Plant vs Animal.
It grows or it grazes. Everything else follows from there.
It starts innocently. A pattern calls for DK weight and suddenly you're standing in a yarn shop holding a merino in one hand and a cotton in the other, wondering what you actually believe.
Animal fibers have memory. Wool springs back, holds its shape, traps warmth even wet. Alpaca drapes like it was raised on good taste. They felt, they pill, they require a little management. In return, they last.
Vegetable fibers have structure. Cotton is crisp, washable, democratic. Linen starts difficult and improves indefinitely. They don't stretch where you don't want them to. They also don't forgive where you do.
The honest answer is that neither is better. They are better at different things, for different climates, different projects, different makers. A wool blanket in a Lisbon winter. A linen tote in a Lisbon summer. The fiber follows the life.
The real question isn't animal or vegetable. It's what are you making, and for when.
"Your fiber philosophy is just your climate, your hands, and your patience arranged in order of priority."
CAST ON : One technique. One material. One reason to start.
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