What is the difference between Angelina, Firestar, Snow on the Mountain and Stellina?

Let's talk about the commonality between the four.  They all add sparkle and shine to fiber when blended with wool or other fiber.

Now let's talk about the differences.

ANGELINA

Angelina is an extruded plastic and is dyed before it's made.  It's quite sparkly and comes in an array of colors such as silver, fuscia or violet.  There are two types of Angelina, non-heat bondable and heat bondable. These are the non-heat bondable variety.

 

The heat bondable variety come in a variety of shimmery colors such as cobalt sparkle, peacock, and mint sparkle.  Heat bondable means the fibers fuse together when introduced to heat, such as an iron. To make a sheet, lay out heat bondable Angelina fibers onto baking parchment paper.  Cover with another layer of baking parchment paper and iron (on the silk setting) for just a few seconds.  Higher iron temps and pressure will take away some of the sparkles. .

Fineness: The thickness of each fiber is measured in deniers.  The smaller the denier, the finer the fiber.  The denier range is typically 7.5 to 11.

Blending:  Either of these types of Angelina can be carded into wool or other animal fibers to give it a bit of sparkle. One word of caution. If you use too much Angelina, when you are spinning the yarn it tends to feel "plasticky", so in this case, less is more.

Dyeing:  Yes, it can be done with a dye such as Poly dye.  However, be forewarned, dyeing will take away all the sparkle and shine.  Lose the sparkle and shine you lose the feature of Angelina.

FIRESTAR AND SNOW ON THE MOUNTAIN

Both of these fibers are nylon and dye beautifully with acid dyes.  Firestar is shinier and a bit "thicker", or has a larger denier, thank Snow on the Mountain though still considered fine

Snow on the Mountain has a subtle, subdued shine and is somewhat softer than Firestar.

Both are excellent to add to fiber to give it strength and a little sparkle.

Dyed Firestar with acid dyes

Undyed Snow on the Mountain at Camaj Fiber Arts

Rainbow Firestar commercially dyed at Camaj Fiber Arts

Undyed Firestar from Camaj Fiber Arts

STELLINA

Stellina is also a sparkly fiber sometimes referred to as glitter. It is a mix of polyester and nylon and is similar, though pricier, than Angelina.

It's quite nice when blended into fiber, but just like Angelina, if too much is added it has a plasticky feel.

Stellina is very difficult to find sold alone, however, there are many yarns and fiber blends with Stellina in them.

You can find Angelina, Firestar and Snow on the Mountain at Camaj Fiber Arts. 

CLICK HERE