brainsterIf you were signed in, you could rate this activity and add it to one of your lists.
Knitting
Knitting
Knitting is one of several ways to turn thread or yarn into cloth (compare to weaving, crochet). Unlike woven fabric, knitted fabric consists entirely of horizontal parallel courses of yarn. The courses are joined to each other by interlocking loops in which a short loop of one course of yarn is wrapped over the bight of another course. Knitting can be done either by hand, described below, or by knitting machine. In practice, hand knitting is usually begun (or "cast on") by forming a base series of twisted loops of yarn on a knitting needle. A second knitting needle is then used to reach through each loop (or stitch) in succession in order to snag a bight of yarn and pull a length back through the loop. This forms a new stitch. Work can proceed in the round (circular knitting) or by going back and forth in rows. Knitting can also be done by machines, which use a different mechanical system to produce nearly identical results.
History and culture
Although it can be done by one person alone, knitting is very much a social activity. There are many knitting guilds and other knitting groups.
The earliest definite examples of knitting date from Europe and Egypt in the 14th century, although some claim that the technology dates back into centuries BC. The first knitting trade guild was started in Paris in 1527, establishing the occupation as male-dominated for centuries to come. Knitting became a household occupation with the growing popularity of knitted stockings and by the end of the 1600s, one to two million pairs of stockings were exported from Britain to other parts of Europe.
With the invention of the knitting machine, knitting "by hand" became a useful but nonessential craft, and its practitioners increasingly female. Knitting joined quilting, spinning, needlepoint, and the like as a social activity, performed while the crafters converse among themselves.
Hand-knitting has gone in and out of fashion many times in the last two centuries or so, and at the turn of the 21st century it is enjoying a revival. Modern knitters come from all ages, walks of life, and (increasingly) genders—a social stigma against male knitters has been rapidly disappearing, and most knitting circles now sport at least a few men.
Materials
The classic knitting material is worsted-weight yarn spun from the wool of a sheep, though goat's wool (e.g. mohair or cashmere), rabbit hair (usually angora), and alpaca fur are also well-known. Natural fibres such as these have the advantage of being slightly elastic and very breathable, while trapping a great deal of air, making for a fairly warm fabric. Some of the more expensive fibres, such as cashmere, are often blended with other types, merino wool being very popular for its softness and fineness.
Other natural fibers that can be used for yarn include silk, or vegetal fibers such as linen and cotton. These tend to be much less elastic than the animal-hair yarns, though they can be stronger in some cases. Given the cost of silk, it is often blended with other fibers, such as rayon, cotton and wool. Pure linen makes a poor knitting fiber, having no elasticity; it is often blended with cotton, wool or acrylic. Cotton can be mercerised to increase its elasticity and its resistance to pilling. In any case, the finished product will be rather different from those made with woolen yarns.
A number of synthetic materials are also commonly made into yarn, chiefly acrylic. Acrylic yarn for a long time completely dominated the knitting market, and is still frequently the only available option at craft stores and other stores that do not specialise in knitting supplies. However, there is currently a large community of knitters that prefer the feel of natural fibers, both during the knitting process and in the final product. 100% acrylic yarns are available, as are wool-acrylic blends in various proportions. Some other synthetics are available as well; yarn designed for use in socks frequently contains a small percentage of nylon for durability, and numerous specialty yarns exist.
A relatively recent trend in knitting yarn is the "novelty yarn". Novelty yarns have been on the market for a long time, but have enjoyed a revival as many new knitters learn to knit, and expect fun and dazzling materials to knit with. There has been a dramatic increase in the amount and in the different forms in which novelty yarns can be found. Typically, novelty yarns arise from innovations in the spinning process. What could define a novelty yarn as opposed to "regular" yarn is the exaggeration in one or many of a regular fiber's characteristics; for example, some yarns are a bit fuzzy or hairy, but a novelty yarn might take that to an extreme, with yarns that have long hairs or metallic fuzz. Novelty yarns now come in all shapes and textures. There are yarns that are entirely metallic.
One variety of novelty yarn is called "boucle", "textured" or "flammé". Yarns of this type involve at least one or two strands of regular yarn twisted together with something else to make an interesting texture. To make boucle, the tension on one strand, as it is being spun, must be different than on the other. The extra element can be a metallic thread, or a much-thicker or much-narrower strand of yarn, or yarn that varies between thick and thin. Some companies have come to put twin yarns on the market to show off combinations of one regular yarn and a novelty yarns in assorted colours or even two different types of novelty yarns.
Another type of novelty yarn is "eyelash yarn". In general, eyelash yarns will be hairy and have the general aspect of faux fur once knitted up in a garment. The texture and composition of such yarns have been explored by many companies, and there are innumerable types of eyelash yarns. The most prominent types would probably be 100% polyester with a straight and relatively short hair. The hair can be curly. The core and hair of the thread can be metallic, and the hairs can sometimes be two different lengths. Some of the drawbacks of eyelash yarns is that they tend to have poor stitch definition, and that they are not flattering to curvy figures, so they are mostly used for accessories such as scarves.
Another type of novelty yarn is "ribbon yarn". They are not the kind of ribbons used in sewing and millinery. They are ribbon yarns made for knitting. Ribbon yarns must have give and elasticity.
Very often, novelty yarns will involve a lot of colour change. Most often these will be obtained through the print process, in which a fiber will have different colours through a dyeing process. Sometimes the colour will come through the sequence in which different colours are spun together. In some yarns the same process is used, but at the same time the color repeats are long enough to enable a self-striping feature. If the proper number of stitches is cast, then stripes will appear as the yarn is knitted into a garment. Sock yarn companies have evidently taken a great interest in self striping yarn. Such yarns have a wide array of different effects that can be obtained by knitting the yarn in the round over the number of stitches normally cast for a sock.
Some novelty yarns are even more extravagant and can be hard to describe. Katia's "Rumba Mix" is a ribbon that has changes in fiber within the same length involving changes of texture and changes of color. Louisa Harding's "Sari Ribbon" is a very wide multicolored synthetic ribbon with a streak of glittering fiber woven in its middle. Filati Bertagna's "Aymara" is a very fine alpaca-wool blend that is knitted in the round over a couple stitches to make up a bigger thread.
Ultimately, there is no restriction as to what materials can be used to knit; anything that can be viewed as a long strand of something can be used as a sort of knitting yarn. Creative knitters have successfully used ribbon, plastic strips, wire, crepe paper, string threaded with beads, and rope to fashion bags, bowls, jewelry, household items, and works of art.
Source: Wikipedia
Flags: Very Short (0-60 mins), Short (1-3 hours), Medium (3-6 hours), Solo, With a Friend, With a Group, Teens, Adults, Seniors, Indoors, At Home, Morning, Day, Night, Sunny, Snowy, Rainy