Dear Sister Needlecrafters,

We are so excited that this week's newsletter is the first of hopefully many newsletters in English and Hebrew.  The Livyah Yarn newsletter has something new to pique your interest this week.  Our almost-local yarn expert, Ellen, is starting a series of articles on yarn fibers.  This week we will take a close look at animal fibers- a really close look.

Yarn fibers are made from various materials including: animal hairs, plants, synthetic materials, or blends. Each  type of fiber feels and looks different when it is crocheted or knitted. When you choose yarn for a knitting (or crochet) project, it is important to know about each fiber's special properties so you can anticipate how the finished project will look and feel. It will look different if it is made in wool or cotton or acrylic.  In the following article and in future newsletters we will explore the unique properties of yarn fibers.

This week's article is an introduction to fibers made from animal hairs...

Yarns made from animal hairs are wool, mohair, cashmere, alpaca, angora, camel, vicuna, and quivit. Wool is the most popular yarn and is made from the hair of sheep. 

Scales: Animal hairs are fibers that are covered in tiny “scales.”  These are like the scales that you see on fish, except they are so small that they cannot be seen without a microscope. Human hair is covered in scales, too.  You cannot feel the scales on animal hairs even if you are a very sensitive person.  Scales lie in a layer on top of the central fiber (called a shaft) and make the texture feel soft or rough.  If a yarn feels scratchy, it has too few scales.  In general, the more scales, the softer the yarn, and the fewer scales, the rougher the yarn.

A close-up look at wool:  To see photos of wool scales through a microscope, see this article from the U.S. Department of Commerce http://nvl.nist.gov/pub/nistpubs/jres/041/3/V41.N03.A07.pdf. 

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New Products

Livyah Yarn is happy to announce that there we have new colors of two luxurious Brown Sheep yarns.  

Lambs Pride Superwash 100% wool  and Wildfoote Luxury Sock yarn.

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Ellen's sensational write-up on Brown Sheep "Lamb's Pride Superwash" Wool Yarn

Do you love the warmth and feel of wool yarn?  When you knit or crochet with top quality wool, do your hands luxuriate in the softness? 

If you answer, “No” or “I don’t like wool, it scratches,” or, “I want yarn that is easy-care, and you have to wash wool by hand,” then you’re not using Brown Sheep Company’s “Lamb’s Pride Superwash” 100% wool yarn. 

I truly love knitting with Brown Sheep Company’s “Lamb’s Pride Superwash.”  It is 100% wool that has all the properties of wool yet can be tossed in the washing machine when it needs cleaning.  And, because it’s 100% wool, clothing made of Brown Sheep Lamb’s Pride Superwash does not need to be washed as often as clothing made of cotton or synthetics.  (Why? See our next newsletter when we say more about the properties of wool yarns.)

Clothes made with Brown Sheep Company’s “Lamb’s Pride Superwash” 100% wool are warm but “breathe,” repel dirt and are machine washable, and are soft and cuddly.  If you want to wrap someone in a hug, “Lamb’s Pride Superwash” makes a perfect gift.  That’s why Livyah Yarn distributed Brown Sheep “Lamb’s Pride Superwash” worsted wool black yarn to women in Israel and Potomac, Maryland to knit Hats for the IDF.

Remember those cute little funny scales that coat strands of wool fiber? They are on strands of Brown Sheep “Lamb’s Pride Superwash” wool, just like on regular wool.  However, those cute little funny scales have been treated so they don’t clump when the yarn, or clothing made of it, is washed in a machine.  When scales clump, the yarn will be felted and look like this: 

However, machine washing does not clump the specially treated, cute little scales on Brown Sheep Superwash wool, and your projects will come out of the washing machine looking as good as new. 

Brown Sheep Company’s “Lamb’s Pride Superwash” yarns are available in pretty pastel, bright and heather colors.  Currently, Livyah Yarn carries the worsted weight yarns.  The Brown Sheep yarn company recommends that for crochet you use a size 8 (5 mm) needles for a stitch gauge of 4.5 stitches per inch (2.5 cm).  And for knitting Brown Sheep recomends that you use a size 7 (4.5mm) for a stitch gauge of 5 stiches per inch (2.5cm). Livyah Yarn recommends that you use “Lamb’s Pride Superwash” to make sweaters, hats, scarves, shawls or wraps, blankets and throws. 

Livyah Yarn, Ltd. is the exclusive distributor of Brown Sheep Company’s yarns in Israel.  Who is Brown Sheep Yarn Company? Brown Sheep Company is a US company that produces natural yarns of wool, cotton and mohair.  It is located in the middle of the United States, in the state of Nebraska.  http://maps.google.com/maps?f=s&utm_campaign=en&utm_source=en-ha-na-us-bk-gm&utm_medium=ha&utm_term=google map.

Brown Sheep Company is a member of the United States Better Business Bureau and has the top rating (A+) for how it conducts business http://www.bbb.org/nebraska/business-reviews/yarn-wholesale-and-manufacturers/the-brown-sheep-company-in-mitchell-ne-300032998

When you choose wool and natural yarns from the Brown Sheep Yarn Company, you're getting the finest quality and best value in natural wool yarns.

 –Ellen

	Lion Brand Ruffles Yarn 50% Merino Wool; 50% Acrylic Weight Category: #6 S. Bulky 20% Off
	Lion Brand Incredible Ribbon Yarn In 50 g (100 m) balls. 100% Polyamide (same as Nylon) Weight Category: #6 S. Bulky 15% Off
	Lion Brand Knitting Spool This charming lacquered wood spool knitter is a delightful and entertaining craft tool for children. Using a spool knitter (essentially a very small round knitting loom), you can produce a variety of items. For more about spool click here.                      15% Off
	Surina Double Pointed Sock Knitting Needles Hand Crafted from wood of the Indian tulip tree.  Double Point needles are used for circular knitting, usually on small projects such as socks, gloves, mittens, hats, kippas and toys. Up to 25% Off

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100 City Challenge:

The list is growing...

Click here to see which cities have already ordered. 

We hope that you enjoyed this edition of the Livyah Yarn newsletter. 

If you no longer wish to receive this newsletter please inform us at Cancel@LivyahYarn.com.  If you just want to inform us of an email change than please email us at Newsletter@LivyahYarn.com.

Looking forward to knitting with you,

www.LivyahYarn.com

For more information contact us at Info@LivyahYarn.com.