What is an acrylic yarn?
Acrylic yarns, as opposed to yarns made from natural fibers like wool and cotton, are created from man-made or semi man-made fibers. These fibers are created in various different ways and are also used for different types of projects and to give specific characteristics to yarn, usually to mimic natural fibers like wool, cotton, linen, etc.
Acrylic yarns are used widely because they are usually cheaper than natural yarns - sometimes by quite a lot. This makes it a more budget-friendly choice, especially with the new acrylic yarns that are a lot softer than the first acrylic yarns that were produced.
How is acrylic yarn made?
Acrylic yarn is made from coal-based and petroleum chemicals, making them a fossil fuel-based fiber. The petroleum chemicals are treated with certain monomers (a type of molecule) that leads to the formation of polymers. Acrylic fiber and yarn are made from a synthetic polymer called acrylonitrile.
This polymer is then dissolved and the resulting gel is spun into thin fibers using an extraction method and spinnerets. These fibers are then spun (wet or dry) before being washed and stretched. It’s these fibers that can then be spun into yarn.
