version. Read more about our sustainable production here. 

Want to order woven labels? Check out our options and easily design your own labels on our website!