Knitting Secrets From Sarah Beth Wilkinson

Knitting Tips and Secrets to Help You Improve Your Knitting Skills
from the Author of "Knitting Secrets" Available at KnittingTips.com

Friday, November 19, 2004

Knitting Materials

Material

Okay, now you’re ready for the fun part – picking the kind of yarn you want to use! Some patterns dictate exactly what weight and type work best for that project, but exploration and creativity are essential aspects of knitting. Who wants to work word-for-word from someone else’s pattern when you can add your own flair? Choosing yarn can be as simple as finding something you think looks fun and experimenting. Other knitters like to know exactly how the yarn was made and from what materials. If you’re working on pieces for friends and family, you may want to ask about possible wool or other fabric allergies before picking up large quantities of a yarn just because it’s their favorite color. To help you in your search, here’s a quick rundown of some of the most common types of yarn (ooo, another bulleted list!):

Synthetics/acrylics : Long the whipping boy of fabric purists for their tendency to pill and fade, acrylics have made a big comeback recently and shown their critics a completely new quality of synthetic. They’re vividly colored, nice to touch, aren’t tasty to bugs, wash easily, and generally don’t need the time and attention wool pieces require. They also tend to be more hypoallergenic, which makes them a great option for babies and those on your gift list who can’t wear wool.

Wool : The old, faithful fabric that has served knitters everywhere for hundreds of years. If you’ve taken up knitting to make projects that can be passed to your children, your children’s children, your children’s children’s children… okay, you get the picture. Anyway, if that’s your goal, use wool. It’ll last forever. On the negative side, some people have severe allergies to wool, it needs more intensive care (unless you find one of the newer washable varieties), and it sometimes feels a little coarser against skin.

Cotton : Who doesn’t love the feel of cotton? While it can be slightly more difficult to work with than synthetics and wool, cotton is easy to wash, wonderful to wear, and looks great. One of the only other negatives is that cotton is pretty easy to stretch out of shape, so you may not want to use it for kids’ clothing… unless they’re really well-behaved.

Novelty : This category is huge and grows exponentially every year. It includes yarns like bouclé, which is instantly recognizable by its zig-zag appearance, chenille, fun fur, eyelash, and hundreds of others. If you’re looking for something funky and different, you’ll find it in this category. But be careful – some novelty yarns are extremely difficult to work with and won’t let you see stitches, which may mean you’ll end up with a large, funky pile of frustration.

Long-haired : The yarns in this category are like taking a bubble bath surrounded by candles while eating a chocolate mousse pie (yes, the whole pie) without interruption. They’re pure luxury and include yarns like angora and mohair. Expect to pay more for these, but you can also expect the end result to be glamorous and unique. Because of the price and the relative difficulty, save these yarns for after you’ve had some practice with the cheaper alternatives. If you’ve mastered the standard yarns, try an eyelash or fur novelty yarn before taking on long-haired varieties. Mistakes will be much cheaper.

Handmade : With the newfound popularity of both knitting and crocheting, spinning (the art of making yarn from raw wool) is also gaining popularity. A quick search online will come up with thousands of homegrown websites dedicated to handspun yarn, each one of a kind and beautiful for the effort and care taken in creating it. You have two options here – support the existing spinners and buy their yarn or go full-force and learn to spin your own. Since we assume you can figure out how to do the first on your own, we’ll address the second later in the book.

Stay tuned for some info about knitting needles!

Also, if you haven't seen it yet, check out my website at http://www.goodknitting.com for up to the minute knitting tips and tricks.