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What You Should Know About Knits

June 21st, 2009    Subscribe To Our Feed

When choosing a fabric, there are many different types of knits to choose from. Most any fabric that is stretchy is considered a knit fabric. But there are specific types of knit fabrics that are used to make certain types of items. The best way to control the knit size while knitting is through the knitting needles used and by yarn size.

There are many different ways to achieve a knit fabric, and an experienced knitter will know how to make many different knit styles with her or his knitting needles. Some common knits are: the double knit, the sweatshirt knit, the jersey knit, ribbing, the spandex knit, the sweater knit, the interlock knit, the velour and velvet knit, and the fleece knit. The double knit fabric is a heavy to medium weight, and is generally used for designs such as pants and dresses. The sweatshirt knit is generally used for clothing styles that have a sporty design.

The jersey knit is a light to medium weight fabric and has ribs on one side, and horizontal lines on the other. Jersey knit fabrics are used for many different styles, such as dresses, skirts, sheets and more. Ribbing is a tough fabric that is generally only used for cuffs and collars. A spandex knit is a very small knit, and is used when a lot of stretch is needed, such as in bathing suits. A sweater knit can vary from being the heaviest weight, to one of the lightest, depending on the yarn used.

An interlock knit is a light to medium weight, and has a light ribbing on both sides. This knit is used for anything from dresses to sleepwear. The velour knit is a shiny, stretchy fabric that can be used for anything from sweatpants to dress tops. A fleece knit is a bulky, soft fabric, usually used for outdoor garments or blankets.

Most of these knits can be made through knitting. Some of the more intricate patterns may require the use of a knitting machine; however, you might be surprised at what you can do with just a pair of knitting needles. There is a pretty easy formula to follow when creating a knit. The bigger the knitting needles, the bigger the holes will be, and the bulkier the yarn, the bigger the pattern. So for a small, lightweight fabric, a knitter would use lightweight, thin yarn and small needles. There are many different knitting books that outline the procedures for creating the different knit styles. There are also books that cover the same topics for crocheting, if someone prefers that method of knitting. Of course, a hand knit fabric is never going to look the same as a machine knitted one; however, many people appreciate the time and thoughtfulness it takes for someone to create something by hand for them. It is not necessary to create garments that look store-bought.

So now you know a little more about knits and how to knit them. It may surprise you to find out how many different fabrics can be knitted. If you are part of a knitting club, then the members can guide you towards better knitting. However, if you don’t have a club around, studying from the knitting books available will help tremendously towards improving your skills.

What do you need in a knitting needle?

June 15th, 2009    Subscribe To Our Feed

When choosing the best knitting needles, start with the project’s requirements.  The pattern will indicate a preferred needle size, as well as the number of stiches in the gauge swatch.  Depending on how tightly you work your stiches, you may find that you will need needles either slightly larger or slightly smaller than the size called for on the pattern.  When you are buying your first knitting needles, you would do better to go to a craft store that features a large knitting department, or to a knitting shop. Staff at such small stores are generally quite knowledgeable and are very willing to help you choose the best knitting needles.  Don’t forget to take your pattern with you.

Size

Standard knitting needle sizes in the United States generally run from 000 (the smallest) to 50 (the largest).  However, it is also common to see the diameter measured in millimeters (MM).  Please be aware that U.K./Canadian sizing is very different.  For example, 000 in UK/Canadian Sizing is equal to 10 in U.S. sizing, but they both have a diamter of 10MM.  You need to be aware of the sizing standard used by the pattern.  Many knitting needle companies will indicate the standard (US or UK) as well as the MM diameter.  If you are in doubt, please ask for help at the knitting counter.

Style

For most beginning knitters, the best knitting needle style is the straight needle. The capped ends by which they are recognized help stop stitches from falling off the end of the needle. For more intricate and advanced knitting patterns you will use specialty needles.

Material

The most popular materials used to make knitting needles are plastic, metal, wood and bamboo.  Not only do each of these materials will feel different in your hands, but they will also interact differently with the thread you have choosen for your project.  Plastic and metal needles are very smooth and cool to the touch, but they allow the thread to glide so easily that many beginning knitters can have some difficulty using them.  Wood and bamboo needles are warm to the touch, a bit more flexible, and have enough friction to help a beginning knitter to manage the stitches better, but they break more easily than metal or plastic. You will want to try them out to make sure they feel right to you.

Knitting Needles for your New Project

June 12th, 2009    Subscribe To Our Feed

Choosing Knitting Needles

When buying knitting needles, there are many options for you to choose. Not only do you have to decide on what type you need, but you also have to choose what type of material the needles are made from. Both decisions are influenced by what you will be knitting and by personal preference. To help you choose the best knitting needles for your project, here is a brief description of these two factors.

Materials Used For Needles:

Knitting needles are made from a variety of materials. The type of material used provides friction that will influence how easy the stitches come off the needle. Sometimes a smooth needle is required for speed and other times a rough needle is preferred to prevent stitches from slipping off by accident.

Wood: These needles have a rough surface. They are light weight and considered environmentally friendly because it comes from a renewable resource. Bamboo needles are a very popular wood option. Bamboo is particularly environmentally friendly because it can grow as fast as 3-4 feet in a single day.

Metal: Metal needles are very smooth. This allows the stitches to easily slip off one needle and onto another needle. Experienced knitters who want to complete their project very quickly prefer this type of needle. Metal needles are very durable and hard to break. Aluminium is the most common type of metal used for metal needles.

Plastic or Acrylic: These needles are light weight, flexible and inexpensive. They usually have a different colour for each size the needle comes in, especially when they are sold as sets.

Types of Needles:

There are three main types of needles: circular, double pointed and straight. Each type of needle, often referred to as circular or flat, is used to produce different results. Flat knitting creates flat pieces, such as scarves, while circular knitting creates circular pieces or tubes without seams. Some needles can only produce one type of result, while others can create several different types of results.

Circular: Circular needles have two needles at both ends with a flexible cable in the middle. The cable is long, anywhere from 24 to 60 inches. The needles at the end are short, inflexible and have tapered ends. They make it easy to add new stitches, while the cable holds the stitches after they have been added. Hold one end of the circular needles in each hand when knitting with them. The advantage of circular needles is that they can hold hundreds of stitches, the stitches won’t fall off the needles and the flexible cord in the middle can rest on the knitter’s lap so that the weight of the stitches is not felt. Circular needles can be used for flat or circular knitting.

Double Pointed (Dpns): These needles are short and straight, but both ends of the needle are tapered. Stitches can be added from either end of the needle. Double pointed needles are used for knitting tubes, such as sleeves and socks. When knitting with dpns, four to five needles are used at the same time. One needle is used to hold the stitches in place while the other needle is used to add stitches. One specialized type of dpns are cable needles, which look like dpns, but they are shorter and have a dimple in the middle of the needle.

Straight Needle: The needle is long and straight. There is a knob or cap at one end, which prevents the stitches from falling off the needle. At the other end, the needle is tapered, similar to a sewing needle but it is blunt instead of being sharp. When knitting with straight needles, two needles are used. Straight needles are used for flat knitting, for example scarves or shawls.

Please visit Beautiful Creations to see the different types and sizes of knitting needles that are available. Are you still not sure of which ones to buy? Or are you looking for an easy project to do? Check out these Knitting Kits that come complete with all the supplies you need, including yarn, needles and pattern instructions.

Traditional Quilting

May 29th, 2009    Subscribe To Our Feed

A quilt is frequently handed down through generations, and a quilt isn’t something that is thrown about roughly. This is probably due to the art involved in making a quilt which makes it a prized possession especially if it is an antique one. Nothing is more comfortable than wrapping oneself with a traditional quilt. A quilt is a necessity but it has also evolved as an art form. This art form is seen in both modern as well as traditional quilts.

A quilt can be used as a decorative piece like a wall hanging decorative piece. Small baby quilts can be gifted to babies or their mothers. A quilt can also be used to maintain a family tree and keep on adding, generation after generation.

There are many quilt patterns which have been created using various creative ideas. The ideas have been incorporated in the quilt patterns which has transformed into an art form over the years.

There are many quilt patterns like the tree, train pattern, the pattern of frogs, the wall hanging patterns for Christmas, quilt patterns from the south west quilt design frogs, necktie patterns and modern quilt patterns with two color quilt pattern. Christmas quilt wall hanging patterns is one of those used in the festive season. Amish star quilt pattern and cat quilt patterns cannot be disregarded as they are popular quilt designs.

These are merely a few of the quilt patterns which are utilised when quilting. One can choose a quilt pattern accordingly depending on choice and aesthetic sensitivity. One can create new designs and incorporate them while quilting. Quilting patterns are innumerable and it can be easily said that the sky is the limit particularly in the case of quilting patterns. Quilts can be constructed well at your home and such a quilt can hold up for generations.

Blog updates on quilting are common and you are able to get hold of quilting techniques expressed here. Many quilting techniques have been demonstrated through the blog. Quilters can visit the blog and acquire updates. Quilting is a prime delight especially during cold seasons. It is a good pastime for many people who can incorporate art through quilting patterns.

Skilled quilters are addicted to quilting. It is a passion for them and they keep on quilting out of passion for the art itself. They can innovate and among their creations is quilting the edges of a binding so that it can be covered well. Quilting is like a fever and once you catch it, you go on quilting. The outcome is beautiful quilts with modern designs and patterns.

An Introduction to Beads and Beading

April 14th, 2009    Subscribe To Our Feed

Beads are small decorative objects that are usually used to make jewelry. Beads must usually first be pierced before they can be used as they will need to have thread or string passed through them so that they can be strung together. However beads can also be used to decorate the surfaces of items such as sculptures and wall hangings in which case there would be no need to pierce them. Beads can also be found decorating personal items such as purses and handbags. They can also be used in home furnishing such as table cloths and cushions. Beads vary greatly in size from the tiniest beads that are less than a millimeter in diameter to the largest beads which will be a centimeter in diameter or more.

Please don’t get confused by the term “seed bead”. It doesn’t necessarily mean that the bead is made from seeds, which some beads are. The term “Seed bead” is a generic term that is often used to describe any small bead.

Beads can be made from all kinds of different material, but glass, plastic and stone tend to be the most common. However beads are also made from many other materials including bone, horn, shell, ivory, coral, pearl, metal, gemstones, polymer clay, metal clay, resin, wood, ceramic, fiber, paper, seeds and synthetic materials. As you can see you are spoilt for choice when it comes to deciding what materials you would like to work with.

Beads have been around a very along time since the first known civilizations. The oldest known examples of jewelry are an approximately 100,000 year old pair of beads made from sea snail shells. Apart from being used in jewelry and personal adornment beads are also used for religious purposes, good luck talismans and curative agents.

The craft of making items from beads is known as beadwork. There are many different beadwork techniques and they can be broadly categorized as stringing, embroidery, crochet, knitting, loom weaving and off-loom weaving.

Hobbyists of all abilities can practise the craft of beadworking. The simplest examples of beaded jewelry can be created by a novice beader in virtually no time at all. It may takes weeks of meticulous work for experienced beadworkers to create some of their beading projects and they will often need to use special tools and equipment.

For more information about beads please visit http://www.beadyeyez.com

How to Make Nearly Effortless Easter Crafts

March 23rd, 2009    Subscribe To Our Feed

Easter is on its way once again, so it’s time once again to begin making the Easter crafts I create every year. Each Easter season brings new opportunities get creative. It also means researching new craft ideas I haven’t made before. But that’s fun, and I actually look forward to it. I’m confident I can gather all the components I need in just a short time.

Usually I my creative process begins with searching for vintage Easter clip art that will inspire me to begin the craft project. Since this will be an Easter project, I will want to search for Easter bunny or baby chick images. That shouldn’t be a problem, due to the number of Easter images available on the ’Net.

I’ve also found in the past that free vintage Easter greeting cards that anyone can access on the Web can make designing an Easter craft project easier. Because the cards already have great designs, even a relatively simple structure will produce a excellent craft project.

Brilliant Easter crafts can also be made with scrapbooking supplies. Many embellishments, photo frames and borders exist that can help make your craft project one of a kind. For example, three dimensional stickers have recently become very popular. Also, printed scrapbook papers –whether digital or bought in a store — will add a spark of color to your Easter project. Professionals also use these elements, so it’s proven that their use produces good results.

So as you plan to make Easter crafts this year, remember how valuable the ‘Net can be. Keep things basic and let the clip art, greeting cards and/or scrapbooking supplies you choose do most of the work. That will help you produce professional looking results and will make the creation process go easier and faster. A lot of compliments from friends and family will probably result. And if selling your crafts is your ultimate goal, doing so will be that much more viable.

 

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