Posted on November 20, 2009 at 3:23 pm, by Amanda Rae
in Category Knitting | Tags: Color,Fibers,Learning to Knit,Packaging,Supplies,Weight,Yarn
First of all I wanted to apologize for the wait; it is the end of the semester and it has been really busy on the school front.
Yarn is really fun to shop for! There are so much to choose from it can be overwhelming at times if you don’t know the basics of yarn. Yarn is pretty complex. There is it’s weight, length, the fibers it is made of, color(s), etc. To go over in detail everything would take a LONG time and a lot of space. So today I will be telling you the basics of yarn!
Packaging:
There are four main ways that yarn can be packaged.
~Ball (the yarn is pulled from the center)
~Cone (commercial use, normally one pound or more)
~Hank (needs to be untwisted and wound into a ball)
~Skein (the yarn is also pulled from the center)
At most stores yarn is sold in skeins or balls. If you go to some smaller yarn stores or yarn boutiques, yarn will also be sold in hanks. Luckily someone at the store can wind it into a ball for you for easier use. A hank can get tangled very easily so a ball winder (or you can do it by hand) is used to make it into a ball. Not a lot of people buy yarn in cones; but if you are making a large project and want to make sure that the yarn is all the same color (read about dye-lots further down the page) it is practical to buy a cone. Also, you can save money that way!
Weight:
Weight isn’t how much the yarn weighs really; its more the thickness of the yarn. There are several names for the different thicknesses but the weight of yarn is more descriptive than precise. There are not many people that agree with what the precise relationship between the weights and the actually thicknesses of the yarn. It is a good guideline to use when picking out yarn for certain patterns though. (When it says “used to make” it doesn’t mean that you can only make those things with that weight of yarn. The great thing about yarn is you can make anything with pretty much any weight, these are just what are “normally” made with these weights)
~Lace (the thinnest used to make lace items)
~Baby/Fingering (still pretty thin; used to make baby clothes, socks, gloves, shawls, etc.)
~Sock (used to make socks, gloves, etc.)
~Sport (twice as thick as fingering; used to make light sweaters, socks, etc.)
~Double-Knitted (baby clothes, light sweaters, etc.)
~Worstend (the most versatile and popular of weights; used to make afghans, sweaters, mittens, etc.)
~Chunky (cold weather items)
~Bulky (thickest; chunky sweaters, coats, etc.)
Fibers:
Fibers are what yarn is made of. Most yarn is made by spinning fibers together so that the yarn resists breaking under tension. There are three kinds of fibers: animal, plant and synthetic. It is common to blend two or more fibers to make yarn. It is important though to get a yarn type that will work best with the pattern you are working with. If there is a complicated pattern, get a smooth yarn that will show off the pattern; otherwise your pattern will not be able to be seen well if at all.
~Animal (silk, sheep (wool), goat (angora/cashmere), rabbit (angora), llama, alpaca, dog, cat, camel, yak)
Some animal yarns have long hairs on them. These are fuzzy and are normally made of mohair, angora or cashmere. They are really pretty, but can be expensive. Wool is the most popular and durable yarn. It is best used for cold weather items.
~Plant (cotton, flax (linen), bamboo, ramie, hemp, raffia, soy, corn, rayon)
Cotton wears well and washes well (won’t felt). The drawbacks are that is stretches easily and the colors can fade in the wash.
~Synthetic (acrylics, polyesters, nylon, metallic)
Most synthetic yarns are considered to be novelty yarns. They are cheap in price, very colorful, don’t need to do much to care for them and for the most part wash well. The only problem is, is that they can look cheap.
Color:
My favorite part about picking out yarn is finding the perfect color! Most yarn is dyed, though there are some that are not. When dying yarns, natural or artificial dyes are used. Natural dyes normally are not as bright as artificial ones. Most yarns are dyed industrially; but you can dye yarn by hand or hand paint it as well. Groups of skeins that are dyed together have the exact same shade(this is called a dye-lot). When making a larger project make sure that the yarn is all from the same dye-lot. The colors may look the same but if from different dye-lots they can be different shades thus making a visible stripe in your work. Most yarns have a single color but there are a lot which don’t. These multicolored yarns can be really fun and make some visually pleasing projects.
~Single Hue (all one color)
~Tweed (there are flecks of a different color in the yarn)
~Ombre (a single color with dark and light shades in it)
~Multi-Colored (two or more distinct colors)
~Self-Striping (when knitted it automatically creates stripes)
~Marled (made of strands of different colored yarns twisted together.
So now that you know more about yarn I will go over how to read a yarn label, next time.
Posted on October 29, 2009 at 12:42 pm, by Amanda Rae
in Category Knitting | Tags: Basics,How to Knit,Needles,Supplies
In order to knit you will need some knitting needles! But before you go out and get overwhelmed with all of the different needles that are out there, I will give you a lesson on knitting needles. Needles are made from different materials, they come in three different types and there are different sizes.
Materials:
The most popular materials that needles are made of are: wood, plastic or metal. Knitting needles are also made from: bamboo, aluminum, glass and steel. Back in the ‘olden days knitting needles were made from tortoise shell, ivory or walrus tusks. Of course needles are not made of these materials anymore; but if you are lucky enough, you may be able to find them in an antique store.
Depending on what the needles are made of will effect the grip that it has on the yarn because of the friction between the two. Metal, glass and plastic needles make for faster knitting, but the stitches are also able to slip off of the needles. With wood, the stitches will not slip like with the other materials, but because of the friction, your knitting will not be as fast.
Types:
There are three types of knitting needles. The first type is two straight sticks that are pointed at one end with a knob of some sort on the other. These needles normally come in 10 to 16 inches long. These needles are used for flat projects.
Boye #6 Needles
Another type of needles are double pointed knitting needles. These needles are pointed on both ends, come in 4 to 15 inches long and are normally sold in sets of four or five. These needles are used for making circular objects, especially smaller circular objects such as socks!
ChinaoGoo Premium Bamboo #3 Needles
The third kind of knitting needles are called circular needles. These have two short ends that are pointed with a flexible cord connecting them. These can be 12 to 60 inches long. These needles can be used by themselves or in pairs depending on what you are making. You can use them to make flat or circular knitting.
Skacel #8 Needles
You can find which needles work best for you by trying different ones out. I personally like working with circular needles since I have small hands and they are easier for me to hold and work with. With sock making I like to use wooden needles since both ends are pointed there is twice the chance that a stitch will slip. So try out different types of needles made from different materials to find out what works best for you!
Sizes:
Depending on what yarn you use, you will need a different size needle. Yarn labels will tell you what size needles are usually used for that yarn (I will go over how to read a label and yarn in a different post). Here is a chart for needle sizes:
Metric Size (mm) U.S. Size
2.0 0
2.1
2.25 1
2.7
2.75 2
3.0
3.25 3
3.3
3.5 4
3.6
3.75 5
3.9
4.0 6
4.2
4.5 7
4.8
5.0 8
5.1
5.4
5.5 9
5.7
6.0 10
6.3
6.5 10.5
6.6
7.0
7.5
8.0
9.0 11
10.0 15
12.0 17
16.0 19
19.0 35
25.0 50
Most needles are labeled with the U.S. size, but yarn and patterns can have one or both sizes labeled. If it does not have the U.S. size; or there the Japanese or UK/Canadian size is listed, you can use the metric size to figure out which needles to use based on this chart.
There are some really nice needle kits. I own a Boye needle kit! It is a little on the pricey side, but if you find a coupon to a store that carries it, use it! If you are seriously thinking about getting into knitting, I would purchase a needle kit. The Boye kit has needle sizes 2 through 15. You are able to use them as circular needles or straight needles. There are cords to make the needles longer or shorter depending on what your project calls for.
Boye KnitMates/NeedleMaster Set
I know this is a lot of information in one post, but because it is a post you are able to go back to it whenever you want to review or figure out an answer to a question. Remember, if you have any questions or want me to elaborate more on a subject or cover a subject please email me or post a comment! Yarn is up next!!
Posted on October 23, 2009 at 5:17 pm, by Amanda Rae
in Category Knitting | Tags: Basics,How to Knit,Supplies
Before you can knit you need to have the correct supplies. Besides yarn and needles (which will be a different post) there are some other supplies that are needed for knitting!
~First you need a tape measure in order to measure how long and/or wide your work is.
~ A scissors or some kind of cutting device.
~ Some type of container to store all of your supplies. At most yarn and craft stores there are several different types of storage containers and bags with compartments for knitters! Pick whichever one you like best. Also, if you feel a little creative, you can make your own or use something you already have at home.
~ Stitch markers. These are used to help you with your knitting. There are different kinds of stitch markers. There are plain ones or really fancy ones. There are ones (the ones on the right) that are used to keep track of increases and decreases in your work. They are able to stay in your knitting and slide off when needed. Then there are ones (on the left) that cannot slip off of your yarn, these are so you know where to start the pattern over again. This is especially useful for knitting in a round.
~ Large-eyed needles. These are for weaving in the ends of your work.
~ Needle gauge. Where the holes are, are for when you have needles and do not know what size they are. You stick them in the holes until you find the correct size. Also, the “L” shape is for checking your gauge with your knitting (We will go over this in a different post).
~ (You don’t necessarily need these) Cable/ holding needles. When cabling (will be discussed in a different post) you have a cable needle to actually cable the knitting. There are also patterns where stitches need to be held until a later time. These are what you would use for that.
These are basic supplies that are used in knitting! Next we will talk about needles!
Recent Posts
