Needles & Yarn

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Choosing Yarn for Your Knitting Project

Yarns, garment shapes, and stitch patterns must work together for your knitting project to be successful. If you plan to knit a scarf or a blanket, go ahead and let the yarn you fall in love with dictate [more…]

Types of Yarn Fibers

All types of yarn for knitting or crocheting are made from natural or synthetic fibers. Different types of yarn fibers have specific qualities — some good, some not so good. Often, manufacturers blend [more…]

Yarn Weight (Thickness)

Knitting and crochet yarns come in different weights, or thicknesses. The thickness of your yarn (among other factors) has a huge impact on the look of your knitted or crocheted fabric — and certainly [more…]

How to Read Yarn Labels

A yarn label has tons of vital information. But you need to know how to read the yarn label to understand what information it offers. Pay particular attention to [more…]

Types of Yarn Packaging

Yarn is packaged (or put up) in different forms: balls, skeins (rhymes with canes), and hanks. The differences in yarn packaging shouldn't have much effect on the yarn you choose, but the shape does determine [more…]

How to Wind a Hank of Yarn

If you buy yarn in hanks, you must wind that hank of yarn into a ball to prevent tangling. Winding hanks of yarn is pretty easy, but if you have lots of hanks to wind, ask at your yarn store if it offers [more…]

How to Choose Yarn for Your Project

When choosing yarn, remember that yarns, garment shapes, and stitch patterns must work together for a successful knitting or crochet project. Choosing yarn can be hard when there are so many yarn selections [more…]

Types of Knitting Needles

You can choose from three kinds of knitting needles: straight, circular, and double-pointed. The type of knitting needle you choose depends on how you plan to use it: [more…]

How to Join the Round on a Circular Needle

When you knit in the round on a circular needle, you first cast on, join the round, and then begin knitting. Joining simply means that when you work the first stitch, you bring the first and last cast-on [more…]

How to Join the Round on Double-Pointed Needles

When you’re knitting in the round on double-pointed needles, after you cast on, pattern instructions tell you to join and begin knitting. “Joining” simply means that when you work the first stitch, you [more…]

How Drape Affects Gauge, Yarn, and Needle Size

The desired drape of the fabric that you’re knitting will influence the gauge and the yarn and needle size you choose for your project. To decide on knitted drape, consider if you want the finished piece [more…]