| Meet the Author Edie Eckman has been knitting and crocheting since the age of 6. Her first project was a striped scarf she made for her father. As she stated recently, "I spent six weeks working on it under my grandmother's direction. It was ready in time for Christmas, but he never wore it. I discovered why years later when I found it folded neatly on a closet shelf. It was six inches wide and 18 inches long, long enough for my neck, but not nearly scarf length." Her grandmother lived with them, and both her mother and her grandmother always had an ongoing needlework project of some type. She doesn't recall a time when she didn't have some sort of project to work on, even during her teenage and college years. After her marriage, she started frequenting her local yarn shop so often that five years later when she had her first child, she decided to become a partner. As a yarn shop owner, she learned a lot from her customers about their likes and dislikes. She also learned what techniques they needed to know and which ones they feared. Although the yarn shop closed several years ago, she is "having even more fun now designing and teaching knitting classes." Edie has taught at Knitters' Day Out, and Stitches, as well as at a number of yarn shops and knitting guilds. She is the author of several books, including Learn to Knit Socks, Knit a Dozen Socks, The Big Book of Knit Sweaters and Knit Hats, Mittens & Scarves. Over the next seven weeks, Edie will share with you a wealth of knitting tips, tricks and techniques that will inspire your creativity like never before. With the 501 Knitting Secrets educational series, you'll learn: - Part 1: All about yarn.
- Part 2: Phrases explained and plenty of other helpful hints.
- Part 3: Finishing touches that make your knitting fabulous.
- Part 4: Needle Know-How.
- Part 5: Tip Top Tools.
- Part 6: Professional tips for professional results.
- Part 7: Mr. Flurry -- Our most requested pattern -- and more great ideas.
- Part 8: Combining two passions, knitting and man's best friend.
So, sit back, relax and get ready to learn knitting tips that save you time, effort, money and fuss. We know you are ready to find out all the secrets now, but let's start with some of the basics about yarn. 
All About Yarn Years ago there were limited yarn choices available to knitters. In today's market, however, there is a multitude of yarns available with a wide variety of characteristics. Having a basic understanding of how yarns are manufactured and described will help you make decisions about the best yarn for a particular project. Fibers Many different animal, plant and synthetic fibers are used to make yarn. Wool, mohair, angora, silk, cashmere, camel, llama, alpaca and qiviut are protein fibers. Cotton, linen and ramie are vegetable fibers. Acrylic, nylon, polyester, metallics and microfibers are synthetic. Rayon is unique in that it is a man-made fiber made from a natural material. Each fiber has its own characteristics, and they are often blended to take advantage of the best properties of each. Fiber characteristics include how it feels to the touch (the "hand"), how much elasticity it has (resilience), how well it absorbs moisture (absorbency), and how well it accepts dye. Manufacturing Natural fibers other than silk come in short strands rather like locks of hair, called staples. While silk comes in one continuous strand, it is often cut into manageable lengths before processing. Most man-made fibers are produced in a single long filament. Before being spun, these fibers must be prepared by a carding or combing process. This process aligns the staples so that they are parallel to one another. Fiber is spun, or twisted together, in either an "S" twist or a "Z" twist. The twisted strand, or ply, may then be twisted together with other plies in the opposite direction to make a multi-plied yarn. Plying fibers adds strength and balance to the yarn. An unbalanced yarn will bias when knit. A tight twist will produce a strong yarn with good stitch definition. These yarns will resist pilling and may be used for garments that will get a lot of heavy wear, like socks or work sweaters. Sometimes the fiber is left unspun. This unspun fiber (roving) is weak and breaks easily during knitting. However, it creates a very warm garment for its weight because the air between the fibers traps heat. This is described as loft. Plies In older patterns, yarn was often described by ply: 2-ply, 3-ply and so on. This was not a problem because knitters at the time understood a 2-ply yarn to be much thinner than a 4-ply. However, today's yarn sizes can range from the finest gossamer silk thread to extra-chunky wool yarn. We need more information before we can be confident in substituting yarns. Don't be fooled into thinking that a 2-ply yarn is thin, and 12-ply yarn is thick. Remember, ply refers to the number of strands that are twisted together to make a particular yarn; it does not describe a weight or class of yarn. The diameter of these plies is what determines the weight of the yarn. The yarn classification table offers rules of thumb when working with different weight fibers.  | | Click here for a larger view. | Yardage Another mistake knitters may make when purchasing yarns is to buy by weight, not by yardage. Cotton yarn weighs much more per yard than does wool; some wools weigh more per yard than others. If the yardage is not listed on the ball band, have your local yarn shop owner find the information for you so that you can buy sufficient length to complete your project. Novelty Yarns There are numerous novelty yarns on the market. These include eyelash, slubs, metallics, ribbons and bouclé. These yarns have their own characteristics and are not within the scope of this article. However, when substituting yarns, be aware that the unique characteristics of these types of yarns are not duplicated; you must choose a similar yarn type in order to achieve the same look. Yarn Substitution When choosing a different yarn than called for in your pattern, first determine the characteristics of the original yarn, then choose a substitute with similar characteristics. You will want a yarn of the same weight with similar resilience, twist and loft. Your final decision will be made with the help of a swatch. Make a fairly large sample of knitting, at least 6 x 6-inches, in the main pattern stitch. Does the gauge match the gauge in the instructions? Once you have matched the gauge, are you happy with the way the knit fabric drapes? Does it seem too stiff or too loose? Does it seem to match the fabric in the photographed project? A successful choice of yarn will match the properties of the yarn with the design requirements of the project. The more the knitter learns about these properties, the easier it is to make this match. 
Fiber Characteristics | Fiber | Where it comes from | Fiber characteristics | | Alpaca | Hair of an alpaca | Comes in many natural colors
Lustrous, strong fibers
Nonresilient | | Angora | Hair of an angora rabbit | Silky, soft fiber
Expensive
Lofty/fluffy
Can be dyed
Extremely warm for its weight | | Camel | Down from a Bactrian camel (two humps) | Available in "camel" color only -- does not accept dye
Very warm
Fragile | | Cashmere | Undercoat hair from a cashmere goat | Expensive
Very soft
Fragile and delicate | | Cotton | Inside the pod of a cotton plant | Heavy
Nonelastic
Accepts dye well
Stretches
Absorbent
Noninsulating
Stronger wet than dry
Machine washable | | Linen | Inside stalk of a flax plant | Extremely strong
Takes dye well, but is often left natural
Becomes smoother and softer with age
Absorbent
Quick-drying
Nonelastic
Nonpilling
Stronger wet than dry | | Mohair | Hair from an angora goat | Accepts dye well
Soil-resistant
Durable, strong, resilient
Very warm for its weight
Long, lustrous staple | | Qiviut | Down of a musk ox | Extremely soft
Accepts dye well
Very expensive | | Ramie | Nettle plant | Similar to linen -- often used as a substitute for linen
Absorbent
Accepts dye well | | Rayon | Manufactured from cellulose in wood pulp or cotton | Absorbent
Accepts dye well
Quick-drying
Heavy
Non-elastic
Stretches, but will recover in dryer
Weak fiber
Most common type of rayon is viscose
May shrink if not laundered properly | | Silk | Filament unreeled from the cocoon of a silkworm (tussah silk comes from the wild silkworm) | Smooth, shiny, strong fiber
Thinnest of all the natural fibers
Accepts dye well
Resists pilling
Drapes well
Stronger dry than wet | | Wool | Fleece (hair) of a sheep | Comes in natural colors: gray, brown, white
Accepts dye well
Contains lanolin, a natural oil that is water-repellent
Breathable -- keeps the wearer warm and dry
Water- and soil-resistant
Good insulator -- lots of warmth for its weight
Resilient
Will felt if subjected to heat and friction
Naturally flame retardant
Staple lengths and properties vary with different breeds of sheep | Next week you'll become a pattern-reading expert. I'll explain common but troublesome phrases used in patterns. I'll also include some helpful hints to make your knitting faster and easier. PS -- Tell your friends to visit us to sign up for educational newsletters like this. |
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