alpaca
Llama fleece. Alpaca is very warm and soft and has a slight sheen. Alpaca doesn´t contain any lanolin, so it often suits even people allergic to wool. Some alpaca yarns even claim to be water repellant. May drop hair when knitted.
angora
fur spun from fur of angora rabbits. Angora is fluffy, fine and soft and sheds like moulting fur. It is often mixed with nylon. The synthetic mixture produces a fabric that is not as fluffy and soft as pure angora but the yarn will not shed hairs as much. Used for delicate knitwear but not suitable for babies. Tends to break easily, needs careful washing.
Bamboo
a fairly new plant fibre, relatively expensive. Generally lightweight, absorbent and has been said to have antibacterial properties. Has a nive sheen and is very soft. Should be knit with blunt needles, splits easily. Needs careful washing, weak when wet.
cashmere
a very soft and expensive luxury wool from a goat. It is very soft and fine to the touch. Very little elasticity or fibre memory. Does not suit well to patterns with ribbing or cables, will flatten out.
cotton
from the fibres from seed pods of cotton plants. It is non-allergenic, light, absorbent and less elastic than wool. The finest and smoothes cotton is referred as Egyptian cotton. Often used for light weight summer knits as well as accessories. It is hard wearing and washes well.
linen
flax plant fibres obtained from inside the woody stem of the flax plant are used. to produce linen. Linen fibres are much stronger and more lustrous than cotton and give a stiffer fabric. Linen fabrics are very cool and absorbent, nice to wear in heat. Woven linen wrinkles very easily, unless blended with manufactured fibres. Knitted linen has good elasticity.
Merino
fleece from pure bred merino sheep are considered to be the finest of all sheep’s wool. It is spun from the super fine fleece of Merino Sheep, originally from Spain, and is very soft. It is also very strong and resilient and takes dye well. Also known as botany wool, it is suitable for a wide range of knitwear.
mohair
obtained from the angora goat, this is one of the oldest textile fibres. It is both durable and resilient. soft, warm, featherlight with a lustre and a fluffy appearance. The value of mohair is determined by its lustre, rather than by it's softness. It is usually blended e.g. with wool or cotton, but if not blended it can be knit together with another yarn to get more density. Not suitable for babies' knitwear. Tends to pill.
silk
The ”queen of fibres”. A natural filament fibre produced by the silkworm. All silk comes from Asia, primarily China. Silk fibres are light and absorbent and have a lustre. Feels cool against skin. Poor elasticity. It is expensive and is often mixed with other fibres.
wool
usually associated with the fleece of sheep or lambs. Isolates both from warm and cold, but its other properties vary according to the breed of sheep. Crossbred wool is very strong and coarse so has a harder wearing quality. Needs careful washing or will felt and shrink. Superwash wool is washable. Wool has a good elasticity and stitch definition.
Yak
Rather expensive yarn, very soft and warm. Knits and behaves like cashmere.

I decided to create a thicker yarn by navajo plying one of the cones, with the wheel going "anti-clockwise". However, when I came to knit with it I found that the knitting was leaning to the left. Should I have used 3 strands together? Please advise. Beverley

on anything about how the fibres knit, gauge etc.

just testing