Muna wa Wanjiru asked:


Knitting is the oldest craft among all the crafts. Knitting threads or yarns are used to create cloths or warm cloths. Knitting is the process done by the loops, and these loops are stitched through each others and this way, you will get different patterns of the cloths and fabrics. But to develop this fabric you will need some devices with which you will be able to knit with.

These different materials need to knit the fabric are as follows:

Yarn:

These yarns used for knitting are generally sold in the form of balls or skeins, also called as hanks or otherwise it may be wound or bobbin or cones. These balls are usually sold with yarn bands which will give the details of that yarn which you are purchasing. These details are regarding yarns weight, length, dye lot, fiber content, washing instructions not only this it will give suggestion, about which needles are to be used and the gauge. While knitting it is most probable that the yarn will finish; therefore you should keep some yarn bands for future reference for additional purchases. Mostly you should prefer the yarn with single dye lot. This will tell you the group of skeins that are from different dye lots, though they are dyed together and this will give different strips while knitting. You should keep some extra yarn while knitting, which will not affect the efficiency.

Knitting Tools:
Besides this other necessary thing for the knitting, are the knitting tools. These tools are knitting needles and ancillary tools.

While knitting you have to complete three basic tasks these are: holding an active stitch, second task is when these stitches becomes secure, then you have to release them, and the third thing is that, new tights of should passed through the fabric generally from active stitches by securing them.

To carry all these tasks, you can make use of your fingers, without making use of any knitting tools, but in general practice knitting is done with the help of knitting tools, like knitting needles, knitting machine like rigid frames. These knitting rigid frames are called knitting boards, knitting rings or knitting pools according to their size and shape. All these frames are called as knitting looms.

Besides these tools and other tools, are used to prepare yarn for knitting, to measure and design knitted garments and also makes knitting easy and more comfortable.

Ancillary Tools:

Crochet hooks and the darning needles are used for binding the joints, of two knitted pieces edge to edge. Among these the darning needles are used for duplicate stitches and also called Swiss darning. Whereas the second crochet hook is used for skipped, or drooped stitches specially stitches like tufting. These all are regarding small fabric, but if you are working with large fabric, then it is most probable that you will forget about the stitch then for this purpose there are many tools, for counting the stitches, identify the number of specific row or stitch which will cover circular stitch markers, hanging markers, extra yarn and counters.

These are the different tools which can be used while knitting at home.



DERRICK

jo asked:


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In this brief article we aim to just give a basic understanding of knitting needles, their sizing and what you need to look out for.

Size IS important…………….

Knitting needles come in different sizes. It is important to know the size of your knitting needles because their size is related to the size of your stitches and, implicitly, to the appearance of the finished work.

Knitting needles are given different numbers according to their measure. Do not think of their length! It is important how big round the needles are. However, these numbers can differ from one country to another. For example, a knitting needle of 3.75 mm is number 5 in American measurement and number 9 in British measurement, or you may see on the bag of the knitting needles you buy it is simply written as a 3.75 mm needle.

Notice that the American measurement has low numbers for needles with smaller diameters, and the numbers can go up to 50 for a larger diameter like 25 mm, while the British measurement has high numbers for low diameters and the numbers decrease when it comes to high diameters like, for example, 000 for knitting needles of 10 mm, Therefore, you need to look up a knitting needle conversion chart to ensure you end up with the correct needle size.

To confuse you still further if you have a 4.5 mm knitting needle, in that case the size number coincides; with both countries calling it size 7.

Understanding Gauge …………

In knitting, there is the concept of gauge and it means the number of stitches in a given length. This concept is related to the pattern you have and, if in your pattern it says there are supposed to be, for example, 5 stitches to an inch and you can make only 3, than you should and need to change the size of your knitting needles. Each pattern requires that you knit a certain number of stitches using a particular yarn and a specified needle.

However, it is not necessary to stick to the yarn or the needles specified in the pattern, but it is important to get the correct number of stitches per inch in order to have the right size, length and other characteristics of the pattern.

Different Kinds ……….

You can also choose between circular needles and straight needles. Some people prefer circular needles because they are more comfortable to use and you can knit both in the round and back and forth like straight needles. You can find circular knitting needles, double point knitting needles and also single pointed knitting needles made of different materials such as steel, wood or bamboo. There are also different types of knitting needles like Addi knitting needles, Clover knitting needles, Misc knitting needles, Crystal Palace, Rosewood and HiyaHiya

To find out more pay a visit to a good knitting or haberdashery store & ask for advice.

FOREST

Gina Williams asked:


Loom knitting is as well referred to as French knitting, reel knitting, spool knitting, box knitting, rake knitting, ring knitting, bung knitting, frame knitting etc Loom knitting is an historic fine art that has recently found a revival. Knitting nowadays is highly popular all over the world. And the revival of knitting looms in the world of knitting has given all knitters a grounds to smile.

Looms were used extensively in the medieval age in nations like Britain, France, Germany and many other places in Europe. People used the technique of loom knitting to knit bags, purses, tasseled caps, petticoats, shawls, hammocks, curtains, nets, petticoats etc. A common opinion is that guild apprentices knit carpets for their masters on frame boards i.e, knitting looms.

Knitting looms can be separated in to three basic types- the round loom, the rake loom and the knitting board. The round loom is not necessarily round. It could be a square, rectangle, an oval or even diamond-shaped. All pegs of this loom are necessary to be continuous without any specific starting or stopping point. The distance between the pegs of this loom determines its gauge. A lot of space implies a lot of gauge.

There is not much difference between the round loom and the rake. However, the rake, second type of knitting loom, has continuous pegs which have a beginning and a finishing point. Once Again, the gauge of the pegs in this loom is defined by the length between them. Only flat knitting can be done on this type of knitting loom.

A knitting board is a loom with two twin rakes. These parallel rakes are used to knit across the loom. A double knit fabric can be created with the help of a knitting board. The gauge of this type of loom is marked by two factors- the length between its pegs and the space between its rakes. A wider gauge is created by a larger distance between either of the two.

Loom knitting is facilitated by the different devices on a knitting loom. The knitting looms that have single rows of pegs are called single rakes, while those having double rows of pegs are called double rakes. Knitting materials that have a distinctive right and wrong side can be made with single rakes. A double material with both right sides can be produced with the aid of double rakes.

The purpose pegs serve in loom knitting is same as the purpose needles serve in hand or machine knitting. Each peg in a loom is like a knitting needle which is used to make different patterns and stitches on a loom. Gauge is the length between the pegs of a loom. It is this standard of measurement that specifies the size of the stitches that can be produced, as also the thickness of yarn that would work the best for a particular loom.

Loom knitting has not only gained a return but also is acquiring popularity. It is easy to learn and the knitting looms are simple to use. Those who have given up crochet and needle knitting owing to arthritis, carpal tunnel syndrome or other such complaints can enjoy loom knitting instead. It does not require use of needles and is quite user friendly.

The trend of loom knitting is taking the world by storm and is for certain doing a lot good to the world of knitting.



LEE

Muna wa Wanjiru asked:


Knitting looms, around since the 16th century, are considered fairly easy to learn and use and are growing in popularity. There are varieties of shapes in looms: some are round, oval and rectangular.

Single loom rakes have single row of pegs and double rakes have two rows of pegs. Looms are mainly used to make knit fabric. The size of the fabric depends upon the size of the loom. And there are many names used for loom knitting: fame knitting, ring knitting, box knitting, spool knitting, reel knitting, French knitting, knitting board, reel knitting are other names for loom knitting.

In the knitting loom, the stitches are made by interconnecting loops which becomes a fabric. Loom knitting is similar to needle knitting. In the loom knitting, the pegs are the needles. When the peg holds one loop it becomes a stitch. The yarn surrounds the pegs. The knitter has to wrap each peg and lifts the bottom loop over and off so that the loop is dropped to the inside of the loom. A stitch will be created when the loop is lifted over and off.

In the knitting looms, knitters combine the purl stitch and knit stitch. Hundreds of stitch patterns rises with this combination. But the designs were limited only. Recently, the loom knitting has undergone vast changes. Lace patterns and cable designs can also be knitted in the loom knitting. Knitting comes in different sizes. There are some popular sizes in the knitting looms that are known as loom gauge. There are three main factors that influence the gauge in the loom knitting. They are knitting loom gauge, yarn and knitting tension. The measurement from center of one peg to the center of other peg determines the gauge on the knitting looms. Another important factor that influences the gauge is the diameter of the peg shaft. If the spacing between the pegs is large, then the stitches will have long space between them. If the pegs are closer, the knit gauge will be smaller.

The knitting loom covers three types of looms. They are single-sided rakes, rounds and knitting boards. The round knitting looms are known as hat looms. They come in different shapes and sizes. They create small tubes for the baby socks, and larger tubes for the hats made for adults. They have stitches similar like needle knitting. A flat panel can also be created using round loom. This form is called single sided rake. You can find single sided rakes also in the knitting looms. They are used specifically to create flat panels.

Knitting board is a part of the knitting looms. The knitting looms have double bed of pegs, which faces each other and allows the knitting to pass through. They are also called knitting frames or double-sided rakes. A fabric is created with double side and there is no wrong side. Knitting tool is a long piece of metal and has an angled tip that is used to lift off the loops.



RICARDO

heather c asked:


I want one that is a smaller gauge than the Knifty knitting ones (purple rectangle is too far apart for my liking). I want to try to make my own and need Ideas. I am not that handy with wood and tools but I can try.

GUY