Among the huge selection knitting tools and accessories it is difficult to find exactly what will be convenient to work with. Many manufacturers offer various options for the design of knitting needles and crochet hooks, as well as related accessories.
Tools can be made from various materials, each of which is good in its own way and also has its drawbacks. Bamboo, metal, bone, plastic and wooden knitting needles and crochet hooks are widely available in needlewomen stores. Let's try to consider all the advantages and disadvantages of each.
Spokes
Before you buy knitting needles for knitting a certain thing, you need to familiarize yourself with the job description and recommendations for the selection of yarn and tools. The thicker the thread, the larger the diameter of the needles should be. Regardless of the material from which the tools are made, they must certainly be free from damage and roughness. This will lead to inconvenience in the work, the thread will not slip properly. However, for working with yarns that are too slippery, such as silk, it is better to use tools with a less polished surface. Teflon-coated, bamboo or wooden knitting needles are suitable for this.
To perform various knitting techniques, sets of five knitting needles are useful. They are especially relevant when working on seamless socks and sleeves, hats. Baby little things that do not have side seams are also best knitted using a set.
A set of two straight knitting needles are perfect for knitting scarves, shawls, coats and more. It is important that all the tools used in the work are comfortable.
Circular knitting needles are most often used to knit large, seamless items. They are definitely very easy to use. Knitting needles for circular knitting are two not too long knitting needles connected by a fishing line or metal twisted wire. The line has one noticeable advantage - it does not bend or lose shape.
Metal wire quickly becomes unusable and it becomes completely impossible to work with such knitting needles.
When choosing, you should pay attention to the junction of the spokes with the fishing line. In no case should they be easily detached from each other, there should be no irregularities. It is best to run your fingernail over the joint. If the gap is not felt and the nail goes unhindered, then such knitting needles can be bought.
It is worth saying that for a full and convenient work, it is best to have both sets of five knitting needles and circular knitting needles. For example, when knitting a sweater using the raglan method, the sleeves will be more convenient to perform on a set, and when working on the back and shelf, circular knitting needles are more suitable.
Choose the knitting needles carefully, try not to see if their tips are too sharp. Excessive sharpening will lead to finger damage during work and inconvenience when removing loops during knitting.
Auxiliary curved knitting needles come in handy when knitting complex patterns with the need to cross the loops with each other. Usually this technique is used in patterns with various braids... The curved center section of the spoke prevents unwanted slipping of removed buttonholes.
Hooks
The principle of choosing a hook is practically the same as choosing a knitting needle. Just like the knitting needles, hooks come in various thicknesses and can be made from completely different materials... They must also be selected for the thickness of the thread used in the work.
The most popular hooks are not too long - only about 15 centimeters. They are used when performing various techniques and when working in many techniques.
Long, thirty-centimeter crochet hooks come in handy for Tunisian knitting.
Some elements, such as the "postal post", are more convenient to perform on a special hook with a foot. Instead, you can use a crochet hook of a suitable thickness.
Useful gadgets
Safety pins
When making some products on knitting needles, it becomes necessary to leave some of the loops and return to them later. This is used when knitting leggings for children, various overalls and sweaters with a fastener only at the top. Knitting pins will become indispensable when working with such products. They may be different lengths have comfortable clasp to avoid slipping of the hinges.
Tapestry needles
Carefully made seams on the product will give it even greater beauty and elegance. To make textile seams used when joining parts, use rather thick needles with blunt tips. It is convenient to work with them with any thickness of a thread.
Device for making pom poms
In the old fashioned way, pom-poms were made on two round cardboard templates with a hole inside. This is not always convenient, since the cardboard does not hold its shape well and bends. For the most pleasant work on the pompom, they came up with special collapsible discs, which can be of different diameters. Working with them is quite simple and fast.
Markers
For circular knitting and marking the beginning and end of a fragment of patterns when working on knitting needles, it is convenient to use markers. These are small plastic rings. They are put on the knitting needles between the loops, which are key in the work. An equally useful and necessary device has become a crochet brand. Their various configurations and designs facilitate and speed up the knitting process. This is especially true for novice needlewomen.
Row counters
An indispensable tool for knitting. The cylinder, equipped with spring-loaded roller numerals, is fitted to the end of the spokes. After finishing work on each of the rows, you just need to turn it once. There are also counters with a double row of counting, that is, you can count not only the total number of rows, but also the report between the fragments of the pattern.
Cord braiding device
Making cords by hand takes a lot of time. It is difficult to make them even and with a uniform weave of the thread. A special cord braiding device will make the task easier.
Thread separator
Performance jacquard patterns quite a difficult task. The thread separator will help to maintain the correct thread tension, to prevent the threads from tangling. Various configurations of this device can be designed for knitting in three or more colors.
Crochet rings
Some knitting elements need to be done in an extremely even shape. This is often necessary when working on various knitted jewelry, applicable in the technique of Irish lace, can be useful in the manufacture of toys. Special plastic rings of various diameters are perfect for this. You can buy them as a set of twenty or more pieces, or individually.
Device for making flowers
The Tenerife technique has recently become very popular. A device for making flowers will help to significantly speed up the process and get a better result. The complex of the device includes a base plate and removable pins that allow making different sizes and shapes of flowers on one base. This device is easy to use. Each package contains several recommendations for work, a small number of flower options are presented.
We hope we helped you figure out a wide variety of all kinds of knitting tools and accessories! We tried to tell you about the most basic and interesting ones. Of course, in addition to this list, scissors, sewing pins, and many, many other little things are indispensable helpers.
ALL ABOUT YARN AND SPOKES
In most cases, the yarn is selected according to the color, thickness and length of the thread, but, first of all, you should pay attention to the quality of the yarn and its composition, it depends on this whether it will be easy to work with this yarn, how long the product will be worn, whether it will lose your shade and shape related thing.
you can choose the yarn that best meets the expected characteristics of the part of the wardrobe that you intend to make, a clear orientation in the whole variety of knitted fibers and knowledge of their basic properties will help.
Types and types of yarn
Today, a very large assortment of all kinds of yarn is offered: from synthetic and natural fibers, with angora and mohair, with lurex and polyblock, etc. All types can be conditionally divided into yarns from natural, unnatural (chemical) and blended fibers (made from a mixture three or more natural and unnatural fibers, provided that the content of the prevailing fiber is less than 90%).
In the group of yarns made from natural fibers, the main type in terms of the volume of use is wool... Wool means sheep's hair, but if it is replaced by something else, then it is necessary to stipulate which animal's wool was used in production. The most common of the "woolen" animals today are: goat, camel, llama, vigone, rabbit, yak.
The next most common type is mohair.
Mohair is the wool of angora goats. It is long, thin, durable, with a silky sheen. Natural color- pure white. In yarn, mohair is most often combined with synthetic or woolen yarn. It should be noted that there is no yarn with 100% mohair content: the most modern technologies do not allow to bring it to more than 83%. The most common yarns are those with a mohair content of 10, 20, 35, 40, 50 and 80%.
It is now very widespread angora, or angora. Angora wool is the soft, light down of angora rabbit. It is spun by connecting with woolen, cotton or silk thread. According to various sources, the maximum content of angora in yarn is from 45 to 70%, however, it must be remembered that a strong fixation of rabbit fluff in the yarn is impossible and its "peeling" is inevitable. Another negative property of angora is stalling. Products with angora can not be washed, or even better not to wet, only dry cleaning is acceptable.
Of considerable interest is this type of goat yarn as cashmere... The raw material for her is the hair of Tibetan highland goats, obtained by combing. Cashmere yarns are considered to be the most expensive yarns in use today. From a practical point of view, cashmere yarn for hand knitting with a cashmere content of no more than 30% is valuable, since cashmere is not form-stable and the thing will stretch under its own weight.
Another not very common, but very interesting type natural raw materials are - camel's wool... For yarn, llama hair is usually used, more precisely, alpaca - one of the representatives of the camel family. Camel hair can be soft or rough, depending on the age of the animal. The beautiful natural color of the coat from light to dark brown allows it to be used without dyeing. Very valuable yarn from a mixture of wool, cashmere and altaki in equal proportions. However, this yarn can cost 3-4 times more than ordinary woolen yarn.
Almost all the properties of alpaca wool are inherent in the wool of another animal of the camel family - vigoni.
Cotton, i.e. the fibers covering cotton seeds are used in yarn in two forms: natural bleached and mercerized. You can distinguish the fibers by eye - natural cotton is dyed only in faded colors (such are its properties), and after mercerization, cotton can be dyed in bright, juicy colors, which is often attributed to an admixture of synthetic fiber. Mercerized cotton is less stretchable and more prone to shrinkage after drying than unmercerized cotton.
Natural silk- the most expensive raw material for knitting and embroidery threads. Silk is the thinnest thread that the silkworm caterpillar uses to curl its cocoon. Silk threads are distinguished by high elasticity, crease resistance, quickly absorb moisture, conduct heat poorly, soft and silky to the touch, paint well in any tones, halftones and shades, are resistant to the action of alcohol, ether, acetone and benzene. But even weak alkali solutions destroy silk fibers and products made from them. They also lose their excellent properties when exposed to sunlight.
Linen, i.e. the fibers contained in the stem of this plant, until recently, were not widely used in yarn for hand knitting, but in last years Linen yarn has become fashionable, despite a number of negative properties: it is heavy, tough, very wrinkled. It is mainly used for knitting summer clothes, since it has good hygroscopicity and is not as hot as wool.
Non-natural yarns can be classified into man-made and synthetic yarns. Artificial ones are obtained by chemical treatment natural raw materials. The most common man-made fiber is rayon. It is made from liquid solutions of natural cellulose: spruce, pine, stems of some plants, waste from cotton fiber processing.
Viscose yarn for knitting - soft, silky, little electrified. Its disadvantages include: high crumpling, extensibility and a decrease in wet strength.
Synthetic fiber is produced by chemical synthesis. Examples synthetic fibers are lavsan, polypropylene, acrylic, nylon and many others. Currently, the most widespread are three groups of synthetic fibers: polyamide, polyester and polyacrylonitrile.
One of the most numerous types of fibers and threads is the group polyamide fibers(PA). Knitting yarn labels very often write simply: "polyamide". Distinctive feature fibers of this group are very high strength, low hygienic properties, glass luster, electrification, instability to light (turn yellow and become hard) and brittleness after repeated washing. The special value of these fibers and threads is their high dimensional stability. They are used in the manufacture of those products that require increased strength and reliability: all types of hosiery, sports jersey, workwear, as well as braided cords, braids, twisted threads.
Polyester fibers, symbol on the label - "PEF" or "POLYESTER". Produced under the names lavsan, terylene, dacron, lanon, diolen, tergal, etc. The threads of this group are distinguished by special elasticity, lightfastness, dimensional stability, withstand exposure high temperatures... The disadvantages include low hygroscopicity, which explains the limited color range of polyester yarns in comparison with other fibers.
Polyacrylonitrile fibers, conventional designation on the labels - "PAN - fiber", "ACRYL". They are known in the world market under the following names: UAH-fiber, acrylic, nitron, orlon, betrayed, krylor, redon, etc. They have high strength, thermoplasticity, high light resistance, do not fade, do not fade. Acrylic is currently the best wool-like fiber, close in properties to natural wool. Acrylic also goes well with shiny threads, which can create a bright, matte or shimmery and iridescent shine through the use of circular threads - viscose, acetate, polyamide, polyester, metal (lurex type) or film cut threads.
Products made of high-quality acrylic, practically do not fall off, have low shrinkage, are comfortable to wear, light, warm. The percentage of acrylic in knitting yarns can range from 100% pure acrylic to 5% in multicomponent yarns. Knitters are especially popular with the mixtures: "acrylic-mohair" and "acrylic-wool" in a wide variety of percentages of both components. But even among them, yarn containing mohair stands out in demand - 35%, 50%, 60%, the rest is acrylic. Mixtures of this composition provide an excellent appearance, shape stability of the product and the ability to get a fluffy thing after fleece or as it is worn and washed.
Yarn selection
By purchasing yarn, pay Special attention on its twist, elasticity, evenness and color strength. A thread that is too tightly twisted is not suitable for knitting. If you knit a product from it with knitting needles, then the knitted fabric can turn out not only tough, but sometimes skewed. It is useless to try to correct the skew by ironing through wet cloth- in a dried canvas after a while it will appear again.
Elasticity is the ability of the thread to take its original shape after removing the load. The elasticity and strength of the yarn are inseparable from each other, therefore, by checking the thread for elasticity, you will simultaneously determine its strength. If, when stretched, the thread springs in the hands, striving to vigorously restore its original length, then it is strong, and the things connected from it practically do not deform. If the thread breaks even from a slight tension, then knit by connecting it with a stronger one, otherwise a thing made from such a yarn will not last long.
Straight thread can be determined visually: look for thickenings or thin areas on it. Please note that for uneven yarn, the choice of patterns is limited - only those that have a raised surface are suitable (a combination of tubercles and depressions, convex and concave stripes, etc.). Do not try to make hosiery or openwork knitting from such yarn - no matter how hard you try, knitting will be sloppy. But if you attach a thread of a different color - contrasting or similar in tone (you can also uneven), then even stockinet in this case, it will visually appear even.
Color fastness you need to check if you decide to knit a colored pattern or contrasting stripes. To do this, moisten the end of the thread with water, lay it in white cloth and iron it with a hot iron. If a colored spot does not appear on the fabric, the thread is dyed permanently. Well, if a stain is found, do not despair - try to improve the color fastness.
Wash the skeins in soapy water, rinse well and dip them wet in warm water with vinegar essence (1 tablespoon per 1 liter of water). Boil the yarn over low heat in this solution for 20-25 minutes, turning it continuously. In this case, the skeins should float freely. Then wash and rinse the yarn again. If even after this the thread does not withstand the test for the strength of the color, then, apparently, it was dyed with poor quality dyes: of course, it is impossible to connect it with a thread of a different color, it is better to knit a monochromatic thing from it.
When choosing a yarn, it is imperative to pay attention to the rollability, i.e. the yarn's tendency to roll or, in other words, to the formation of balls. This property manifests itself to one degree or another on any yarn. Coarse wool yarns are the least prone to rolling, while soft, pleasant yarns are more prone to this defect.
When purchasing yarn, you must be guided by two more important concepts: thread length and thickness... The length of the thread is understood as the number of meters of thread in one kilogram. Under the thickness - the diameter of its cross section. The thickness of the yarn is determined by the number. The number is the number of meters of yarn per gram, so the larger the number, the thinner the thread. The yarn number is usually indicated on the labels, expressed as a fractional number, for example 32/2. The numerator indicates the thickness of the yarn, and the denominator - from how many threads it is twisted. You need to know that the length and thickness of the yarn are not directly dependent on each other.
Yarn consumption
Yarn count depends on the style of the product, size, knitting pattern (openwork, for example, requires much less thread consumption than a dense pattern with braids or a bulky elastic band), as well as on the quality of the yarn itself (the fluffier and weaker the yarn is twisted, the less it is consumed) ... It must also be remembered that even not too dirty yarn loses up to 10% of its mass during washing.
Considering all this, as well as the practice of knitting, it can be tentatively established that a sweater may require from 500 to 1000 g of yarn, a dress 700-1200, a suit 1000-1500, a hat 150-300, a T-shirt 250-500, etc. When purchasing threads for a certain product, it is better to buy a little more so that you do not have to change the style, knitting or start tying the yarn with other threads in the course of work due to the lack of yarn.
Spoke selection
Very important when knitting are knitting needles... The quality of knitting largely depends on their quality - its smoothness, purity and uniformity. Depending on the material of manufacture of the knitting needles, there are Bone, metal, wooden, etc.
Most often used for knitting steel spokes, since they are very durable, almost do not bend and do not stain products. Their only drawback is that they are relatively heavy, but in the process of work they quickly get used to them and cease to notice this inconvenience.
Aluminum spokes lightweight, it is convenient to work on them, since they do not bend, but their disadvantage is that they oxidize and stain light-colored products. Therefore, aluminum knitting needles are used mainly when knitting products from dark wool yarn.
For thick fluffy yarn, wooden or plastic knitting needles are well suited, since they allow you to knit a fabric that is soft and loose in quality, in which the beauty of the threads is visible.
From wooden knitting needles have proven themselves well bamboo knitting needles as they are very lightweight. But wooden knitting needles break easily. Therefore, if you want to buy bamboo knitting needles, choose a number of at least 3.5 mm.
Bone knitting needles lightweight and give a very clean knit; but they bend, making it difficult to work.
Thinner knitting needles are preferred over other materials.
When choosing knitting needles, it is best to pay attention to light and well-polished. The lighter the knitting needles, the less hand fatigue will be.
To ensure correct and comfortable knitting, the end of the knitting needle is of great importance. It should not be very sharp, but also not too blunt. The sharp end splits the thread and makes knitting difficult. Blunt needles are also inconvenient: they work slowly and also stretch the stitches.
The needles should be smooth and polished. The smallest roughness on the surface of the knitting needle prevents the thread from sliding easily, the yarn hairs break, as a result of which knitted product turns out to be of poor quality, uneven and ugly.
There are several types of knitting needles for specific jobs.
Closed (regular) knitting needles have one working end and a ring or ball at the other end. Ordinary knitting needles knit large parts that have closed edges on both sides (parts of pullovers, scarves, etc.).
Open, or circular, knitting needles have two working ends connected by a flexible cable or fishing line. They are used to knit a product in a circle so that it turns out without seams (skirts, hats, some types of pullovers, blouses). Circular knitting needles can also be used to knit just wide parts in forward and backward directions, so it is convenient to use them when making patterns in which 2 front and 2 purl rows are knitted in a row. For knitting in forward and backward directions, the optimal length of knitting needles is 60-80 cm. With circular knitting needles, it is convenient to measure the knitted fabric by simply attaching it to the figure.
Stocking needles is a set of 5 knitting needles with two working ends. When knitting with such knitting needles, loops are distributed over 4 knitting needles and knit 5th.
Short knitting needles are used for knitting in a circle of small items (mittens, socks, gloves, neck tape, hats). On longer knitting needles, you can also knit larger things in a circle (tablecloth).
Secondary knitting needles- straight and curly. You can leave open loops on the straight auxiliary needle of the corresponding number, for example, to enter a pocket. Curly knitting needles are short, they are used when crossing the loops of patterns from braids, plaits. Crossed loops are left on the auxiliary spoke before work or at work. The bend on the knitting needle prevents it from slipping out of the knitted fabric.
Each spoke has its own number. It corresponds to its diameter in millimeters. So, for example, needles No. 1 have a diameter of 1 mm, No. 2 - 2 mm, No. 3 - 3 mm, etc. It is recommended to have a set of needles from No. 1 to No. 10 with a full-size interval.
The number of needles is chosen according to the thickness of the thread: the needle should be almost twice, thicker than the thread. You can define it like this: fold the thread in half and twist it slightly - the thickness of the twisted thread should be equal to the diameter of the desired knitting needle. It should be remembered that over time, an individual manner of performing the work is developed - knit a little tighter or weaker than usual. Therefore, it is necessary to make an amendment when choosing the number of knitting needles: if the needlewoman knits weakly, then the knitting needles should be one full size less than the prescribed size, if tight, then the same amount more. Incorrectly selected knitting needles can ruin the fabric: if the knitting needles are thinner than necessary, the fabric will turn out to be tough, inelastic, each loop will have to be knitted with effort. If the knitting needles are thicker than required, then the knitting will be loose, shapeless.
Knitting needles No. 1 and No. 2 are used when knitting with fine yarn. Lightweight products are knitted on them - women's blouses, jackets, T-shirts, etc. However, they are most often used when knitting elastic bands, which gives them greater elasticity. Knitting needles No. 2,5 and 3 are usually used when knitting with double and triple yarn. Knitting needles number 3 and 3.5 knit items from thick yarn, mainly men's jumpers, sleeveless jackets and sportswear.
Often, when knitting with front loops, after several correct and even rows, a weaker row suddenly appears.
With such a mating, if you look at it from seamy side, it is easy to see that the rows are divided in pairs wider than the other rows. This marriage can be eliminated by using two knitting needles of different thickness and knitting a weaker row with a knitting needle of a smaller number, for example, 2.5 or 3; in this case, the knitting is uniform.
Knitting is one of the most interesting and useful species needlework, owning his skills, you can do many beautiful and useful things. Nowadays, no woman can imagine herself without a fashionable knitted beanie, scarf, sweaters.
When knitting, the correct position is very important, since due to improper fit, stoop, curvature of the spine, and myopia can develop. You need to sit straight, touching the back of the chair with the body. The distance between the eyes and the work should be 30 to 40 cm.
When hand knitting, the main tools are knitting needles and crochet hooks, as well as a fork (hairpin, or arc). In addition to them, additional tools may be useful: a needle with long ear(darning) for sewing parts of the product, scissors, thimbles, tape measure, sewing pins and a temporary release pin, embroidery needles, etc.
Knitting tools
Knitting needles are metal (steel, nickel-plated or chrome-plated, aluminum or brass), plastic, bone and wood. It is more convenient to work with light and well-polished knitting needles: metal from light alloys, wood and plastic.
Aluminum spokes are lightweight but often dirty knitting and the steel spokes are heavy. For thick, fluffy yarns, wooden or plastic knitting needles work well. Of the wooden knitting needles, bamboo ones have proven themselves well, since they are very light.
The knitting needles should be smooth, since the slightest roughness on the surface of the knitting needles can interfere with the sliding of the yarn and make it difficult to work, the ends of the knitting needles should not be very sharp, but not too blunt. The lighter the knitting needles, the less your hands will fatigue.
When choosing knitting needles, it is necessary to take into account the thickness of the threads, the nature of the weaving and the purpose of the product. The needles come in various thicknesses and are designated by numbers. Each number corresponds to the diameter of the spoke in millimeters. For example, # 3.5 have a diameter of 3.5 mm. The number of knitting needles is chosen in accordance with the thickness of the thread, the knitting needle should be, in general, 2 times thicker than the yarn, and their number should be determined as follows: fold the thread in half and twist slightly - the thickness of this thread should be equal to the diameter of the required knitting needles. But it must be borne in mind that each knitter performs work with a different density, so it is better to choose knitting needles individually.
To work, you need to have a set of knitting needles, different in purpose, and other tools. There are several types of knitting needles:
Straight needles have one working end and a ring or ball at the other end. Ordinary knitting needles knit parts that have closed edges on both sides. They are used for knitting large pieces of clothing, shawls, scarves and other large items.
Circular knitting needles have two working ends connected by a flexible cable or fishing line. These knitting needles are universal, you can knit everything on them: details of clothing, scarves, hats, stockings, skirts, sweaters. They are convenient for knitting in a circle so that the product turns out without seams.
Stocking needles Is a set of 5 knitting needles with two working ends. When knitting with stocking knitting needles, the loops are distributed over four knitting needles and knitted with the 5th knitting needle. Used for knitting in a circle of small items: mittens, gloves, socks, hats).
Secondary knitting needles are straight and curly. Open loops can be left on the straight auxiliary needle of the corresponding number, for example, to enter a pocket. Curly knitting needles are short knitting needles with a bend and are used to cross stitches for braid patterns. This also includes large safety pins, which are also used for tying braids.
Crochet tools
Crochet hooks, like knitting needles, come in metal, wood, plastic and bone.
When choosing a hook, you need to pay special attention to the head. A too sharp head injures the index finger of the left hand, and a blunt one stretches the loops and makes knitting difficult.
The main part of the hook is the head, according to its thickness, the hook number is determined. If the thickness of the head is 3 mm, then this is hook No. 3. To work with threads of different thicknesses, you should have a set of hooks from No. 1 to 6.
The hook should be 1.5 - 2 times thinner than the threads in order to grip the thread well, not to split it. Woolen yarn products are knitted with thick crochet hooks (No. 2-6).
Thin metal hooks (No. 0.5 - 1.5) knit fishnet products(lace, napkins). For knitting, threads are used: woolen, semi-woolen, synthetic, garus, more beautiful, linen, bobbin No. 10, 20 and darning.
Hooks can be short (12-15 cm) for regular knitting and long (35-45 cm) for Tunisian.
Hooks with a wooden or plastic handle, as well as those with a flattened part, are more convenient.
When crocheting openwork patterns, a fork is also used, it happens different sizes depending on the thickness of the thread, but necessarily has the shape of a hairpin. Sometimes, for convenience, it is made on a leg, and a stopper is included with it, which helps to keep the distance between the ends of the plug constant.
Hooks are always stored in a box, as notches, scratches, curvatures make them unusable.
When crocheting, use yarn from flax, or synthetic threads, as well as strips of fabric or knitwear and various cords. But woolen ones are considered the best: a knitted pattern looks good on them, they are resilient, elastic, do not slip
There are many varieties of wool from which knitting yarns are spun. The best ones have silky, thin, long and elastic fibers. These include angora, merino, camel wool, etc.
The yarn is usually sold in skeins or balls. The label on a factory-made ball (or skein) usually indicates which type of knitting (hand or machine) this yarn is intended for.
For hand knitting, it is better not to use a heavily twisted thread, because the fabric knitted from it will be skewed. To check if the yarn is suitable for hand knitting, unwind the thread longer, fold it in half and hold it hanging.
The yarn should be even in thickness, uniform and strong enough, since the unequal thickness of the thread will certainly affect appearance and quality finished product... However, there is a special bouclé yarn, with knots or nubs evenly distributed along the entire length. Products made with hosiery look good from it.
The yarn obtained from thin woolen fiber is used mainly for machine knitting of thin elegant products, thicker for hand knitting of warm and sportswear. Cotton threads are mainly used for knitting summer products.
Knitting tools
Crochet hooks
When crocheting, the main tool is the crochet hook. There are two types of hooks - short, which are used for simple knitting ( air loops and columns), and long - for knitting long crochet(Tunisian knitting).
Hooks are made from a variety of materials - metal, bone, plastic or wood. They are of various thicknesses. Hooks are divided into numbers. The hook number is the diameter in millimeters, for example, the diameter of hook # 2 is 2 mm.
The thickness of the hook is selected according to the thickness of the material and the selected pattern. When purchasing a hook, you need to pay attention to its tip. The tip of the hook should not be too round, because then it is difficult to grasp the thread, but it should not be too sharp - it can hurt your fingers. It is necessary to make sure that the hook has a large enough cutout, then it is easy to hold the thread. If, nevertheless, a bad hook is caught, then at home it can be corrected by sawing off the tip.
Knitting fork
In addition to hooks, a fork is used, on which you can perform a very peculiar knitting.
Yarn winch or yarn winder
Straightening the thread and winding it into a ball is a time consuming process, so a winch is needed. To wind the thread into a ball, a skein is straightened on a winch, the thread is pulled by one end, the winch spins, and the yarn is easily wound into a ball.
The winch is also used if the yarn needs to be unwound from a ball to a skein. The ball is placed in a basket and placed below, near the winch. The end of the thread is tied to one of the pins of the winch, the winch is twisted, unwinding the ball into a skein. The wound thread is tied up in two or three places and removed from the winch. The skein is washed or painted.
So that the ball can be wound up quickly and beautifully, it is recommended to purchase a ball rewinder or wind the ball with your hands, placing your index and middle fingers under the thread. When enough rows are wound, they pull the fingers out of the ball, change its position and continue to wind, putting the fingers under the thread. The ball will be soft and beautiful. If woolen thread wound into a hard, heavy ball, it becomes like cotton and loses its elasticity.
It is also very convenient for rewinding yarn from ball to ball or from bag to ball, since winches are already a rarity, and there are even electric winches.
When making knitted items, the main thing is to choose the right yarn. Hand-knitted threads are used in a variety of ways. The variety of yarn for knitting in our time is difficult to overestimate. Various textures, colors, different composition, bulky yarn, twisted yarn, boucle, “melange” - you can't list everything.
The most popular knitting yarn is wool. It can be applied to a wide range of women's, men's and children's products. These are scarves and hats, jumpers and sweaters, jackets and coats, ponchos and shawls. According to its characteristics, woolen yarn is lighter than vegetable yarn and more elastic. It retains heat well. Does not get wet as quickly in a humid environment as cotton, but less durable. The disadvantages of woolen yarn can also be attributed to its dumping and the formation of pellets on it during friction. Moreover, the weaker the yarn is twisted, the more pronounced these disadvantages are. In order to get rid of them, artificial or plant fiber is added to the woolen yarn. The example of woolen yarn with acrylic has already become a classic.
Silk threads make beautiful summer blouses and bags. Silk braid is used for hats and bags.
Summer products with openwork and dense patterns are knitted from cotton threads.
Interesting models for summer can be knitted from fine wool, linen or synthetic yarn. These are dresses, blouses, and a variety of tops. It is good to use cotton thread for knitting children's things: blouses, caps, since this soft yarn does not irritate the delicate skin of the child.
Fancy yarn - yarn obtained by mixing fibers of different color and quality, as well as yarn made using a special technology (for example, ribbon-like yarn, the threads of which are not spun, but knitted or woven). Fancy yarns are ideal for knitting smooth and coarse patterns as well as wide braids. Products made of fancy yarns, like pure wool, are recommended to be washed by hand and dried unfolded.
When choosing a yarn for knitting, you need to pay attention to the elasticity of the thread, that is, its ability to take its original shape. The more elastic thread is stronger. The more twisted the thread, the greater the strength of the knitted product.
Knitting yarn must be checked for tensile strength. If the thread is springy in the hands, then the things connected from it practically do not deform. If the thread breaks even from a slight stretch, then the thing knitted from such threads will turn out to be fragile, it will not keep its shape well and will quickly stretch.
Spokes
Having chosen the threads for knitting, you need to choose knitting needles for them. From the right choice knitting needles and threads will depend on the quality of the knitted fabric.
The needles come in different thicknesses and are numbered. Each number corresponds to the diameter of the spoke in millimeters. The number of knitting needles is chosen according to the thickness of the threads: the knitting needle should be twice as thick. But this is not a rule, so the choice of knitting needles is very individual. Try knitting with two or three numbers of knitting needles and choose ones that will not make the fabric very tight or loose. In the future, when choosing a pattern, you may have to change the number of knitting needles, since openwork patterns knit more tightly, and patterns consisting of braids are looser than hosiery.
Long knitting needles suitable for knitting parts in straight and reverse rows. Due to the fact that the knitting needles taper from the end, the loops lie on them freely and are easily knitted. Stoppers prevent the loops from slipping, they show the thickness of the needles.
Sleep stocking set always consists of five relatively short needles (15 or 20 cm), pointed on both sides. They are intended, for example, for knitting stockings or mittens in a circle. Bamboo knitting needles are especially good for this. They slip less and therefore do not slip out of the hinges.
Flexible knitting needles used for knitting wide pieces, for example, for pullovers and jackets. On one side, there is a fishing line as a continuation of the knitting needle. Even if the details of the product are wider than the knitting needles, the stoppers prevent the loops from slipping.
Circular knitting needles- these are two stiff knitting needles connected by flexible fishing line of various lengths. Short circular knitting needles are used to knit, for example, neck trims or collars. Long needles you can knit whole models in a circle.
Additional tools
Secondary knitting needles, or knitting needles for knitting "braids" are used to cross the loops. The needles for knitting "braids" have a slight bend in the middle so that the crossed loops in front or, respectively, behind the fabric do not slip.
Knitting pin looks like a very large safety pin. It is used to temporarily leave loops when knitting a neck or pocket, while the loops are transferred to a pin and fastened.
Knitting thimble makes it easier to knit jacquard patterns. With it, you can knit with two or four threads at the same time.
Sharp scissors with pointed ends are necessary both for knitting and for any kind of needlework.
Needles for sewing, parts should be with a long eye so that you can pull in a thick thread, and a blunt tip so that they can easily pass between the loops without splitting the thread.
Centimeter for taking measurements and for measuring related parts.
