Saturday, March 7, 2009

Knitting Yarn Comes In Different Sizes And Shapes

By Gina Williams

The concept of knitting yarn is very relative and wide at the same time as it defines any material that can be knitted by hand, machine or loom; here we should mention cotton, wool, ribbon, string and all sorts of artificial fibers. The aspect to remember before making the choice of the knitting yarn is that this element gives the actual properties of an item as such. How formal do you want the garments to be? On what weather are you going to wear them? And how often do you need to wash them? This means that the right knitting yarn influences the success or failure level in a knitting project, although there are other factors at work too.

First of all, knitting yarn is available in different sizes and shapes, not to mention the fact that the origin of the material is equally important. Thus, fibers of animal origin such as wool are incredibly adequate if we think about the insulating and humidity absorbent properties. This means that such knitting yarn works great for sweaters, shawls, baby blankets, gloves, hats and socks. In case you are after some highly breathable materials that can be comfortably worn during summer, then go for cotton and other plant fibers as knitting yarn.

Nylon and polyester are other knitting yarn types often chosen by knitters; they offer the advantage of being suitable for more fashionable clothes, but will never work for baby clothes. Use only cotton and linen knitting yarn for the clothes that come in direct contact with the delicate baby skin. Then, another serious word of advice to consider here is the quality of the knitting yarn that is most often relevant in the color difference. You definitely need to make sure that the yarn you purchase belongs to the same dye lot and that there are no variations whatsoever.

Knitting yarn comes in a variety of thicknesses otherwise known as weights. Aran yarn works as the standard weight and it proves perfect for basic knitting patterns and hats. Any knitting yarn type thicker than Aran is usually good for heavy jumpers and usually requires the use of very thick needles. On the other hand, knitting yarn types that are thinner than Aran are usually double-knit yarn and four ply yarn. The former is good for children's garments and socks whereas the latter allows for the making of fine elegant apparel items.

I hope you enjoyed this article. As always if you wish for further info on knitting do not forget to use the internet, as it is such a valuable resource of free advice. - 15246

About the Author: