Knitting

For this reason, knitting was initially developed for garments that must be elastic or stretch in response to the wearer's motions, such as socks and hosiery.

By contrast, the left-plaited stitch is generally formed by hand-knitters by wrapping the yarn in the opposite way, rather than by any change in the needle.

Both types of plaited stitches give a subtle but interesting visual texture, and tend to draw the fabric inwards, making it stiffer.

Knitters have developed methods for giving the illusion of a circular wale, such as appear in Celtic knots, but these are inexact approximations.

[13] The large and many holes in lacy knitting makes it extremely elastic; for example, some Shetland "wedding-ring" shawls are so fine that they may be drawn through a wedding ring.

For example, differently colored leaves and petals of a flower could be knit separately and attached to form the final picture.

[14] The exact origins of knitting are unknown, the earliest known examples being cotton socks dating from the 11th century, found in the remains of the city of Fustat, now part of Cairo.

[15] Nålebinding (Danish: literally "binding with a needle" or "needle-binding") is a fabric creation technique predating both knitting and crochet.

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.

[21][22] 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.

Fair Isle knitting uses two or more colored yarns to create patterns and forms a thicker and less flexible fabric.

Skeins and balls are generally sold with a yarn-band, a label that describes the yarn's weight, length, dye lot, fiber content, washing instructions, suggested needle size, likely gauge/tension, etc.

A yarn's usefulness for a knitting project is judged by several factors, such as its loft (its ability to trap air), its resilience (elasticity under tension), its washability and colorfastness, its hand (its feel, particularly softness vs. scratchiness), its durability against abrasion, its resistance to pilling, its hairiness (fuzziness), its tendency to twist or untwist, its overall weight and drape, its blocking and felting qualities, its comfort (breathability, moisture absorption, wicking properties) and of course its look, which includes its color, sheen, smoothness and ornamental features.

Other factors include allergenicity; speed of drying; resistance to chemicals, moths, and mildew; melting point and flammability; retention of static electricity; and the propensity to become stained and to accept dyes.

There is also a technique called knooking[31] of knitting with a crochet hook that has a cord attached to the end, to hold the stitches while they're being worked.

Mega knitting produces a chunky, bulky fabric or an open lacy weave, depending on the weight and type of yarn used.

Anthea Crome created 14 tiny sweaters used in the stop motion animated film Coraline and has made objects at 60 or 80 stitches per inch, making her own needles from fine surgical steel wire.

In Japanese short rows, a locking stitch marker is used to hold the loop of the working yarn at the turning point.

Other designers and labels that make heavy use of knitting include Michael Kors, Fendi, and Marc Jacobs.

[40] For individual hobbyists, websites such as Etsy, Big Cartel and Ravelry have made it easy to sell knitting patterns on a small scale, in a way similar to eBay.

[41] Magda Sayeg is credited with starting the movement in the US and Knit the City are a prominent group of graffiti knitters in the United Kingdom.

Traditionally those that get their passports fully stamped are eligible to win a larger gift basket filled with yarn, knitting and crochet goodies.

The Australian charity Wrap with Love continues to provide blankets hand knitted by volunteers to people most in need around the world who have been affected by war.

In the historical projects, yarn companies provided knitting patterns approved by the various branches of the armed services; often they were distributed by local chapters of the American Red Cross.

Instead of hand knitting for charity, knitters are encouraged to donate a week's worth of disposable income, including money that otherwise might have been spent on yarn.

The project was started in memory of a young woman who had collected plastic toy ducks and who died from cystic fibrosis while waiting for a lung transplant.

These studies have found the rhythmic and repetitive action of hand knitting can help prevent and manage stress, pain and depression, which in turn strengthens the body's immune system,[56] as well as create a relaxation response in the body which can decrease blood pressure, heart rate, help prevent illness, and have a calming effect.

[3] Hand knitting, along with other leisure activities, has been linked to reducing the risk of developing dementia by preventing memory loss.

Knitting can be done anywhere and requires that minimal materials and props be carried around with you, making it a very pleasurable and simple hobby that gives wonderful benefits.

[3] Many public libraries and yarn stores host knitting groups where knitters can meet locally to engage with others interested in hand crafts.

Woman knitting
Video description of knitting a sock and the two basic stitches: knit and purl
Structure of stockinette stitch, a common weave in knitted fabric. The meandering red path defines one course , the path of the yarn through the fabric. The uppermost white loops are unsecured and "active", but they secure the red loops suspended from them. In turn, the red loops secure the white loops just below them, which in turn secure the loops below them, and so on.
Alternating wales of red and yellow knit stitches. Each stitch in a wale is suspended from the one above it.
Basic pattern of warp knitting. Parallel yarns zigzag lengthwise along the fabric, each loop securing a loop of an adjacent strand from the previous row.
A modern knitting machine in the process of weft knitting
In the knit stitch on the left, the next (red) loop passes through the previous (yellow) loop from below , whereas in the purl stitch (right), the next stitch enters from above. Thus, a knit stitch on one side of the fabric appears as a purl stitch on the other, and vice versa.
Two courses of red yarn illustrating two basic fabric types. The lower red course is knit into the white row below it and is itself knit on the next row; this produces 'stockinette' stitch. The upper red course is purled into the row below and then is knit, consistent with 'garter' stitch.
A dropped stitch, or missed stitch, is a common error that creates an extra loop to be fixed.
The stitches on the right are right-plaited, whereas the stitches on the left are left-plaited.
Illustration of entrelac . The blue and white wales are parallel to each other, but both are perpendicular to the black and gold wales, resembling basket weaving .
Illustration of cable knitting . The central braid is formed from 2x2 ribbing in which the background is formed of purl stitches and the cables are each two wales of knit stitches. By changing the order in which the stitches are knit, the wales can be made to cross.
In lace knitting , the pattern is formed by making small, stable holes in the fabric, generally with yarn overs .
Schematic of stockinette stitch, the most basic weft-knit fabric
Close-up of front of stockinette stitch
Close-up of back of stockinette stitch , also same appearance as reverse stockinette stitch
Close-up of knitting
Close-up of ribbing
A woman in the process of hand knitting (1904)
A hank of wool yarn (center) is uncoiled into its basic loop. A tie is visible at the left; after untying, the hank may be wound into a ball or balls suitable for knitting. Knitting from a normal hank directly is likely to tangle the yarn, producing snarls.
Transformation of a hank of lavender silk yarn (top) into a ball in which the knitting yarn emerges from the center (bottom). The latter is better for knitting, since the yarn is much less likely to tangle.
The two possible twists of yarn
Close-up of "Jitterbug" – knitted glass by Carol Milne
Knitting needles in a variety of sizes and materials. Different materials have varying amounts of friction, and are suitable for different yarn types.
Double-pointed knitting needles in various materials and sizes. They come in sets of four, five or six.
Circular knitting needles in different lengths, materials and sizes, including plastic, aluminum, steel and nickel-plated brass
Cable needles
Some ancillary tools, also called notions , used by hand-knitters. Starting from the bottom right are two crochet hooks, two stitch holders (like big blunt safety pins), and two cable needles in pink and green. On the left are a pair of scissors, a yarn needle, green and blue stitch markers, and two orange point protectors. At the top left are two blue point protectors, one on a red needle.
Drawing by Marguerite Martyn of two women and a child knitting for the war effort at a St. Louis, Missouri, Red Cross office in 1917
A Syrian refugee stands next to the clothes she has knitted for sale.
Some charities teach women to knit as a means of clothing their families or supporting themselves.
The earliest image of circular knitting , from the 15th century AD Buxtehude altarpiece