Sunday, August 31, 2008

Yarn Type List...

Here is a short list of the major yarn types:


Alpaca.

Alpaca fleece is harvested from two types of Alpacas: the Huacaya and the Suri. The Huacaya alpacas produce soft, crimpy, dense fibers while the Suri produce silky fibers that resemble un-matted dread-locks. Its fiber is light-weight, silky, and full of luster. The Suri breed is favored over the Huacaya due to its longer length and silkier locks.

As a natural fiber it is similar to sheep's wool, however, it is much warmer, not as prickly, and lanolin free making it hypoallergenic but not water resistant.. Its physical structure greatly resembles that of hair, very glossy, but its softness and fineness allows spinners to easily produce satisfactory yarn. Alpaca fiber ranging from 18- 25 microns is considered the best quality.

Colors vary  from true blue black all the way down to rose-greys. White is predominant color because of selective breeding and is generally dyed many other colors.


Angora.


Angora wool, also known as angora fiber
, is produced by the Angora Rabbit. Angora wool and mohair are often mistaken, however, mohair is produced by the Angora goat( see below) instead of the rabbit. Angora is prized for its soft, silky, and "halo" (fluffy) textures. It has a noted low micron count, meaning it consists of considerably thin/finer fibers. Angora between 12-16 microns in diameter are considered the best quality. These are taken from the back and upper regions of the rabbit and are usually the cleanest (vegetable and hay free) and longest fibers. "Second class" fibers are sheered from the neck and lower regions which may contain some vegetable matter. The "third class" fibers are shorter and removed from the buttocks, legs, and/or any other areas that are seen to easily felt. Finally, the "fourth class" fibers are essentially anything else left on the rabbit's body that is badly stained and/or felted and thus deemed un-salvageable. Breeders practice daily brushing so as to lessen the matting of the wool and increase the portions of usable wool. 
Because the fibers felt so well on their own they provide an excellent source of felting material.

There are four main types of recognized rabbit breeds that produce angora fibers from their bodies:  French, Satin, English, and Giant. Many other breeds do exist, but the most common is the German. Perhaps the neatest thing about angora rabbits and goats is that, according to the breed, they have the ability to naturally produce wool coats of various black and white color shades.

Furs are produced in Chile, the United States, Europe, and China. They are harvested up to four times a year by process of "plucking", "shearing" or collecting the molten fur.  Plucking essentially pulls out the molten fur,  minimizing the presence of guard hair,  and effectively conserving its quality. This method is time consuming and some producers prefer shearing instead. Although faster, the process of shearing reduces the quality of the fur since all guard hair is included. In order for plucking to be possible the rabbit has to be a breed that will molt. An example of an angora rabbit breed that does not molt is the German.


Mohair.


Mohair is the silk-like yarn that's made from the hair of the Angora goat. It has adiameter of about 25-45 microns and is one of the oldest textile fibers  today. This diameter increases with the age of the goat meaning that finer fibers will be harvested from younger goats and less finer fibers harvested from older goats. For example, fibers coming from young goats are used for clothing, while fibers from older goats are used for carpets, rugs, etc, etc. Shearing is done twice a year and a single goat can produce up to 17 lbs of fiber each year. 

It's durable, resilient, stretch, flame, and crease resistant, and takes dyes very well. It's mostly noted, however, for it luster and sheen.

It is mostly composed of keratin, and has scales like wool that, although not fully developed, and merely illustrated. This is why it will not felt as wool does.


Saturday, August 30, 2008

Knitting Basics: Casting On, Knit, Purl, Stockinet, Garter...

First and Foremost.

I think the best thing for beginners to do is to use light weight, sizes 7-10 needles and medium to thick yarn when starting up their first lessons. Thicker yarn promotes faster results and larger needles are less hard on the fingers and also help pick up speed. The trick is finding a needle size that has a diameter closer to that of a pencil or pen.  Most people  are very familiar with the girth and weight of such a utensil and holding a needle of similar size will make learning a bit easier. Another thing is buying metal needles over plastics for smoother surfaces that will allow the yarn to slip off more easily. Beginners have a tendency to knit very tightly making it difficult to move the yarn from one needle tip to the other. In essence, the more comfortable you start out the better. Becoming frustrated can turn the craft sour, undesirable and more likely to be dropped.

Next. 

BE PATIENT. Two thing this craft will do is teach you some much needed patience if you are lacking in such virtue or make you hate it with all your heart.

Knitty-Gritty. 
Of course, the very first thing to learn is Casting on. Without it there can be no knitting. I have come to understand that there are a number of various ways to Cast on. I, however, have only learned two methods; the Knit-on Cast-on , and the Single Cast-on.
I personally prefer the Single Cast-on method since it makes for a much faster casting on and creates a "cleaner", neater, and more even looking edge for the project. The down side to this method is that it will slow you down come time to knit the first row since the cast on falls on the needle so tightly and does not make for easy "picking".
The Knit-on Cast-on, on the other hand, will at first take a bit more time and will not look as nice. The perks to this method is that it is actually the very first row of the pattern itself and allows you to continue knitting a lot more easily and faster since the first stitches are already there and falling looser on the needle.

Try both and see which one fits your fancy.

There are two main stitches to live by in knitting: the Purl and the Knit. For clarity sake I've recorded two videos showing how to make both the purl and knit stitches and posted them up here: How to make a Purl stitch, How to make a Knit stitch. In most patterns they are usually abbreviated P for purl and K for Knit.

Knit stitches will take on the shape of multiple V's (\/), while purl stitches generally look like horizontal dashes (----).
                                          
                      



 To the left is a photo of a 30x30 row purl stitch swatch... 









To the right is a photo of a 30x30 row knit stitch swatch..



Stockinet stitch.
 
The pattern needed to get the two opposite sides shown in the above photos is called the Stockinet Stitch. It is one of the simplest of knitting patterns and can be done by knitting only knit stitches for one entire row, purl stitches in the next, and then continuing the alternation until the desired length is reached. This pattern creates two distinguishing sides. Meaning that there will be two visible and textural differences between opposite sides as seen again in the photos.

The Garter Stitch.

The Garter Stitch is the next pattern and by far the easiest of all. It can be done simply by knitting with only knit stitches or purl stitches for every row till you reach your desired length. It looks very similar to the all purl side of the Stockinet Stitches and can be very hard to tell apart. If you look hard enough in between the stitches, though, the Garter Stitch will have purls stitches further away from its preceding purl stitches below it. To the left is a photo of what Garter Stitch should look like.

Friday, August 29, 2008

Knitting History...



Elizabethan Period.

Stockings were very important during this era and due to the current fashion, mens short fitted trunks, stockings were also in high demand in Britain. They were made primarily out of fine wool and were a major export to other countries such as the Netherlands, Spain, Germany, and perhaps more.
Queen Elizabeth I is said to have preferred knitted stocking made
from fine silk since they were much more finer, softer, aesthetic, and of course, a lot more expensive. These stockings still exist, standing to illustrate just how high quality stockings were made fit for a queen.

Oddly enough, during this era men were also the first to be employed for commercial knitting.

Scotland.

In Scotland knitting was not only commercial but vastly domestic as well. Whole 17th and 18th century families were said to been involved in knitting in order to make the majority of the family clothing; sweaters, socks, stockings, and various other accessories.

The Fair Isle style was, and still is, used to create beautifully detailed and colorful patterns. These woolen sweaters were essential to native Isles fishermen as the sweaters were coated with natural oils, providing crucial protection against the frigid and harsh weather.

Aran sweaters are a product of early 20th century Ireland. This particular design is greatly distinguished from others on account of its incredible use of the Cable Stitch. Cable stitching can be made with various forms of Cable Needles.

Industrial Revolution.

Devices for the most basic of knitting techniques were invented before this era, however, most never stood up to the tests of time. With the Industrial Revolution came the art of wool-spinning and clothing manufacturing products in large city line factories. The revolution thus pulled women out of the comfort of their homes, where they would make home spun yarn and knit by hand, and placed them inside these factories to operate spinning and knitting machines. Factory spun yarn became widely popular since it looked much more uniform and, as a result, its weight more easily gauged. One particular district called Lace Market in the city of Nottingham dominated machine-knitting lace production during and decades after the Industrial Revolution.
World War I.

The British wartime government department, the Ministry of Information, published a booklet entitled "Make do and mend". At the time almost everything was in short supply, not just wool. The booklet aimed to encourage women to unravel and reuse the yarn from any old, tattered, unwearable woolen clothing items. Patterns were issued to the public to make clothing such as balaclavas and gloves for the Army and Navy to wear during the grueling winter months. Not only did this movement produce the much needed clothing goods but also a great deal of morale boosting amongst those active in the "home front".



Post War Haute Couture(1950-1960).


After WWI
knitting hit an all time high, setting in motion a plethora of styles and colors that introduced an entire fashion genre. The famous Twinset, consisting of a cropped sleeved top and a cardigan of the same color both worn together, became an extremely popular project to the home knitter.

Schools began teaching girls how to knit more as a function of useful skill than a function of hobby. In the UK magazine called Pins and needles, difficult patterns for non-clothing projects such as toys, blankets, bags, curtains, lace etc, etc were issued.


The Fall (1980s).

A sharp decline in knitting popularity stamped this period within the Western culture. Pattern and yarns sales saw a steady fall as the craft took on a more old fashioned, "granny- in- a-rocking- chair" statement. The availability of low cost machine knitted items caused store bought clothing sales to sky rocketed and home made knitted items to plummet. People stopped bothering to take the time to knit and as a result even schools dropped knitting courses from their curriculum. It was cheaper and less time consuming to simply buy instead of create, driving the appreciation for the "home made" label to the ground.

Knitting Renaissance.

The 21st century essentially resuscitated the art of knitting back into the Western world, effectively performing "one of the largest resurgence of the craft in history" (Wikipedia: History of Knitting, "21st century: The Revival."). A cornucopia of yarn was given birth, bringing forth synthetic yarns, and natural animal fibers such as alpaca, angora, and merino, exotic yarns such as silk, qiviut, and even bamboo. The ever famous plant fiber, cotton, was also successfully implemented. While wool has still remained in the market in yarn form, all of the above mentioned yarn types have been more readily accessible to the average buyer due to their relatively easy and low cost collection processes.

Various books and magazines have been introduced to the public, seeking to re-peak their interests in the ancient craft, with remarkably successful results.

Those with little time on their hands for recreational pastimes have been tactfully reached, providing many with a potent destressor most of us were probably completely unaware could exist and help our hectic lifestyles. The most impatient person can now find patterns listed in books, and/or magazines for fast and easily completed projects. Designers have made this possible with the introduction of patterns created specifically for the use of large needles which speeds up the knitting process by a wide margin.



The new century has even managed to bring back the knitting enthusiast. One can't help but smile...


Television has also greatly assisted the movement, proving that knitting could be just as interesting and productive as cooking, quilting, sewing, needle point so on and so forth.

Even Pop culture has not been able to hide from its reaches, as celebrities have recently become active in its revival and re-popularization.

And let us not forget the best creation of the millennium; the Internet. What else has been able to yank books, articles, magazines, videos, encyclopedias, newspapers...simply all sorts of literature right off the shelves and place them right into our hands without us even having to move from our seat?

The Origin(s) of Knitting...

The origin(s) of knitting is greatly disputed even today. It is widely believed to have developed in Pre-Christian time, the oldest artifact appearing to be a type of sock.  Socks and stockings were the first pieces created through similar knitting techniques used today. 

The preceding technique is known as Nalebinding. Through this process, fabrics were created by the assembly of multiple knots or loops with the use of a single needle (rather than two) and thread. Here's a photo from a website I found having fairly good illustrations of the technique: Nalebinding. Here's a photo of what a nalebinding piece looks like: Nalebinding piece. 

Initial references to true knitting stemmed from Europe and dated from early 14th century. The first knitted socks, however, were from Egypt and were a bit older (11th century). The purl stitch had not yet been formatted and in order for the stockinette pattern to be produced the crafter had to knit in a circle and then cut the piece open. This process was known as "Steeking".

Reference to the purl stitch is said to have not appeared until late in the 16th century but may have still been developed a little earlier.

Thursday, August 28, 2008

The Beginning...

This is my first time at an all Arts and Crafts blog. I am hoping it will help as many as possible and so feedback will be greatly appreciated. Thanks to all!

Honestly, I started crocheting way before knitting even came to mind. I learned at the age of 13 in the oddest place you could possibly think of: the Library. Yes, the library. Every saturday from 10 to 12 I sat with a group of older women who all came together to share ideas or just hang out. Well, I'm 24 now, finishing college, engaged and still just as crazy about crafting as ever. I have to admit that my college years sucked a lot out of my creativity but I hope to bring it all back.I enjoy both knitting and crocheting equally but this particular blog will be specifically for the knitters paradise. 

I think the best way to learn how to knit is by having someone who knows the ropes show you the basics. Books, even those aimed for beginners, can be frustrating to follow especially when illustrations aren't that great and/or limited. If you do go ahead and buy books try to first master the very basics beforehand.

Being if you can' t find one -on- one help from someone, I've done some research on a few books produced for those who have never picked up a single knitting needle before. I'll be posting them up along with some reviews.