A Psychophysical Evaluation of the Tactile Qualities of Hand Knitting Yarns

Abstract

A technique based on the semantic differential method of attitude measurement was developed for use with consumers. Using semantic grids derived from consumer preferences, some twenty bipolar attributes pertaining to tactile qualities were evaluated for hand knitting yarns in the ball and fabric states. The yarns and the resultant fabrics used in the evaluations represent six styles of commercially marketed hand knitting yarns. Using consumer concepts of the “ideal” yarn or fabric, commercially available products may be assessed for their worth and market potential. Results indicate a significant consumer preference for yarns containing a small percentage of specialty hair fiber, pure wool, or wool rich blends. Furthermore, responses to yarns in the ball state and the fabric state differ markedly in some instances, indicating that at the point of purchase, initial impressions may prejudice purchasing decisions. From objective measures of yarn and fabric compressional properties and yarn bending properties correlated with the subjective data, a complete picture of the samples under investigation emerges. The results indicate that certain of the bipolar attributes correlate significantly with the objective measurements. This indicates that the human hand is able to detect small mechanical deformations in yams and fabrics and to label these with language constructs, thereby recognizably and meaningfully identifying characteristics of fabric hand.