Twisted Yarn

Twisted yarn is both the act of twisting fibres and the yarn it produces. The twist pulls the fibres inward and binds them into one strong, continuous thread. The technique is ancient: traces of twisted wild flax survive from the Paleolithic, some 30,000 years ago.

The number and direction of twists change the yarn’s volume, firmness and stretch. A strong twist makes “high-twist” yarn, whose lively, uneven surface gives fabric a crisp, rippled texture that lifts away from the skin.

Garments in high-twist yarn — used in many MITTAN pieces — may stretch a little under their own weight and your movement as you wear them. Passing the fabric through water, reshaping it and drying restores its original size. With repeated wear and washing, the tension in the yarn relaxes, the fabric softens, and it settles to your body over time.

A twist is given to the fibres in nearly all MITTAN products. By controlling the number of twists in a single strand, we can shape its softness, firmness and feel. However far tools advance, this simple principle does not change — a quiet, universal wisdom, refined since the Paleolithic to shape how we clothe ourselves.