The raw materials for knitwear are diverse, categorized by chemical and natural fibers. Chemical fibers include rayon, nylon, polyester, and acrylic, while natural fibers include wool, rabbit hair, camel hair, cashmere, cotton, linen, silk, and bamboo fiber.
1. Acrylic fiber (polyacrylonitrile fiber) is not necessarily a synonym for inferior raw materials.
Many people mistakenly pronounce acrylic (jing lun) as qing lun, which is incorrect. Many also believe that any clothing containing acrylic is necessarily of poor quality, but this is not the case. The price per kilogram of pure acrylic yarn is actually similar to that of pure cotton in the industry, especially finer counts like 48-count acrylic yarn, which is not cheaper than cotton yarn. Blending acrylic fibers with other yarn varieties, such as cotton acrylic and wool acrylic, not only increases the strength of the original yarn but also significantly improves the smoothness and feel of the fabric. Of course, this is subjective; some people prefer the feel and softness of pure cotton or pure wool. My point is, don't dismiss the quality of clothing entirely just because it contains acrylic fibers. Especially after processing, such as anti-pilling, some acrylic fibers are quite good and widely used materials.
2. Wool Quality Varies Significantly Many people believe that wool is just wool, and that all wool is good. However, there's a wealth of knowledge involved in wool as a single product. Firstly, in terms of yarn count, from coarse to fine, there are typically 2/28nm, 2/30nm, 2/48nm, 2/60nm, etc. It's worth noting that 2/28nm is read as 28-count double-ply, and nm is the unit of yarn count. The finer the yarn, the more difficult the processing, and naturally, the higher the price. The most commonly used is 48-count double-ply wool yarn, which is the most common variety of wool. Next, it can be categorized by the wool top, ranging from 55 or 60 tops to 66, 70 tops, or even higher. The wool top refers to the quality of the raw material before the wool yarn is formed; therefore, the higher the wool top, the better the quality of the wool yarn produced.
