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Banner-making

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Nottingham based arts activist collective The Mischief Makers make banners using reclaimed sticky back plastics

Nottingham based arts activist collective The Mischief Makers make banners using reclaimed sticky back plastics

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Banner-making is the ancient art or craft of sewing banners. Techniques used include applique, embroidery, fabric painting, patchwork and others.

 

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Traditional rug hooking

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Traditional rug hooking is a craft where rugs are made by pulling loops of yarn or fabric through a stiff woven base such as burlap, linen, or rug warp. The loops are pulled through the backing material by using a crochet hook mounted in a handle (usually wood) for leverage. In contrast latch-hooking uses a hinged hook to form a knotted pile from short, pre-cut pieces of yarn.

A craftsperson creates a hooked rug by pulling lengths of cloth, usually wool, through a woven fabric, usually burlap.

A craftsperson creates a hooked rug by pulling lengths of cloth, usually wool, through a woven fabric, usually burlap.

Wool strips ranging in size from 3/32 to 10/32 of an inch (2 to 8 cm) in width are often used to create hooked rugs or wall hangings. These precision strips are usually cut using a mechanical cloth slitter, however, the strips can also be hand-cut or torn. When using the hand-torn technique the rugs are usually done in a primitive motif.

Designs for the rugs are often commercially produced and can be as complex as flowers or animals to as simple as geometrics. Rug-hooking has been popular in North America for at least the past 200 years.

 

History of rug hooking

The author William Winthrop Kent believed that the earliest forebears of hooked rugs were the floor mats made in Yorkshire, England during the early part of the 19th century. Workers in weaving mills were allowed to collect thrums, pieces of yarn that ran 9 inches (23 cm) long. These by-products were useless to the mill, and the weavers took them home and pulled the thrums through a backing. The origins of the word thrum are ancient, as Mr. Kent pointed out a reference in Shakespeare's Merry Wives of Windsor.

Rug hooking as we know it today developed in North America, specifically along the Eastern Seaboard in New England in the United States and the Canadian Maritimes. In its earliest years, rug hooking was a craft of poverty. The vogue for floor coverings in the United States came about after 1830 when factories produced machine-made carpets for the rich. Poor women began looking through their scrap bags for materials to employ in creating their own home-made floor coverings. Women employed whatever materials they had available. Girls from wealthy families were sent to school to learn embroidery and quilting; fashioning floor rugs and mats was never part of the curriculum. Another sign that hooking was the pastime of the poor is the fact that popular ladies magazines in the 19th century never wrote about rug hooking. It was considered a country craft in the days when the word country, used in this context, was derogatory.

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A hooked rug made by a modern craftsperson in Lebanon, New Hampshire, USA. Rug hooking was originally developed in England as a method of using leftover scraps of cloth.

A hooked rug made by a modern craftsperson in Lebanon, New Hampshire, USA. Rug hooking was originally developed in England as a method of using leftover scraps of cloth.

Since hooking was a craft of poverty, rugmakers put to use whatever materials were available. Antique hooked rugs were created on burlap after 1850 because burlap was free as long as one used old grain and feed bags. Every and any scrap of fiber that was no longer usable as clothing was put into rugs. In the United States, yarn was not a fiber of choice if one did not have access to thrums. Yarn was too precious, and had to be saved for knitting and weaving. Instead the tradition of using scraps of fabric evolved. Yarns and other creatively used materials have always been used for hooked rugs in the Canadian Maritimes. The well-known Cheticamp hooked rugs used finely spun yarns and the highly valuable Grenfell mats were meticulously hooked with recycled jerseys. Everything from cotton t-shirts to nylon stockings were cut and used.

The modern preference for using only cut wool strips in hooked rugs originated with Pearl McGown in the 1930s, and may have saved the craft from disappearing in the United States. Mrs. McGown popularized strict guidelines for rug hooking and formalized its study

Weaving

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This article describes textile weaving. For other senses of this word, see The perfect alternative to a checking account weaving (disambiguation).

Tweed loom, Harris, 2004

Tweed loom, Harris, 2004

Woven sheet

Woven sheet

Weaving is an ancient textile art and craft that involves placing two sets of threads or yarn made of fiber called the RoadLoans- Auto Finance and Refinance Made Easy! warp and weft of the loom and turning them into cloth. This cloth can be plain (in one color or a simple pattern), or it can be woven in decorative or artistic designs, including tapestries.

The majority of commercial fabrics, in the West, are woven on computer-controlled Jacquard looms. In the past, simpler fabrics were woven on other dobby looms and the Jacquard harness adaptation was reserved for more complex patterns. Some believe the efficiency of the Jacquard loom, and the Jacquard weaving process makes it more economical for mills to use them to weave all of their fabrics, regardless of the complexity of the design. However, an industrialist weaving large runs of simple plain weave fabric may need to be convinced of the logic of investing in Jacquard machines, when a much lower cost loom would suffice.

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Handweaving, along with hand spinning, is a popular craft. Weavers use wooden looms to create rugs, fabrics, and tapestries.

Fabric in which the warp and/or weft is tie-dyed before weaving is called ikat. Fabric decorated using a wax resist method is called batik.

Satin weaves, twill weaves, and plain weaves are the 3 basic types of weaving by which the majority of woven products are formed.

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Process

An Indian weaver preparing his warp.

An Indian weaver preparing his warp.

In general, weaving involves the interlacing of two sets of threads at right angles to each other: the warp and the weft. The warp are held taut and in parallel order, typically by means of a loom, though some forms of weaving may use other methods. The loom is warped (or dressed) with the warp threads passing through heddles on two or more harnesses. The warp threads are moved up or down by the harnesses creating a space called the shed. The weft thread is wound onto spools called bobbins. The bobbins are placed in a shuttle which carries the weft thread through the shed. The raising/lowering sequence of warp threads gives rise to many possible weave structures from the simplest plain weave (also called tabby), through twills and satins to complex computer-generated interlacings.

Both warp and weft can be visible in the final product. By spacing the warp more closely, it can completely cover the weft that binds it, giving a warpfaced textile such as rep weave. Conversely, if the warp is spread out, the weft can slide down and completely cover the warp, giving a weftfaced textile, such as a tapestry or a Kilim rug. There are a variety of loom styles for hand weaving and tapestry. In tapestry, the image is created by placing weft only in certain warp areas, rather than across the entire warp width.

 

History

 

 Ancient Weaving

Prehistoric woven objects and weaving tools

Prehistoric woven objects and weaving tools

There are some indications that weaving was already known in the Palaeolithic. An indistinct textile impression has been found at Pavlov, Moravia. Neolithic textiles are well known from finds in pile dwellings in Switzerland. They are made of flax or tree bast, wool has only been attested since the Bronze Age. Plain weaves and tabbies predominate.

Enslaved women worked as weavers during the Sumerian Era. They would wash wool fibers in hot water and wood-ash soap and then dry them. Next, they would beat out the dirt and card the wool. The wool was then graded, bleached, and spun into a thread. The spinners would pull out fibers and twist them together. This was done by either rolling fibers between palms or using a hooked stick. The thread was then placed on a wooden or bone spindle and rotated on a clay whorl which operated like a flywheel.

The slaves would then work in three-woman teams on looms, where they stretched the threads, after which they passed threads over and under each other at perpendicular angles. The cloth was then taken to a fuller.

Easton's Bible Dictionary (1897) points to numerous Biblical references to weaving in ancient times:

Weaving was an art practised in very early times (Ex. 35:35). The Egyptians were specially skilled in it (Isa. 19:9; Ezek. 27:7), and some have regarded them as its inventors.

In the wilderness, the Hebrews practised it (Ex. 26:1, 8; 28:4, 39; Lev. 13:47). It is referred to in subsequent times as specially the women's work (2 Kings 23:7; Prov. 31:13, 24). No mention of the loom is found in Scripture, but we read of the "shuttle" (Job 7:6), "the pin" of the beam (Judg. 16:14), "the web" (13, 14), and "the beam" (1 Sam. 17:7; 2 Sam. 21:19). The rendering, "with pining sickness," in Isa. 38:12 (A.V.) should be, as in the Revised Version, "from the loom," or, as in the margin, "from the thrum." We read also of the "warp" and "woof" (Lev. 13:48, 49, 51-53, 58, 59), but the Revised Version margin has, instead of "warp," "woven or knitted stuff."

 

Great Britain

Before the Industrial Revolution, weaving remained a manual craft, usually undertaken by craftsmen in their homes. Looms might be broad or narrow; broad looms were those too wide for the weaver to pass the shuttle through the shed, so that the weaver needed an assistant (often an apprentice). This ceased to be necessary after John Kay invented the flying shuttle in 1733, which also speeded up the process of weaving.

The first attempt to mechanise weaving was the work of Edmund Cartwright from 1785. He built a factory at Doncaster and obtained a series of patents between 1785 and 1792. In 1788, his brother Major John Cartwight built Revolution Mill at Retford (named for the centenary of the Glorious Revolution. In 1791, he licensed his loom to the Grimshaw brothers of Manchester, but their Knott Mill burnt down the following year (possibly a case of arson). Edmund Cartwight was granted a reward of £10,000 by Parliament for his efforts in 1809.[1] However, success in power-weaving also required improvements by others, including H. Horrocks of Stockport. Only during the two decades after about 1805, did power-weaving take hold. This led ultimately to hardship among handloom weavers, whose wages were driven down by competition from machine. This led to machine breaking by the Luddites. Textile manufacture was one of the leading sectors in the British Industrial Revolution, but weaving was a comparatively late sector to be mechanised. However, ultimately, the various innovations took weaving from a home-based artisan activity (labour intensive and man-powered) to mass-production under the power of steam undertaken in factories. See also Textile manufacture during the Industrial Revolution.

Another important step forward was the invention in France of the Jacquard loom, enabling complicated patterned cloths to be woven, by using punched cards to determine which threads of coloured yarn should appear on the upper side the the cloth.

 

Colonial America

Colonial America was heavily reliant on Great Britain for manufactured goods of all kinds. British policy was to encourage the production of raw materials in colonies. Weaving was not prohibited, but the export of British wool was forbidden, but many people wove cloth from locally produced fibers in Colonial America.

In Colonial times the colonists mostly used cotton and flax for weaving. They could get one cotton crop each fall. Flax was harvested in the summer.

In preparing wool for weaving, colonists would first shear the sheep with spring back clippers. This was done while keeping the sheep's feet from touching anything so it would not try to break free. They would try to cut the wool off the sheep in one big chunk because that way they would get long fibers. Sheep-shearing was done in the spring so that the fleece would regrow in time for the winter.

After shearing, wool would be washed in hot water to get out the dirt and grease (lanolin), then carded, at which point it would be ready for spinning into yarn. Washing the wool was a delicate procedure, because they didn't want to agitate the fibres too much in the process, and end up with felt. If the wool was clean enough (little to no vegetable matter), they could wait until after it is spun to clean out the lanolin, at which point it is easier to clean because it is yarn.

A card is a set of two brushes stroked one on the other with the fibre in the middle. This process of carding loosen and fluffs the fibre, as opposed to combing, which lines up all the fibres in the same direction, making the wool or cotton ready for spinning.

Cotton was harvested from little stalks. The cotton boll is white, roughly spherical and fluffy. Its seeds had to be removed before carding, a difficult and time-consuming process. (Later, a "cotton gin" was invented which took a lot of the work out of seed removal.) After carding it would be ready for spinning.

Linen is made from flax fibre. After growing the flax, workers had to ret it. To prepare flax for weaving, the stalks would be "braked", meaning beaten, with a tool that looks like a paper cutter but instead of having a big knife it has a blunt arm, then a scutching tool (a blunt wooden knife) is used to scrape away pieces of the stalk, and then the fibre is pulled through a heckling comb to get it ready for spinning. A heckling comb is like a brush with metal bristles that you pull flax stalks through.

After they spun the yarn, it would be dyed with berries, bark, flowers, herbs or weeds, often gathered by children.

With the yarn made, they would prepare the loom. The strings on a loom run in two directions. The yarn that is attached to the loom is called the warp, and the woof or weft is woven through it. The woof is wrapped around the shuttle, and woven alternately over and under the warp strings.

A plain weave was what most people liked in Colonial times. Almost everything was plain woven then. Sometimes designs were woven into the fabric but mostly designs were added after weaving. The colonists would usually add designs by using either wood block prints or embroidering.

 

Weaving in America, 1800-1900

The Jacquard loom attachment was perfected in 1801, and was becoming common in Europe by 1806. It came to the US in the early 1820's, some immigrant weavers bringing jacquard equipment with them, and spread west from New England. At first it was used with traditional human-powered looms. As a practical matter, previous looms were mostly limited to the production of simple geometric patterns. The jacquard allowed individual control of each warp thread, row by row without repeating, so very complex patterns were suddenly feasible. Jacquard woven coverlets (bedspreads) became popular by mid-century, in some cases being custom-woven with the name of the customer embedded in the programmed pattern. Undyed cotton warp was usually combined with dyed wool weft.

Natural dyes were used until just before the Civil War, when artificial dyes started to come into use.

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Leather dying

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A dyed leather carving

A dyed leather carving

Leather dying usually involves the use of spirit or alcohol based dyes where alcohol quickly gets absorbed into moistened leather, carrying the pigment deep into the surface. "Hi-liters" and "Antiquing" stains can be used to add more definition to patterns. These have pigments that will break away from the higher points of a tooled piece and so pooling in the background areas give nice contrasts. Leaving parts unstained also provides a type of contrast. The predominant brand of leather dye is Fiebing Leather Dye.

Alternatives to spirit stains might include a number of options. Shoe polish could be used to dye and preserve leather. Oils, neatsfoot or linseed, can be applied to preserve leather but darkens them. For that reason, a wax paste more often than not serves as the final coat.

One interesting note, old gun rigs, saddlebags, wallets and cantanas used by cowboys and buccaroos were rarely colored in the old west. The red, brown, and black tones develop naturally as the oiled leathers absorb the rays of the desert sun.

 

Leather painting

Leather painting differs from leather dyeing in that paint remains only on the surface while dyes are absorbed into the leather. Due to this difference, leather painting techniques can not be used on items that can or must bend nor on items that receive friction. Belts and wallets are not suitable for treatment.

A two dimensional surface backed with a board is ideal and common. Often acrylic paints are used on tooled leather pictures, backed with wood or cardboard, and then framed. The glass in not put on top of such pictures because it causes the leather to mold.

Three dimensional forms are possible so long as the painted surface remains secured.

 

Leather carving

Leather carving entails using metal implements to compress moistened leather in such a way as to give a three dimensional appearance to a two dimensional surface. The surface of the leather is not intended to be cut through at all, such work being known as filigree.

The main tools used to "carve" leather include: swivel knife, veiner, beveler, pear shader, seeder, cam, and backgrounder. The swivel knife is held like a pencil and dragged along the leather to outline patterns. The other tools are punch-type implements struck with a wooden or raw hide mallet. The object is to add further definition by them to the cut lines made by the swivel knife.

In the United States and Mexico, the western floral style of carving leather predominates. Usually, these are stylized pictures of acanthis or roses. California, Texas, and a few other styles are common. By far the most preeminent carver in the United States was Al Stohlman. His patterns and methods have been embraced by many hobbyists, scout troops, reenacters, and craftsmen.

 

Leather stamping

Examples of geometric stamping on leather.

Examples of geometric stamping on leather.

Leather stamping involves the use of shaped implements (stamps) to create an imprint onto a leather surface, often by striking the stamps with a mallet.

Commercial stamps are available in various designs, typically geometric or representative of animals. Most stamping is performed on tree-bark tanned leather that has been dampened with water, as the water makes the leather softer and able to be compressed by the design being pressed or stamped into it. After the leather has been stamped, the design stays on the leather as it dries out, but it can fade if the leather becomes wet and is flexed. To make the impressions last longer, the leather is conditioned with oils and fats to make it water-proof and prevent the fibers from deforming.

Papercraft

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“Pepakura” redirects here. For the New Zealand urban area, see Papakura.

Example of papercraft

Example of papercraft

Papercraft, or pepakura, is a method of crafting three-dimensional objects out of paper, similar to origami. Papercraft differs from origami in that the final product is usually made from patterns cut out from paper and held together with glue.

Using software such as PePaKuRa Designer from Tama software, it is possible to import and convert 3D polygon models from various sources, making it easier to design and create your own papercraft models.

Since papercraft patterns can be easily printed and assembled, the Internet has become a popular means of exchanging them.

Handicraft

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It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Arts and crafts. (Discuss)

A handicraft shop in Delhi, India

A handicraft shop in Delhi, India

Handicraft, also known as craftwork or simply craft, is a type of work where useful and decorative devices are made completely by hand or using only simple tools. Usually the term is applied to traditional means of making goods. The individual artisanship of the items is a paramount criterion, such items often have cultural and/or religious significance. Items made by mass production or machines are not handicrafts.

Usually, what distinguishes the term handicraft from the frequently used category arts and crafts is a matter of intent: handicrafted items are intended to be used, worn, et cetera, having a purpose beyond simple decoration. Handicrafts are generally considered more traditional work, created as a necessary part of daily life, while arts and crafts implies more of a hobby pursuit and a demonstration/perfection of a creative technique. In practical terms, the categories have a great deal of overlap.

Knitting

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For the record label, see Knitting Factory.

Knit hat, yarn, and knitting needles

Knit hat, yarn, and knitting needles

Knitting is a craft by which thread or yarn may be turned into cloth. Similar to crochet, knitting consists of loops called stitches pulled through each other. Knitting differs from crochet in that multiple stitches are "active", or in use, at the same time. The active stitches are held on a knitting needle until another loop can be passed through them with a second needle.

Knitting may be done by hand or by machine. By hand, there are numerous styles and means for knitting. Some of these produce an entirely different end-product; some produce very similar results. Flat knitting, which is done on two straight needles, produces a length of cloth, while circular knitting, which is done on circular or double-pointed needles, produces a tube of cloth.

Different yarns and knitting needles may be used to achieve different end products, by giving the final piece different colour, texture, weight or integrity.

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Types of knitting

A modern knitting machine in action — knitting machines perform most warp knitting, while weft knitting is generally done by hand.

A modern knitting machine in action — knitting machines perform most warp knitting, while weft knitting is generally done by hand.

 

 Weft knitting versus warp knitting

Main articles: Weft knitting and Warp knitt

There are two major varieties of knitting: weft knitting and warp knitting.[1] A weft-knitted fabric consists of horizontal, parallel courses of yarn and requires only a single yarn. By contrast, warp knitting requires one yarn for every stitch in the course, or horizontal row; these yarns make vertical parallel wales. [2] Warp knitting is resistant to runs, and is common in lingerie fabric such as tricot.

Circular knitting on a circular needle

Circular knitting on a circular needle

Flat knitting. The loops on the metal needle are the active stitches, and the yarn coming out of the knitting on the right is the working yarn.

Flat knitting. The loops on the metal needle are the active stitches, and the yarn coming out of the knitting on the right is the working yarn.

Warp knitting is generally done by machine, whereas weft knitting may be done by machine or by hand (Spencer 1989:11-12). Knitting machines use a different mechanical system to produce results nearly identical to those produced by hand-knitting.

Flat knitting versus circular knitting

Main articles: Circular knitting and Flat knitting

Circular knitting (also called "knitting in the round") is a form of knitting that creates a seamless tube. Knitting is worked in rounds (the equivalent of rows in flat knitting) in a spiral. Originally, circular knitting was done using a set of four or five double-pointed knitting needles. Later, circular needles were invented. A circular needle resembles two short knitting needles connected by a cable between them. Flat knitting, on the other hand, is used, in its most basic form, to make flat, rectangular pieces of cloth.[3] It is done with two straight knitting needles and is worked in rows, horizontal lines of stitches.

Circular knitting is employed to create pieces that are circular or tube-shaped, such as hats, socks, mittens, and sleeves. Flat knitting is usually used to knit flat pieces like scarves, blankets, afghans, and the backs and fronts of sweaters.

 

 History and culture

This woman is knitting at a coffee shop; although it is usually done by one person alone, knitting is commonly a social activity. There are many knitting guilds and other knitting groups.

This woman is knitting at a coffee shop; although it is usually done by one person alone, knitting is commonly a social activity. There are many knitting guilds and other knitting groups.

Main article: History of knitting

One of the earliest known examples of knitting was finely decorated cotton socks found in Egypt in the beginning of the first millennium AD.[4] The first knitting trade guild was started in Paris in 1527. [5] With the invention of the knitting machine, however, knitting "by hand" became a useful but non-essential craft. Similar to quilting, spinning, and needlepoint, knitting became a social activity.

Hand-knitting has gone into and out of fashion many times in the last two centuries, and at the turn of the 21st century it is enjoying a revival. According to the industry group Craft Yarn Council of America, the number of women knitters in the United States age 25–35 increased 150% in the two years between 2002 and 2004.[6] Additionally, many contemporary knitters have an interest in blogging about their knitting, patterns, and techniques.[7]

There are now numerous groups that are not only growing individually, but also forming international communities. Communities also exist online, with Blogs being very popular, alongside online groups and social networking, through mediums such as Yahoo! Groups, where people can share tips and techniques, run competitions, and share their patterns.

Properties of knitted fabrics

Schematic of stockinette stitch, the most basic weft-knit fabric

Schematic of stockinette stitch, the most basic weft-knit fabric

The topology of a knitted fabric is relatively complex. Unlike woven fabrics, where strands usually run straight horizontally and vertically, yarn that has been knitted follows a loopy path along its row, as with the red strand in the diagram at left, in which the loops of one row have all been pulled through the loops of the row below it.

Because there is no single straight line of yarn anywhere in the pattern, a knitted piece will be stretchy in all directions. This elasticity is unavailable from woven fabrics, which only stretch along the bias. Many modern stretchy garments, even as they rely on elastic synthetic materials for some stretch, also achieve at least some of their stretch through knitted patterns.

Close-up of stockinette stitch

Close-up of stockinette stitch

Close-up of reverse stockinette stitch

Close-up of reverse stockinette stitch

The basic knitted fabric (as in the diagram, and usually called a stocking or stockinette pattern) has a definite "right side" and "wrong side". On the right side, the visible portions of the loops are the verticals connecting two rows, arranged in a grid of V shapes. On the wrong side, the ends of the loops are visible, both the tops and bottoms, creating a much more bumpy texture sometimes called reverse stockinette. (Despite being the "wrong side," reverse stockinette is frequently used as a pattern in its own right.) Because the yarn holding rows together is all on the front, and the yarn holding side-by-side stitches together is all on the back, stockinette fabric has a strong tendency to curl toward the front on the top and bottom, and toward the back on the left and right side.

Stitches can be worked from either side, and various patterns are created by mixing regular knit stitches with the "wrong side" stitches, known as purl stitches, either in columns (ribbing), rows (garter, welting), or more complex patterns. Each such fabric has different properties: a garter stitch has much more vertical stretch, while ribbing stretches much more horizontally. Because of their front-back symmetry, these two fabrics have little curl, making them popular as edging, even when their stretch properties are not desired.

Different combinations of knit and purl stitches, along with more advanced techniques, generate fabrics of considerably variable consistency, from gauzy to very dense, from highly stretchy to relatively stiff, from flat to tightly curled, and so on.

Close-up of knitting

Close-up of knitting

 

Texture

The most common texture for a knitted garment is that generated by the flat stockinette stitch—as seen, though very small, in machine-made stockings and T-shirts—which is worked in the round as nothing but knit stitches, and worked flat as alternating rows of knit and purl. Other simple textures can be made with nothing but knit and purl stitches, including garter stitch, ribbing, and moss and seed stitches. Adding a "slip stitch" (where a loop is passed from one needle to the other) allows for a wide range of textures, including heel and linen stitches, and a number of more complicated patterns.

Some more advanced knitting techniques create a surprising variety of complex textures. Combining certain increases (a process by which the number of loops in a horizontal row is increased) which create small eyelet holes in the resulting fabric with assorted decreases (by passing one loop of yarn through two existing stitches, for example) is key to lace knitting, a very open fabric resembling lace. Changing the order of stitches from one row to the next, usually with the help of a cable needle or stitch holder, is key to cable knitting, producing an endless variety of cables, honeycombs, ropes, and other Aran sweater patterning. Entrelac forms a rich checkerboard texture by knitting small squares, picking up their side edges, and knitting more squares to continue the piece.

The appearance of a garment is also affected by the weight of the yarn, which describes the thickness of the spun fibre. The thicker the yarn, the more visible and apparent stitches will be; the thinner the yarn, the finer the texture.

 

Colour

Plenty of finished knitting projects never use more than a single colour of yarn, but there are many ways to work in multiple colours. Some yarns are dyed to be either variegated (changing colour every few stitches in a random fashion) or self-striping (changing every few rows). More complicated techniques permit large fields of colour (intarsia, for example), busy small-scale patterns of colour (such as Fair Isle), or both (double knitting and slip-stitch colour, for example).

Yarn with multiple shades of the same hue are called ombre, while a yarn with multiple hues may be known as a given colorway — a green, red and yellow yarn might be dubbed the "Parrot Colorway" by its manufacturer, for example. Heathered yarns contain small amounts of fibre of different colours, while tweed yarns may have greater amounts of different coloured fibres.

 

Process

A piece of knitting begins with the process of casting on (also known as "binding on"), which involves the initial creation of the stitches on the needle. Different methods of casting on are used for different effects: one may be stretchy enough for lace, while another provides a decorative edging — Provisional cast-ons are used when the knitting will continue in both directions from the cast-on. The number of active stitches remains the same as when cast on unless stitches are added (an increase) or removed (a decrease).

Most Western-style knitters follow either the English style (in which the yarn is held in the right hand) or the Continental style (in which the yarn is held in the left hand). A third but less common method, called combination knitting may also be used. [8]

Once the knitted piece is finished, the remaining live stitches are cast off. Casting (or binding) off loops the stitches across each other so they can be removed from the needle without unravelling the item. Although the mechanics are different from casting on, there is a similar variety of methods.

In knitting certain articles of clothing, especially larger ones like sweaters, the final knitted garment will be made of several knitted pieces, with individual sections of the garment knit separately and then sewn together. However, seamless knitting, where a whole garment is knit as a single piece, is also possible. Elizabeth Zimmermann is probably the best-known proponent of seamless, or circular knitting techniques. Smaller items, such as socks and hats, are usually knit in one piece on double-pointed needles or circular needles. (See Circular knitting.)

 

Materials

 

Yarn

A selection of yarn for knitting

A selection of yarn for knitting

Main article: Yarn

Knitted cloth is made out of yarn, a length of continuous fibres. Yarn for knitting can be made from any number of natural or synthetic fibres. Depending on the kind of yarn used to knit, the end product may have different properties. For example, knitted cloth made out of wool yarn may be felted to shrink and be less stretchy; knitted cloth made with acrylic yarn cannot be blocked, or changed in shape due to moisture and heat.[9]

Yarns may be dyed to make knitted pieces different colours. Some yarns are dyed a single colour, while others are self-striping, or change colour every few yards, thereby automatically creating stripes on the finished piece.

Thinner yarns are generally used with smaller knitting needles, and thicker yarns are used with larger knitting needles.

 

 Knitting needles

Main article: Knitting needle

Bamboo knitting needles

Bamboo knitting needles

Most knitting needles (also called knitting pins) are long, slender sticks with either one or two tapered ends used to hold and bring the working yarn through active stitches. Knitting needles may be made out of a plethora of materials, including aluminium, wood, bamboo, and plastic. They come in many sizes, which give knitted fabrics a variety of elasticity and tightness.

Knitting needles used for flat knitting (pictured at right) are tapered at one end, with a knob at one end to prevent stitches from slipping off that side. Double-pointed knitting needles, which are used for circular knitting, or knitting tube-shaped pieces, are tapered at both ends, and usually come in sets of four or five, with all but one holding the active stitches through which the working yarn is pulled with the last needle. Circular needles, which are used for the same purpose as double-pointed needles, have two tapered ends connected by a piece of flexible plastic upon which active stitches are held. One of the tapered ends is then used to pull the working yarn through the active stitch on the other end.

Cable knitting requires a cable needle which is used to hold stitches behind or in front of the working stitches in order to create a "twisted" look. The "twisted" look is the result of working stitches out of order.

 

Industrial applications

Industrially, metal wire is also knitted into a metal fabric for a wide range of uses including the filter material in cafetieres, catalytic converters for cars and many other uses. These fabrics are usually manufactured on circular knitting machines that would be recognised by conventional knitters as sock machines.

 

See also

 

 Notes

  1. ^ Knitting Basics. Alamac American Knits LLC (2004). Retrieved on December 27, 2006.

  2. ^ A wale, according to Knitting Technology: a Comprehensive Handbook and Practical Guide, is "a predominantly vertical column of needle loops generally produced by the same needles at successive (not necessarily all) knitting cycles. A wale starts as soon as an empty needle starts to knit" (Spencer 1989:17).

  3. ^ Differently shaped fabric may also be created using special stitches within the work.

    See also: Increase (knitting), Decrease (knitting), and Cable knitting

  4. ^ Theaker, Julie (2006). History 101. Knitty. Retrieved on March 29, 2007.

  5. ^ Porter, Roy; John Brewer (1994). Consumption and the World of Goods. London: Routledge, 232-233. ISBN 0-415-11478-0. 

  6. ^ Craft Yarn Council of America press release, CYCA News: Knitting & Crocheting Are Hot! craftyarncouncil.com Retrieved on 2006-12-13.

  7. ^ Cohan, Jillian. Women find creativity, comfort in knitting circle. The Witchita Eagle (November 9, 2006). Retrieved on 2006-12-13.

  8. ^ Finlay, Amy. How to do the knit stitch. Retrieved on Error: invalid time.

  9. ^ Masson, James (1995). Acrylic Fiber Technology and Applications. New York: Marcel Dekker, Inc., 172. ISBN 0-8247-8977-6. 

 

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 References

  • Hiatt, June Hemmons. (1988). The principles of knitting: Methods and techniques of hand knitting. Simon and Schuster, New York.

  • "Knitting". The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. (2003). Columbia University Press. Retrieved on 2006-12-21.

  • Rutt, Richard (2003). A history of handknitting. Interweave Press, Loveland, CO. (Reprint Edition ISBN)

  • Spencer, David J. (1989). Knitting Technology: a Comprehensive Handbook and Practical Guide. Lancaster: Woodhead Publishing. ISBN 1 85573 333 1. 

  • Stoller, Debbie. (2004) Stitch 'n Bitch: The Knitter's Handbook. Workman Publishing Company

  • Thomas, Mary. (1938). Mary Thomas's Knitting Book. Dover Publications. New York. (1972 Reprint Edition ISBN)

  • Zimmermann, Elizabeth. (1972). Knitting Without Tears. Simon and Schuster, New York. (Reprint Edition ISBN)

 Instructional sites

 

Saturday, April 7, 2007

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