Learn to Knit from a Master!

A brief respite from fiber to check out this great gadget.  I got some years ago, and still find that they’re the least expensive and most versitile storage around.

It’s Bass Pro Shop’s worm binder.  Yuck, you say?  No, not real worms, plastic ones.  But forget worms, I just put my needles in the pouches instead.

I couldn’t get a picture from the site, so included one of my worm binder, which is probably 15 years old.  The newer ones look even better.

I’ve got one that is perfect for my circular needles, and then another that is just the right size for my double points.  Don’t think they make one big enough for straight needles, but you never know . . .

The heavy-duty zipper pouches hold needles or supplies or whatever very well.  They’re on binder rings, so you can just flip through.  I used a Sharpie to put sizes on each pouch, and I just slip the needles in appropriately.

Corraling all your supplies and tools is usually quite a job, and this is the way to do it.

There’s a worm binder at Sportsman’s Warehouse here in Wasilla.  It’s a little different, but would work wonderfully, and was just $19.99.  Check it out.

four alpaca and a llama

I don’t know if it’s ‘better,’ but it’s sure nice!  Alpaca.  This fiber comes from the alpaca, a member of the camelid family. They’re slightly smaller than the llama.  They’re kinda cute guys and gals, are easy to raise and are clean, and their poop can go straight into the garden as fertilizer – isn’t that mulit-use!  They’re sheared like sheep, and thier fleece is soft and warm.  The fiber is long and strong.  It is less itchy than a lot of wools, and contains no lanolin for those alergic.  Alpaca fiber comes in a number of natural colors, but takes up dye very well, too.

Alpaca will felt, although I’ve never wanted to do that to the items I’ve knit with it.  They’re to soft and cushy to think of shrinking them!  Alpaca needs to be handled like wool, gently washed, never rung, and laid flat to dry.

Again, try a blend of alpaca and wool.  You get the softness and strength of alpaca, the elasticity and memory of wool, and a less expensive skein of yarn!  Alpaca is blended with other fibers as well.

Or, really splurge, get some 100% alpaca and knit the perfect scarf or neckwarmer or hat or cowl for these cold winter days. You’ll be glad you did!

There are so many fibers out there!  Understanding what they are, how they respond to spinning and knitting, and how they need to be cared for is quite a job.  So, let’s learn a bit about the basic fibers, then how blending fibers creates an even different yarn, and then how spinning and plying make up the final product we knit with.  I’ll be referring to a great book, Clara Park’s The Knitter’s Book of Yarn.  If you find this information as fascinating as I do, add her book to your library – you’ll enjoy it.

We’ll start with wool.  I think it’s the most amazing fiber.  Garments knit with good wool will last more than a lifetime if properly cared for.  Let’s look through the microscope at some wool . . .

Wool comes from sheep.  There are a bazillion types of sheep and wool, but we’ll speak collectively for now.  There are three  characteristics of a strand of wool that determine its value, both financially and fiberly.  The diameter of the strand, measured in microns, tells it’s thickness.  The staple, or length of each hair, determines it strength.  The crimp in each hair adds elasticity, helps trap air, and absorbs and balances twist when spun.

That crimp is the elasticity or memory of wool.   When the wool relaxes as it’s washed, the crimp plumps back up, evening our your tension and softening the piece.  That elasticity is what allows you to pat a bit in or out as you block to get your garment pieces to their correct size.

The hairs, like our own, are covered with scales.  These scales are what allows wool to felt.  As the fiber is warmed with water and agitated, the scales grab on to each other and hold, creating felt – either with raw wool (wet felting) or with knitted garments (fulling).

Wool is an even more amazing fiber.   It can absorb up to 30% of its weight in water before it will feel wet to the wearer, and while it does that it’s releasing heat to help keep you warm!  It wicks perspiration away, it breathes, it insulates, it warms, and it lasts!

Wool can be itchy – it’s the scales – or it can be soft.  Merino, the finest and softest of wools, can be worn next to the skin without any problem, but it’s expensive.  Lately, many brands are producing superwash wool, fiber which has been chemically treated to soften the edges of the scales so it’s not so itchy.  This fiber is great for knitting, but cannot now be felted.

Or, you can resort to one of my favorites, a wool blend.  Find a fiber that’s more wool than not, but blended with cotton, or rayon, or even acrylic.  These fibers add strength and durability (wool is not a really strong fiber, as your worn out sock heels and toes will tell you), and they help lower the cost.

Look at the content of the yarn you’re working with – read the information on the yarn label.  See what you’ve got, then pay attention to how you like working with it, how it knits up, how you like the finished garment.  Make a note or two, and remember that when you shop for yarn next time.

Whew!  It’s a lot of work getting all the classes listed, and then in the calendar, but I’ve finally finished it.

I’ve got a bit of fine tuning to do with the descriptions of the new classes, but everything else is there, and the calendar is right.

There are 8 new classes this session:  crochet, crochet edges, duplicate stitch, needlefelting, slip stitch, beading, shadow/illusion, and Brioche in the round.  I’m working on samples and patterns now, and having fun!  The shadow knit washcloth is great – I’ll get the picture of it up very soon.

For those of you who’ve been with me for awhile, I hope these new classes will interest you.  There are still a few techniques I haven’t covered, but I’ll save them for the fall session!

Also check out Christmas in July.  We’re going to knit a stocking, with options for Intarsia, Fair Isle, simple striping, duplicate stitch, and more.

Registration is OPEN!!