About Wool

Great book for knitters to learn about wool by Clara Parkes

 

My head is full of wool these days. I spent half of the summer with raw wool fleeces – cleaning, combing, carding, spinning and knitting the wool of various breeds. It was an incredible experience and, among many other things, I learned that wool - hand cleaned, prepared and spun - is almost like a different animal than commercially prepared fiber or yarn.  And in a few weeks, I will be on my way to the Taos Wool Festival in Taos New Mexico to play with more wool.

Washed lock and handspun skein
Babydoll Southdown sheep from Juniper Moom Farm

Wool is a gift to knitters with a kaleidoscope of marvelous and desirable characteristics that synthetic fibers can only envy. Wool insulates against heat and cold. It absorbs moisture keeping the wearer dry. Up to a point of course, but even saturated, wool will still keep the wearer warm. It even extinguishes itself in a fire.

Swatch of Handspun Tarhee Stretched and relaxed

Specifically important to knitters, wool is resilient. It stretches when a knitting needle is inserted into a stitch and returns to its original size to snuggle into the newly made stitch. In other words it holds its shape.

 

A Fabulous Book About Sheep and Wool

A word about allergies, the biggest obstacle to non-wool lovers:  Wool is made up a protein called keratin – the very same thing that our hair and nails are made of. It seems unlikely that we are allergic to keratin. Maybe some people are allergic to the lanolin rarely but sometimes left in yarns. More likely, the allergy is due to the chemicals and dyes used in commercial processing of wool. Thus handspun wool may not have an allergy problem. There is a prickly factor referred to in the Fleece and Fiber Sourcebook – some humans are so sensitive that even the finest fiber’s pokey ends can be felt and attributed to an allergy. Definitely this is an unclear subject.

By the way, the above book is chock full of all kinds of information about wool, history and information of over 200 breeds of sheep and characteristics of the their wool – absolutely fascinating.

 

 

“Wool is Green”: wool is a natural renewable fiber as opposed to synthetic fibers that are produced from oil. As Linda Cortwright, editor and author for Wild Fibers magazine so poignantly states it: “pause for just a moment to consider the fact that there has never been a national disaster caused by a sheep spill” (from the article in this issue of Wild Fibers “New York Welcomes the Wizards of Wool”)

Check out some breed specific yarns (Merino, Bluefaced Leicester and more at wool festivals and some local yarn shops) to support local ranchers, be green and see for yourself how fun wool can be.

Blocking Knits - It's Magic!

Blocking is really wonderful for knit garments. It evens out stitches and softens the knit; the yarn relaxes and lace opens to show its full beauty. In other words the knit transforms.

  

When to Block? All animal fibers should be blocked. Plant fibers (cotton, linen, bamboo, rayon) may also be blocked although they respond less dramatically than the animal fibers. Synthetic fibers (e.g.acrylic, nylon) are not blocked unless blended with a natural fiber.

 

 

How to Block a Knit

1. Time and patience:  A sweater or shawl will take several hours to wash and pin out. Sometimes you may need to redo parts or all to insure everything is well aligned and matched.
2. Prepare garment:  It is best to block a garment before seaming. This makes the washing and seaming easier. Work in ends if they are in the middle of a piece. If ends are on the edges leave these to work in after the garment is seamed. If this is a circular knit the garment is finished completely and then washed and blocked.

Mats like this with 1inch square grid are great for laying out sweater parts. Mat and wires
Available at Kiwi’s

3. Assemble equipment:

·        Blocking board or surface: This will stay in place until the garment dries so make sure it is not in the way and children or pets cannot walk on it or pick up any pins for their safety. Make sure the surface can hold all the pieces or garment. It is really hard to block over an edge and will make a mark in the knitting.

·        Sink or tub for washing and access to hot water.

·         Shampoo or a gentle soap. Do not use Woolite or dishwashing liquid for wool.  Both of these are too harsh and can damage the wool fibers. White vinegar may also be needed.

·        Pins and maybe blocking wires – see below for more information on these.

·        Two Measuring tapes. Sometimes a yard stick is also handy.

·        Steamer or steam iron.

 

 

4. Soak in hand hot water for at least 20 minutes.  Use a small amount of shampoo or a gentle soap.  No need to agitate. Also soak to rinse. I usually rinse three times using white vinegar for protein fibers only in the second rinse to neutralize the soap. Amount of vinegar depends on the amount water. I use about 1 tbs/gallon – guessed, not measured. Some knitters believe leaving a little bit of soap in without complete rinsing may discourage bugs.

 

5. Remove excess water: Squeeze out the water. Do not twist or wring. If there is a lot of water, roll up the pieces or garment in a towel. Then press firmly on the towel. 

6. Lay out each piece on a blocking board. A clean carpet or bed may work for larger items. Smooth out the garment to its full size without stretching.

 

7. Align each piece with a straight edge either on the blocking board or use a measuring tape and pin for a straight line you can work from. Do this for the long edges. Shorter edges you can usually tell by looking.  I don’t do this with shaped sleeves – I check just by looking and measuring.

 

8. Measure the sides and top and bottom to make sure they are all even (unless they are not supposed to be). Make sure both fronts and sleeves are the same measurements-again if they are supposed to be. Check these measurements against your gauge and the planned or pattern finished sizes.

 

 

9. Pinning and/or Inserting Wires: If the garment is a bit small on an edge or overall you can stretch it some (there are limits to this). If stretched, it will need pinning to the desired size. Sometimes you only need to pin the corners, sometimes you need to pin every inch along every edge (or use blocking wires). You will know if you need to pin if the edge retracts back when you let go of it. 

I love these blocks (from Knit Picks) for long scarves. 
T pins help save your fingers.

I usually pin scallops, picots and points. Wires are great for lace – just weave them along the edge. Then pin the wires as needed to keep the edges straight.  In dry climates the lace may need to be dampened several times as it may dry before it is completely pinned. A spray bottle with water works well for this. Check that the pattern stitches are aligned and even.  If not re-pin until they are.

The blocks and wires are perfect for shaped shawls as you can put a a block where needed

10. Steam to set. Washing may be enough but I usually steam as a final touch. Always steam if the garment is lace or has been stretched. You can use a steamer or a steam iron. A dry iron and damp cloth can also be used but never press the knit. Pressing will flatten the knitting and ruin stitch definition.

 

11. Let dry. Remove the pins and wires when the knit is almost dry to prevent pin marks. Leave the pieces or garment in place.  Only pick it up when it is completely dry. If you are working with a finished garment you will need to turn it over as soon as one side almost dry. It may need turning several times.

 

Enjoy. Your knit has been transformed.  

 

 

 

Did you know?

Did you know that knitting improves your brain - your memory, your neurons (AKA brain cells)? Knitting slows aging and prevents memory loss. How good is that! In past years research has shown that knitting is as good as meditation for relaxation and reducing blood pressure. Now research has found that learning a new skill actually makes new brain cells to grow. And knitting is one of those skills. The lovely thing about knitting is there is always something new to learn – a new stitch, a new technique, a new cast on, a new pattern. It is good to know that it is healthy for us too.

To help you grow new brain cells, Kiwi Knitting has a host of classes for you. Here are just a few upcoming classes. Check out the Kiwi Knitting Newsletter for details and more classes.

Beginning Crochet: Crochet this scarf

                            3 session class -Wednesdays 10-12: August 29, September 5 & 12             

                                                         Or Saturdays 10-12: September 1, 8 & 16.
                                                         Or Mondays     1-3:   September 17, 24 & October 1

Beginning Knitting: Knit this scarf: 4 session class – Thursdays 1-3: October 4, 11, 18 & 25

If you know the basics then Second Steps is a 3 session class that adds new skills learned and practiced by knitting a hat. This class is on Tuesdays 10-12: August 28, September 4 & September 11

Learn more about socks. Here are a couple of the sock classes coming up”

                  Sweet Tomato Heel:  Monday, 10-12, August 27^th
 
The perfect solution to the Second Sock Syndrome:

                               2 Socks on 2 Circs: Saturday, 1-3: September 22

Project classes are fun too. You can learn all kinds of things in just one project. Here are just a few of the many that are offered. (By the way, if you cannot make a class there are some great books available. Weekend Hats are featured here.)

 
Chroma Hat (AKA Fair Isle): 2 session class, Thursdays 1-3, August 23 & 27

Lea Cloche Hat: 2 session class, Fridays, 1-3, September 7 & 14.

Lace scarf class coming up this week:  2 session class Thursday 10-12, August 23 & September 6.

Whatever you chose, have fun knitting for a healthy brain.

A Perfect Pairing: Knitting and Beads

I was trying to think of the best summer knitting for this blog. Then I realized - I am knitting the perfect summer project - a linen shawl with beads.

I have knit this shawl by Karen Rumpza from Interweave Knits before. The pattern is available online at Interweave Knits. The linen is strong enough to hold the 6,000 plus beads and the combination of linen and glass beads is cool to wear not to mention the sensuous drape of all those beads. This is the first one I did.

It is definitely a shawl worth repeating. For those who have never knit with beads there are different methods and very important tips.

There are four ways of placing beads in knitting. (At least I only know of four. Please tell if you know others.)

1. Bead between two purl stitches: Thread all the beads needed onto your working yarn before you cast on. You will need to continually move the beads down the yarn as you knit. You will either need to be working in Reverse Stockinette or plan to have two purl stitches together on the right side as the bead will hang between two purl stitches. When you are ready to place the bead, purl one stitch, put needle in ready to purl second stitch, place bead and purl second stitch. The advantages to this method are the bead lies straight and it is easy to place. The down side is you have to have two purl stitches for each bead.

2.  Bead in a Knit stitch: As in the above method you will need to thread all the beads needed onto your yarn before casting on and  you need to continually move the beads down while you work. When you want to place a bead in a knit stitch, insert right hand needle into the stitch as you would to knit it. Bring the bead up on the yarn to the stitch and push the bead through as you complete the knit stitch. The bead will be on one side of the knit stitch so it lies at a slight angle. The advantage is you can put beads in any knit stitch you wish. It is a bit more difficult to place the bead though. In this method and the one above the bead does not show through to the wrong side.  By the way this photo is sideways. Not exactly what I intended by it does show the slant of the beads.

3. Bead on a Yarn Over: This is the method used in the shawl. Again as above the beads need to be threaded onto the yarn before casting on  first and the beads pushed along the yarn as you knit. It is very easy to place the bead as it just goes on as you do the yarn over. The problem is the beads tend to slide around. The bead has to be anchored on the next row. Sometimes you have to decide whether to push it to the right or left and then be consistent. Even then they can wander and need pushing around until put into the right spot. Usually once the work is blocked they will stay put. The beads on yarn overs will show on both sides of the knitting.

3. Stitch pulled through bead: There is no need with this technique to thread the beads first. You will need a fine crochet hook (I usually use a 13 or 14) that can go through the hole in the bead and pull the yarn through. Practice before using this technique. Knit to the stitch where you want the bead. Put the bead on the crochet hook. Take the stitch off the needle, put the hook through the stitch and pull the stitch through the hook and the bead. I find I have to keep tension on the stitch to keep the yarn from splitting. Place the stitch back on the left knitting needle and knit or purl it according to your stitch pattern. This technique allows you to place beads anywhere, they lie straight and you don’t have to thread the beads in advance. The bead also shows on both sides. However, it can be tricky to pull the stitch up through the bead and it disrupts the rhythm of knitting. This works well when you do not have a lot of beads to place.

Tips for Knitting with Beads

1. If you are threading the beads first and you want a particular pattern to the bead placement in your knitting then note the last bead you thread will be the first bead that you will place. Thus, if you are using a chart you will need to read it backwards to thread the beads in the right order.

 

2. There are always a few defective beads that break or are too small to thread. Allow for some waste in buying your beads.

 

Bags-another good way to knit with beads

3. Use smooth yarns or threads that have some strength. Moving beads along can cause weak yarns to thin and break. The best yarns are mercerized cotton, silk or silk blends, linen and higher twisted yarns.  Lumpy yarns are difficult to get through beads and the beads do not slide well as you are kitting. You can always intersperse novelty yarns with smooth yarns if you want some texture.

4. The hole in the bead needs to be big enough for the thread to slide smoothly but not too loose or the bead will disappear in the knitting.

5. If you have problems with the bead sliding to the back of the work, twist the stitch with the bead by knitting or purling into the back of the stitch on the next row.

 

6. Beads add weight to the fabric. Keep this in mind when designing with beads.

 

7. A dental floss threader is great for threading beads on yarn. Also if the thread is a bit thick you can use a thin nylon thread on the needle and loop the yarn through that. Then you do not have to pull a double thickness of yarn through the bead.

For the Love of Yarn

Do you love yarn? Of course, I could be wrong but I think yarn is what attracts most knitters. It certainly keeps us knitting.  

I knit for years with lots of different yarns, enchanted by the colors, the texture, the touch. I suddenly thought if I could spin my own yarns I would never run out of yarn and it would be cheaper.

Okay, so that last bit has not worked out. Some fibers are more expensive than commercial yarns, but the rest is true. Not only do I not run out of yarns, I can make yarns that machines cannot. I can make multi-colored yarns that do not pool. I can tailor a yarn for a specific project. I have learned way more than just the technique of spinning such as fiber characteristics, the history of sheep, the politics of cotton, what yarn works best for which project, how to best care for different yarns and their end product. The list goes on. Spinning has been such a gift for me not only in what I have learned but also in relaxation and the stress relief it brings.

Being human when we are I in love with something we want to share it. I am here to promote learning to spin. I will start with spindle spinning.

Spindle Spinning is portable, inexpensive, fun and relaxing. A spindle can do anything a wheel can do and maybe more. When wheels were first introduced weavers considered spindle spun yarn superior to wheel spun. Spindles are lovely and a connection to the past. They are among the most ancient of manmade tools and probably inspired the invention of the wheel. 

There are many different types of spindles. Spindles can be supported, that is, held in a bowl or on the ground while spinning. The spindles above are for spinning fine yarns. These can be very fast. These are great to learn on, especially for spinning cotton.

Spindles can also be suspended. Suspended spindles (also known as drop spindles) can have the whorl at the top, the bottom or even the middle. Top whorl spindles can be rolled on the thigh for faster spinning. For a beginner a spindle such as these can be stopped while learning. Otherwise, you really do let drop it and use both hands for drafting - that is pulling the fibers out while letting twist go in. It is the twist that holds the fiber together and makes yarn.

Spinning wheels are the next technological step up from spindles.  You can start spinning with a spindle or a wheel although it helps to practice drafting with a spindle first.

There are lots of ways to learn to spin - wool festivals, fiber shops, friends. I hope I have at least stimulated your interest. At Kiwi Knitting Company, Spin Doctor is there once a month to get you started.