By Schnitzi

Published November 15, 2011

Once apon a time my familly owned a yarn store. We developed beautiful relationships with customers along with learning a lot about business and growing a lot as a familly. There was only one problem with our yarn store, it didn’t make any money. But instead of crying about it I wanted to share with you a little bit of what I learned from the insides of the knitting industry.

While in the process of searching for good suppliers of yarn, knitting needles, crochet hooks, and other supplies, we learned some thing that I would like to share with you.

First, you should know that not all developers of knitting products are knitters. In fact, from our experiance it seems that most developers of knitting products are not knitters, and rarely do they ever bother checking out their products with real knitters. To understand why, it is important to understand a little bit about the way international business works.

When products are made they are ussually just made as copies of other preexisting products, an new brand name is the slapped onto the “new” product and wallah, another product enters the market. Often the same factory produces that same product and sells it to many different companies. So, sometimes when you pay more for a brand name, that really is all that you’re paying for. I won’t mention any names of products, but when you buy yarn or knitting needles, and such, from places like China or Turkey, that is what you should expect to get.

For instance, it is not uncommon for a major factory in China to order a boatload of wool from the lowest bidder. Not much thought is given towards the quality of the wool, where it was grown, how the animals were taken care of… The bottom line is that the main thing that really matters to the factory is the price of the raw material. With that wool, the factory will then sell all types of yarn to various yarn brands, while sticking whichever labels the branding company wants.

On the other side of things are the yarn producers who sell impressively beautiful yarn for it’s weight in gold. Indeed, if you can afford to by the creme-de-la-creme of yarns, that’s delicious- and please knit me a sweater while you’re at it.

But, for knitters who want to knit with good quality products for a reasonable price it’s really worth learning and becoming an eduacated consumer. Then, when you go to check out yarns at your local yarn shop you will be empowered with valuable knowledge of how to identify quality.

By Schnitzi

Published February 13, 2011

When it comes to giving gifts everybody wants to find that perfect gift for their friend or loved one that shows that they really went out of their way to get just the most perfectly fitting gift.  Nobody wants the gift that they give to be just another “never been taken out of the package future garage sale item.”  So how long does it take to seek out the perfect gift in a mall?  Well, assuming that the perfect gift actually exists it will probably take about 10 stores to find it.  After driving to the mall for a half an hour and then looking for parking for 10 minutes, and going from store to store for 5 hours and then driving back home in the car, hopefully successfully, you have already spent more than 6 hours.  Those are 6 hours that could have been spent knitting.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0VtBa38m8s

Why not make the perfect gift instead of looking for the perfect gift?  And what better gift is there to say, “I love you and want to make something 100% for you,” than a hand knit afghan made by you?

That is where the 6-hour afghan really comes in.  It is a nice, large-sized, knitted project that, because of the way it’s made, takes a lot less time that it looks.   According to the Lion Brand website, where the pattern can be found, the afghan just takes six hours to make- hence the name ‘6-hour afghan.’  “How it is possible to hand knit an afghan in only 6 hours?” is what everyone is asking.  The answer is in the needles.  Instead of knitting with ‘normal’ sized knitting needles the trick is to knit with Lion Brands extraordinarily large ‘Jumbo’ sized knitting needles.  By knitting with the Jumbo needles it is possible to knit a bunch of different stitches at once.

The receiver of your 6-hour gift will probably think that the afghan took weeks to knit.

By Schnitzi

Published February 10, 2011

In this article we will explore the reasons for using only knitting yarn colors from the same dye lot.

When you go through all of the trouble to get ready for a new knitting or crochet project you want to feel secure that you have thought of all of the necessary details.  There is not much more disappointing to a yarncrafter than finding out that all of the time and energy and money that they put into their project was wasted.   That is why we at the Knitting Yarn Blog always stress checking the labels of knitting yarn skeins to be sure that you are getting exactly what your project specs call for.  Here are just a few of the necessary elements to check: material; weight; length; and the recommended knitting needle or crochet hook size.

But there is one more thing that is not to be overlooked, and that is the dye lot number of the knitting yarn skein.   Each skein of knitting yarn that is dyed in any particular vat of the same dye is part of the same dye lot.  Hence, knitting yarn skeins that are dyed in the same lot turn out the same color.  On the other hand knitting yarn skeins that are dyed in different lots do not necessarily turn out to be the same color.  So even if two skeins of knitting yarn come from the same company, and are the same type yarn, and are called by the exact same color name, if they are not from the same dye lot they may be slightly different colors.  So, for example, red from one dye lot may be a bit darker from the red of a different dye lot.

By now you have already realized the implications of dye lots.  You don’t want people to see where the dye lot changes in terms of the colors on your new sweater that you worked so hard on.  That is why it is important to check the dye lots when you buy multiple skeins of knitting yarn for the same project, particularly if you end up buying your skeins at different times or from different places.

So just to sum up- don’t forget to check the dye lots of your skeins of knitting yarn before buying yarn for your next project.

Tags: Scary Knitting Subjects

By Paula

Published May 6, 2010

Scary Knitting Subjects: How many projects can I work on at once?? (background scary music playing)

Everybody knows the unwritten knitting rules–and one of the most powerful ones out there is–YOU CAN ONLY BEGIN A NEW PROJECT AFTER YOU FINISHED THE ONE YOU STARTED. And it’s in the parental voice! It is such a big no-no that the first time I broke that rule…..well, I was SCARED.

But after sneaking in a second project, I got a little braver—especially after I finished it. I made a pair of socks AND a hat!!!! And finished them both!! Now I’m so brave, I had six projects going at once (last count) and one I hadn’t even worked on in awhile. No fear!

I even pondered the radical idea that the reason I’d left that one sweater unfinished was because it wasn’t such a good sweater and should be unfinished. Instead of being a Woman-Who-Doesn’t-Finish-Things, I was, well, discerning. I also finished a lot of other things while not finishing that sweater. So, which do you count? Do you count the five things you finished or the one thing you haven’t gotten around to finishing? The Big Voice says that NOTHING COUNTS until you finish that one. Well, I just stopped listening to stuff like that after I turned 51 for the first time.

So I started thinking, maybe this is a good idea anyway. Look, if you’re knitting one thing on size 10 needles and something else on size 2′s, you’re using different hand muscles in different ways and avoiding overdoing it. That seemed sensible (especially to a slightly older knitter like myself). How best to make sure you can keep knitting into the older years?

And then there’s the sheer joy of different colors, different textures. What if I’m in a blue yarn mood today? And a green yarn mood tomorrow? Or even this afternoon? Maybe I want to spend some knitting time daydreaming about how much my kids will like this hat, then move onto another daydream about knitting my show-off sweater with cables and bobbles and lace…

And then how about the “portable” knitting project? I really do need something to take over to a friend’s house or work on in car and if I have to be reading the pattern every two minutes I’ll either end the friendship or get car sick. No one wants to be car sick.

Yeah, I decided, several projects at once is good for arthritis prevention, good for my mental health, good for my self esteem, good for my friendships, an anti-car-sickness remedy….what’s not to like? So, let’s see…today I can finish the sheep toy….or the baby sweater….or the socks….or start that cute felted bag I saw on line…..

Technorati Tags: Scary Knitting Subjects

Tags: Intro to Wool Knitting Yarn Fibers

By Ellen

Published April 21, 2010

If you are a real yarn aficionado than this post on wool yarn fiber is really for you.

Wool is the most commonly used knitting yarn fiber from animal hairs. It comes from sheep.  Now that you are saying, “So, tell me what I didn’t know,” check out the rest of the article…

Types of Wool

Think of all the sheep in the world, all the different farms where they are raised, all the different climates and breeds of sheep. That is how many different types of wool yarns there could be.

Wool is the yarncrafters’ favorite fiber

In addition to the properties that animal hairs have because of scales, wool has special properties that make it yarncrafters’ favorite fiber.

Wool absorbs moisture. This helps wool “breathe” even more than other animal yarns. Wool releases moisture, such as human sweat, to cool the body, and retains moisture to warm the body. Wool can absorb up to 30% of its weight in moisture without feeling wet. That property makes wool a wonderful fiber for chilly and damp climates.

Wool does not shock you. The moisture in wool prevents it from conducting static electricity. Static electricity causes little shocks for example, when you touch a metal door handle. If you feel little electrical shocks, you’re not wearing wool! The natural moisture in wool will not let wool do that to you.

Wool is less likely to get dirty because it actually repels dirt and dust particles. You have probably noticed that when your wool sweater got some dirt on it a simple brush of the hand is enough to remove any remnant of the dirt. That is because the moister in the wool repels dust and dirt. Fibers which do not retain moisture, and therefor conduct static electricity, actually attract dust and dirt particles because of the magnetic properties in the static electricity. Wool clothing will stay cleaner longer so you can spend your time doing something really important, like crocheting a wool hat to go with your knitted wool sweater.

Wool is naturally flame-retardant. (See http://www.fabrics.net/fireproofing.asp) This makes it a good choice for blankets, sweaters, scarves and wraps for cold weather.

Wool is also “elastic,” meaning that it is flexible, stretches and springs back into shape. Elasticity makes wool easy to knit, especially for beginners.

There you have it, considering it’s elasticity, flame resistance, dirt resistance, shock resistance, and breath-ability wool is still the king of all yarn fibers.

Technorati Tags: Intro to Wool Knitting Yarn Fibers

Tags: Knitting Yarn

By Ellen

Published April 13, 2010

Hang on to your knitting needles, this post is a big one, with 6 videos and a lot of really interesting content.  If you make it to the end you will be an semi-expert on yarn fibers. First, check out this video about an introduction to yarn fibers.

Knitting yarns are made from animal hairs, plants, synthetic materials, silk, or blends. Each type of knitting yarn fiber feels different and looks different when crocheted or knitted.  You should know the knitting yarn fiber you need for a specific project before beginning to knit or crochet because the finished project will look different if it is made in wool or cotton or acrylic.  So understanding the pros and cons of each knitting yarn fiber will help you to better choose your knitting yarn.

Here is a video about animal fibers that are used in yarn.

This next video is about plant based yarn fibers.

Some high-end synthetic yarns are competitive with yarns made with natural fibers. Learn about synthetic yarns with this next video.

When we began taping we didn’t think to include silk as a yarn fiber origin category, but by this next video we realized the mistake, enjoy the next video on silk fibers.

So, why was it so important to learn about all of these different yarn fibers and their pros and cons? This video is wrap-up to your yarn fiber education.

Congrats for becoming a semi-expert in yarn fibers.

Technorati Tags: Knitting Yarn

Tags: Knitting Yarn Fibers from animal hair

By Ellen

Published

Some people really freak out when they find out that many of their yarns have scales on their threads.

Animal hairs are fibers that are covered in tiny “scales.”  These are like the scales that you see on fish, except they are so small that they cannot be seen without a microscope. Human hair is covered in scales, too.  Scales on animal hairs cannot be felt to the touch even by the most sensitive person.  Scales lie in a layer on top of the central fiber (called a shaft) and make the texture feel soft or rough.  If a yarn feels scratchy, it has too few scales.  In general, the more scales, the softer the yarn, and the fewer scales, the rougher the yarn.

It might seem “ yucky” to think that you are wearing a sweater with animal “scales,” but the scales cannot be seen and do not come off. You cannot feel them, and they are not responsible for “wool allergy.” (More about that later.)

For a real treat you can look at photos of wool scales through a microscope.  Check out this picture displaying microscopic scales on wool yarn. http://www.rugreview.com/or83b4.jpg

Scales serve very important purposes, and give these yarns their special properties.   The following is a list of positive effects of yarn scales.

1. Scales enable yarn to “breathe.”  This means that, in cool or cold weather, the yarn traps air and keeps it against the body for warmth. As the weather gets warmer, the yarns’ ability to “breathe” helps cool the skin by letting air circulate and releasing heat.
2. Scales reflect light and give animal yarns their unique and beautiful appearance.
3. Scales are the reason why animal hairs can be felted to create a dense, stiff fabric with a lot of design possibilities.  (More about felting, later.)
4. Scales form little chains around the fiber to make yarns strong and durable.

So now that you know that scales allow wool yarn to be felted the question arises- Why doesn’t superwash wool felt?  Superwash wool undergoes a special process which prevents the scales from clumping together when the knitting yarn is washed.  Therefore, superwash wool has the benefits of wool and the convenience of machine wash.

It is interesting to note that only animal fibers have scales, as opposed to plant yarns and synthetic yarns which do not have scales.  Therefore, the unique benefits of scales (such as the ability to “breath”, reflect light, felt, or form bonds for strength and durability) are unique to animal fibers.

Technorati Tags: Knitting Yarn Fibers from animal hair