Tools and materials

The quality of knitting depends to a large extent on the correct selection of knitting needles. The yarn label indicates the needle thickness required for each type of yarn.

By knitting your sample with your own, you can double-check the indicated thickness of the spokes.

Knitting needles are commercially available in various thicknesses, from the thinnest needles to the thickest, for knitting things with thick yarns, such as wool.

For knitting from thick yarn, knitting needles are used from various materials, for example: plastic, wood, metal.

It is desirable that at one of the ends of the knitting needle to prevent slipping of the loops, it should have a limiter.

To obtain a thick cylindrical seamless fabric, either circular knitting needles are used, or a set of four or five knitting needles, where the loops of the product are distributed between three or four knitting needles, and one is also used as a working one. Braids, plaits, various weaves are performed with the help of an auxiliary knitting needle, as well as with the help of a loop holder.

A knitted flat fabric is usually made on two knitting needles, it is also possible on circular ones. It is knitted in the reverse and forward directions and has a wrong side and a right side. The fabric is cylindrical only on the front side, it is knitted in a circle.

The knitting needles should not be too sharp so as not to split the thread and injure your hands when working, nor too blunt so as not to make it difficult to insert the working knitting needle into the loop.

Numbers are used to indicate the size of the knitting needles, which correspond to its diameter in millimeters (for example, knitting needle number four – the diameter is four millimeters).

The diameter of the needles themselves is selected in accordance with the thickness of the yarn, usually in a ratio of two to one. Depending on, however, variations are possible on which product is supposed to be received. When knitting with thin needles from thick yarn, a denser fabric is obtained, while with knitting needles of a large diameter from thin threads, an openwork fabric is obtained. But we will talk with you about thick yarn.

But, first, we will explain to all readers in the yarn itself in general.

For knitting, the most varied yarn is used. For example: linen, cotton, woolen, synthetic, blended, shaped. In order to avoid warping of the knitted fabric, painfully twisted threads should not be used for products made with stocking (kulirny) stitch.

Types of basic loops from thick yarn.

Types of basic loops – nakid, purl, edge, front. With the help of them, a variety of all knitted patterns knitted on the needles is created.

Before we start working on the product, we have to knit a sample ten by ten centimeters in size. With its help, the number of loops and rows is determined per centimeter of knitted fabric, which will allow achieving accuracy in the dimensions of the product.

The knitting process itself begins with a set of the number of loops required for two folded knitting needles – creating an initial row. After that, one of the knitting needles – the working one – is removed, and loops remain on the knitting needle, which we take in our left hand.

There are two knitting methods: “German” (continental) – the working thread is in the left hand and is thrown onto the right knitting needle and “English”, when the working thread is held from the ball with the right hand and is picked up by the right knitting needle when a new loop is formed.

Knitting a front loop – a working thread is located behind the canvas. The right knitting needle is inserted from left to right into the loop on the left knitting needle, the yarn is pulled out and captured. The front loop remains on the right knitting needle, the loop (of the previous row) is discarded from the left knitting needle. When knitting with facial loops in rows of facial and purl. On the wrong side, a smooth fabric is formed (front surface) with vertical stripes that remind us of braids. This knitting is also called stocking stitch or kulirny. When knitting with front loops and in the wrong and in the front rows, a thicker fabric with horizontal stripes is obtained – this is called garter stitch. The front elongated loop is obtained if the working knitting needle is inserted one row (three, four, and so on) lower, and not into the loop of the previous row.

Knitting a purl loop – corresponds to knitting a front loop, but the working thread is located in front of the fabric, and the working knitting needle is inserted from right to left. By alternating the wrong side and the front with an odd number of loops in a row, the so-called elastic band is knitted – the fabric is very stretchable. Usually, the cuffs and the bottom of sweaters and sweaters are knitted with an elastic band, as well as on products that are very tight-fitting.

Nakid – a working thread is thrown onto the right knitting needle or picked up by it. In the purl row, a yarn is knitted like an ordinary loop. Nakida are used to add loops and to form an openwork pattern (in a canvas with holes). If, when adding loops in the pattern, holes are undesirable, then in the purl row, the yarn is knitted with a crossed loop.

Knitting a crossed loop. That loop is called crossed, the walls of which are arranged crosswise. The crossed loop is knitted from the front ordinary and purl loops. When knitting a row of purl loops behind the front wall, and the next one behind the back wall with front ones, the loops become crossed of the previous row. The fabric is usually less stretched and denser from crossed loops. Things from them are knitted, to which special requirements are imposed on strength (mittens, socks, and so on). The disadvantage of a fabric knitted from crossed loops is its skew (especially when knitting with stocking stitch, this is noticeable), since the loops are rotated relatively at an angle to its surface.

Loop removed – a loop removed on a working knitting needle, without knitting.

Decreasing and adding loops. When decreasing the loops, they are knitted as one two loops. To decrease with a slope to the right, two loops are knitted as one front, with a slope to the left – the first loop is removed, the second front is knitted and stretched through the first. With the help of yarns, loops are added, knitted as front or back in the next row.

Harnesses and braids – we get when changing the order of knitting loops: the first loop on the auxiliary knitting needle is removed and left behind or before work. The next loop is knitted behind it, after – a loop from the auxiliary knitting needle.

From thick yarn, with the help of knitting needles, you can knit a lot of things, such as jackets, jackets, knitted warm pullovers and sweaters and much more.