Filet Crochet

Filet crochet is a type of crocheted fabric. This type of crocheted lace is gridlike because it uses only two crochet stitches.

The chain stitch and the double crochet stitch (U.S. terminology; known in some other countries as chain stitch and treble crochet). Patterns can be formed by filling in parts of the mesh with double crochet stitches. Filet crochet is most often worked in rows, but it can also be worked in the round. Fine crochet thread is most commonly used to create decorative items such as doilies, tablecloths, and place settings such as coasters and placemats. As with all other types of crochet, filet crochet can use any weight of thread, cord, ribbon, yarn, or anything else flexible enough to work with a crochet hook.

Filet crochet is most often worked from a graph or a symbol diagram. Patterns are created by combining solid and open meshes, usually working the design in solid meshes and the background in open meshes. the size of the space is determined by the number of chain stitches between each double stitch. Filet crochet may also be worked with half-double crochet or even treble crochet.

Many simple cross-stitch patterns can be effectively converted to filet crochet and vice versa by filling the design region with solid blocks and crocheting an open mesh in the areas with no pattern. As with all other types of crochet, filet crochet looks best if blocked before use to highlight the design.

Tunisian Crochet

Tunisian crochet, also known as Afghan crochet or Tricot Crochet, is a type of crochet that uses an elongated hook, often with a stopper on the handle end, called an Afghan hook. It is sometimes considered to be a mixture of crocheting and knitting. As such, some techniques used in knitting are also applicable in Tunisian crochet. One example is the intarsia method.

The work is begun with the traditional starting chain, a series of slip stitches. Once the chain is completed, the first row is worked by inserting the hook back into the previous link of the chain, and a loop from the free end of the yarn is grabbed with the hook and pulled back through the link. Unlike traditional crochet, however, this new loop is not then pulled through the initial loop. Both remain on the hook and then the process is repeated, working from right to left, until each link in the chain has been worked. At the end, there will be as many loops on the hook as there are stitches required. This process is called casting on. This is the first of two parts for creating a row.

The work is never turned. Once the correct number of loops is obtained, the process is reversed with each loop being worked off from the hook by pulling a fresh loop of yarn through each stitch, working from left to right. It is both parts of the process which form a completed row.
This type of crochet creates a dense fabric in a grid pattern with a definite front and back side. It is ideal as a base for cross-stitch.

Broomstick Lace

Broomstick lace is a historic crochet technique from the 1800s which is done using a crochet hook and another long slender item such as a knitting needle. It is also known as jiffy lace and peacock eye crochet. Traditionally a broomstick was used, hence the name, but the modern variant is a lightweight plastic knitting needle or smooth wooden craft dowel. A larger knitting needle or dowel will result in a lacier effect, while a smaller will provide a more closely woven effect. Because the fabric created is soft yet stable, it is well suited for clothing and blankets.

Technique of Broom Stick Lace
As with other forms of crochet the base of the pattern is a chain stitch. The number of stitches in this beginning chain are normally counted in multiples of 3 through 6, depending on the desired effect. The first row can either be immediately done in Broomstick lace, or instead incorporate a single or half-double crochet stitches. The "broomstick" or knitting needle is then used in the next row, as you pick up a loop through each of the stitches in row one and transfer it from the crochet hook onto the needle or dowel. This part of the process is similar to knitting as all stitches in the row are being picked up and held at one time on the knitting needle being used. Once a loop has been pulled up through every stitch, the loops are then worked back off the dowel by sliding them off in groupings of 3, 4, 5, or 6 loops (depending on the desired effect) at a time and working the same amount of single or half-double crochet stitches through the top of each group of loops at the same time.

The overall appearance of the work will vary based upon the number of loops in a group, the size of the knitting needle being used, as well as the type of yarn being used. Experimenting with variations is encouraged so that the most desirable effect for the item being made will result. Typical items made using this technique include afghans, baby blankets, scarves, shawls, and other items where an unusual lacy effect may be desired.

Hairpin Lace

Hairpin lace is a crochet technique done using a crochet hook and a hairpin lace loom, which consists of two parallel metal rods held at the top and the bottom by removable bars. Historically, a metal U-shaped hairpin was used, from which the name originates.

Hairpin lace is formed by wrapping yarn around the prongs of the hairpin lace loom to form loops, which are held together by a row of crochet stitched worked in the center, called the spine. The resulting piece of lace can be worked to any length desired by removing the bottom bar of the hairpin and slipping the loops off the end. The strips produced by this process can be joined together to create an airy and lightweight fabric. Various types of yarns and threads can be used to achieve different color, texture and design effects. Examples of items made with hairpin lace include scarves, shawls, hats, baby blankets, afghans, and clothing. Hairpin lace can also be added to sewn, knitted, and crocheted works as a decorative accent.

Cro-Hook

The cro-hook, is a special double-ended crochet hook used to make double-sided crochet, which is a variation of Tunisian crochet. Because the hook has two ends, two colors of thread can be used simultaneously and freely interchanged.

Crafts using a double-ended hook are commercially marketed as Cro-hook and Crochenit.

Limerick Lace

Limerick lace is an embroidered needle lace formed on a mesh using one or both of two techniques...

• Tambour - where chain stitch is created using a hook.

• Needlerun - where stitches are darned onto the ground using a needle.

Youghal Lace

Youghal lace (or Point d'Irlande) is a needle lace inspired by Italian needle lace developed in Youghal, County Cork, Ireland.

Carrickmacross Lace

Carrickmacross lace is a type of needle lace. Originating in Carrickmacross, Ireland in the early 19th century, it is still practised today.

The lace is worked by tacking fine muslin onto machine netting. The design is outlined, the unwanted muslin is then cut away and the open areas are filled in with needle lace.

Irish Crochet

Irish crochet is a type of lace, which has its origin in the famine years of the 19th century in Ireland. Charity groups sought to revive the economy by teaching crochet lace technique at no charge to anyone willing to learn. This type of lace is characterized by separately crocheted motifs which were later assembled into a mesh background. Other types of Irish crochet include Rosslea and Clones lace.

Difference of Crochet and Knitting

One of the more obvious differences is that crochet uses one hook while most knitting uses two needles. This is because in crochet, the artisan usually has only one live stitch on the hook, while a knitter keeps an entire row of stitches active simultaneously. So dropped stitches, which can unravel a fabric, rarely interfere with crochet work. This is also because of a second, perhaps less obvious, structural difference between knitting and crochet. In knitting, each stitch is supported by the corresponding stitch in the row above and it supports the corresponding stitch in the row below. In crochet each stitch is only supported by and supports the stitches on either side of it. If a stitch in a finished item breaks, the stitches above and below remain intact, and, because of the complex looping of each stitch, the stitches on either side are not likely to come loose unless put under a lot of stress.

Round or cylindrical patterns are simple to produce with a regular crochet hook, but cylindrical knitting requires either a set of circular needles or four or five special double sided needles. And free form crochet can create interesting shapes in several dimensions because new stitches can be made independently of previous stitches almost anywhere in the crocheted piece.

Knitting can be accomplished by machine, while many crochet stitches can only be crafted by hand. Although some crochet patterns can emulate the appearance of knitting, distinctive crochet patterns such as the Granny square cannot be simulated by other methods.

Crochet is more suitable than knitting for joining pieces of fabric and knit patterns for sweaters may incorporate crochet for finishing. Crochet can add borders or surface embellishment to both knit and crochet fabric. Crocheted fabric uses 1/3 more yarn than knitted fabric. Crochet produces a thicker fabric than knitting, and tends to have less "give" than knitted fabric. And, generally speaking, crochet technique produces fabric faster than knitting.

Flat Knitting versus Circular Knitting

Circular knitting (also called "knitting in the round") is a form of knitting that creates a seamless tube. Knitting is worked in rounds (the equivalent of rows in flat knitting) in a spiral. Originally, circular knitting was done using a set of four or five double-pointed knitting needles. Later, circular needles were invented. A circular needle resembles two short knitting needles connected by a cable between them. Flat knitting, on the other hand, is used, in its most basic form, to make flat, rectangular pieces of cloth. It is done with two straight knitting needles and is worked in rows, horizontal lines of stitches.

Circular knitting is employed to create pieces that are circular or tube-shaped, such as hats, socks, mittens, and sleeves. Flat knitting is usually used to knit flat pieces like scarves, blankets, afghans, and the backs and fronts of sweaters.

Flat Knitting

Flat knitting is a method for producing knitted fabrics in which the work is turned periodically, i.e., the fabric is knitted from alternating sides. The two sides (or "faces") of the fabric are usually designated as the right side (the side that faces outwards, towards the viewer and away from the wearer's body) and the wrong side (the side that faces inwards, away from the viewer and towards the wearer's body).

Flat knitting is usually contrasted with circular knitting, in which the fabric is always knitted from the same side. Flat knitting can complicate knitting somewhat compared to circular knitting, since the same stitch (as seen from the right side) is produced by two different movements when knitted from the right and wrong sides. Thus, a knit stitch (as seen from the right side) may be produced by a knit stitch on the right side, or by a purl stitch on the wrong side. This may cause the gauge of the knitting to vary in alternating rows of stockinette fabrics; however, this effect is usually not noticeable, and may be eliminated with practice (the usual way) or by using needles of two different sizes (an unusual way).

In flat knitting, the fabric is usually turned after every row. However, in some versions of double knitting with two yarns and double-pointed knitting needles, the fabric may turned after every second row.

In Industrial Knitting applications, the terms "Flat" and "Circular" have very different meanings to those given above. A "Flat" or Vee Bed knitting machine consists of 2 flat needle beds arranged in an upside-down "V" formation. These needle beds can be up to 2.5 metres wide. A carriage, also known as a Cambox or Head, moves backwards and forwards across these needle beds, working the needles to selectively, knit, tuck or transfer stitches. A flat knitting machine is very flexible, allowing complex stitch designs, shaped knitting and precise width adjustment. It is, however relatively slow when compared to a circular machine. The two largest manufacturers of industrial flat knitting machines are Stoll of Germany, and Shima Seiki of Japan.

Circular Knitting

Circular knitting or knitting in the round is a form of knitting that creates a seamless tube. When knitting circularly, the knitting is cast on and the circle of stitches is joined. Knitting is worked in rounds (the equivalent of rows in flat knitting) in a spiral. Originally, circular knitting was done using a set of four or five double-pointed needles. Later, circular needles were invented, which can also be used to do circular knitting.The circular needle looks like two short knitting needles connected by a cable between them. Machines also do circular knitting; double bed machines can be set up to knit on the front bed in one direction then the back bed on the return, creating a knitted tube. Specialized knitting machines for sock-knitting use individual latch-hook needles to make each stitch in a round frame.

Many types of sweaters are traditionally knit in the round. Planned openings (arm holes, necks, cardigan fronts) are temporarily knitted with extra stitches, reinforced if necessary. Then the extra stitches are cut to create the opening, and are stitched with a sewing machine to prevent unraveling.

Double Knitting

Double knitting is a form of knitting in which two fabrics are knit simultaneously with two yarns on one pair of needles. The fabrics may be inseparable, as in interlock knitted fabrics, or they can simply be two unconnected fabrics. In principle, an arbitrary number n of fabrics can be knitted simultaneously on one pair of knitting needles with n yarns, as long as one is careful.

Methods of Double Kintting

There are several methods for double knitting, including flat knitting on doubled-pointed knitting needles; after one row has been knit with one yarn, the crafter slides the stitches to the other end of the needle and begins the next row with the next yarn. Only half the stitches are knit with any one yarn; the rest are slipped. After both rows are done, you then turn the work and begin another pair of rows.

Intarsia

Intarsia is a knitting technique used to create patterns with multiple colours. As with the woodworking technique of the same name, fields of different colours and materials appear to be inlaid in one another, but are in fact all separate pieces, fit together like a jigsaw puzzle.

Unlike other multicolour techniques (including Fair Isle, slip-stitch colour, and double knitting), there is only one "active" colour on any given stitch, and yarn is not carried across the back of the work; when a colour changes on a given row, the old yarn is left hanging. This means that any intarsia piece is topologically several disjoint columns of colour; a simple blue circle on a white background involves one column of blue and two of white---one for the left and one for the right. Intarsia is most often worked flat, rather than in the round. However, it is possible to knit intarsia in circular knitting using particular techniques.

Common examples of intarsia include sweaters with large, solid-colour features like fruits, flowers, or geometric shapes. Argyle socks and sweaters are normally done in intarsia, although the thin diagonal lines are often overlaid in a later step, using Swiss darning or sometimes just a simple backstitch.

Process of Intarsia

knitting in intarsia theoretically requires no additional skills beyond being generally comfortable with the basic knit and purl stitches. Materials required include multiple colours of yarn, standard needles, and bobbins. Bobbins serve to contain the inactive yarn and help keep it from getting tangled. Unlike the narrow, wooden ones used to make bobbin lace, modern intarsia bobbins resemble translucent plastic yo-yos that can snap tight to prevent the yarn from unwinding.

After winding a few yards of each colour onto its own bobbin (and possibly several bobbins' worth of some colours), the knitter simply begins knitting their pattern. When they arrive at a point where the colour changes, the knitter brings the new colour up underneath the old one (to prevent holes) and starts knitting with it. If flat knitting, at the end of the row, the piece is turned round just as with regular knitting, and the knitter returns back the way they came.

The simplest intarsia pattern is for straight vertical stripes. After the first row, the pattern is continued by always working each stitch in the same colour as the previous row, changing colours at the exact same point in each row. To make more elabourate patterns, one can let this colour boundary drift from row to row, changing colours a few stitches earlier or later each time.

Intarsia patterns are almost always given as charts (which, because of the mechanics of knitting, are read beginning at the lower right and continuing upward boustrophedonically). The charts generally look like highly pixellated cartoon drawings, in this sense resembling dot-matrix computer graphics or needlepoint patterns (though usually without the colour nuance of the latter).

Weft Knitting

Weft-knit fabrics may also be knit with multiple yarns, usually to produce interesting color patterns. The two most common approaches are

• Intarsia

• Double Knitting

In intarsia, the yarns are used in well-segregated regions, e.g., a red apple on a field of green.In that case, the yarns are kept on separate spools and only one is knitted at any time.

In the more complex double knitting, two or more yarns alternate repeatedly within one row and all the yarns must be carried along the row, as seen in Fair Isle sweaters. Double knitting can produce two separate knitted fabrics simultaneously, e.g., two socks.However, the two fabrics are usually integrated into one, giving it great warmth and excellent drape.

Warp Knitting

It is a family of knitting methods in which the yarn zigzags along the length of the fabric, i.e., following adjacent columns ("wales") of knitting, rather than a single row ("course"). For comparison, knitting across the width of the fabric is called weft knitting.

Since warp knitting requires that the number of separate strands of yarn ("ends") equals the number of stitches in a row, warp knitting is almost always done by machine, not by hand.

Types of Warp Knitting

Warp knitting comprises several types of knitted fabrics, including tricot, raschel knits, and milanese knits. All warp-knit fabrics are resistant to runs and relatively easy to sew.

• Tricot is very common in lingerie.

• Milanese is stronger, more stable, smoother and more expensive than tricot and, hence, is used in better lingerie. Milanese is now virtually obsolete.

• Raschel knits do not stretch significantly and are often bulky,consequently, they are often used as an unlined material for coats, jackets, straight skirts and dresses.

Lace Knitting

Lace knitting is a style of knitting characterized by stable "holes" in the fabric arranged with consideration of aesthetic value. Lace is sometimes considered the pinnacle of knitting, because of its complexity and because woven fabrics cannot easily be made to have holes. True knitted lace has pattern stitches on both the right and wrong sides; knitting with pattern stitches on only one side of the fabric, so that holes are separated by at least two threads, is technically not lace, but often called "lacy knitting".

Eyelet patterns are those in which the holes make up only a small fraction of the fabric and are isolated into clusters (e.g., little rosettes of one hole surrounded by others in a hexagon).

At the other extreme, some knitted lace is almost all holes, e.g., faggoting. Famous examples include the wedding ring shawl of Shetland knitting, a shawl so fine that it could be drawn through a wedding ring. Shetland knitted lace became extremely popular in Victorian England when Queen Victoria became a Shetland lace enthusiast. From there, knitting patterns for the shawls were printed in English women's magazines where they were copied in Iceland with single ply wool.

Knitted lace with no bound-off edges is extremely elastic, deforming easily to fit whatever it is draped on. As a consequence, knitted lace garments must be blocked or "dressed" before use, and tend to stretch over time

Technique

A hole can be introduced into a knitted fabric by pairing a yarn-over stitch with a nearby (usually adjacent) decrease. If the decrease precedes the yarn-over, it typically slants right as seen from the right side (e.g., k2tog, not k2tog tbl; see knitting abbreviations). If the decrease follows the yarn-over, it typically slants left as seen from the right side (e.g., k2tog tbl or ssk, not k2tog). These slants pull the fabric away from the yarn-over, opening up the hole.

Pairing a yarn-over with a decrease keeps the stitch count constant. Many beautiful patterns separate the yarn-over and decrease stitches, e.g., k2tog, k5, yo. Separating the yarn-over from its decrease "tilts" all the intervening stitches towards the decrease. The tilt may form part of the design, e.g., mimicking the veins in a leaf.

There are few constraints on positioning the holes, so practically any picture or pattern can be outlined with holes; common motifs include leaves, rosettes, ferns and flowers. To design a simple lace motif, a knitter can draw its lines on a piece of knitting graph paper; right-slanting lines should be produced with "k2tog, yo" stitch-pairs (as seen on the right side) whereas left-slanting lines should be produced with "yo, k2tog tbl" (or, equivalently, "yo, ssk" or "yo, skp") stitch pairs (again, as seen on the right side). More sophisticated patterns will change the grain of the fabric to help the design, by separating the yarn-overs and decreases.

Cable Knitting

Cable knitting is a style of knitting in which the order of stitches is permuted.

For example, let there be four stitches on the needle in the order ABCD. The first two may be crossed in front of the next two, forming the order CDAB

Methods

Two different styles of cable needles. The stitches crossing behind are transferred to a small cable needle for storage while the stitches passing in front are knitted. The former stitches are then transferred back to the original needle or knitted from the cable needle itself. Other knitters prefer to transfer the stitches to a large safety pin or, for a single stitch, simply hold it in their fingers while knitting the other stitch(es). Cable stitches are generally permuted only on the right side, i.e., every other row. Having a spacer row helps the fabric to "relax".

Cable knitting is usually less flexible and more dense than typical knitting, having a much more narrow gauge. This narrow gauge should be considered when changing from the cable stitch to another type of knitted fabric. If the number of stitches is not reduced, the second knitted fabric may flare out or pucker, due to its larger gauge. Thus, ribbed cuffs on an aran sweater may not contract around the wrist or waist, as would normally be expected. Conversely, stitches may need to be added to maintain the gauge when changing from another knitted fabric such as stocking to a cable pattern.

Cables are usually done in stocking stitch, with a reverse stocking background, but any combination will do; for example, a background seed stitch in the regions bounded by cables often looks striking. Another visually intriguing effect is meta-cabling, where the cable itself is made up of cables, such as a three-cable plait made of strands that are themselves 2-cable plaits. In such cases, the "inner" cables sometimes go their separate ways, forming beautiful, complex patterns such as the branches of a tree. Another interesting effect is to have one cable "pierce" another cable, rather than having it pass over or under the other.

Two cables should cross each other completely in a single row; for example, two cables three stitches wide should cross with the three stitches of one cable passing over the three of the other cable. It is very difficult to make an intermediate crossing row of fewer stitches look good.

Cable Braids

Cables are often used to make braid patterns. Usually, the cables themselves are with a knit stitch while the background is done in purl. As the number of cables increases, the number of crossing patterns increases, as described by the braid group. Various visual effects are also possible by shifting the center lines of the undulating cables, or by changing the space between the cables, making them denser or more open.

A one-cable serpentine is simply a cable that moves sinusoidally left and right as it progresses. Higher-order braids are often made with such serpentines crossing over and under each other.

A two-cable braid can look like a rope, if the cables always cross in the same way (e.g., left over right). Alternatively, it can look like two serpentines, one on top of the other.

A three-cable braid is usually a simple plait (as often seen in girls' hair), but can also be made to look like the links in a chain, or as three independent serpentines.

A four-cable braid allows for several crossing patterns.

The five-cable braid is sometimes called the Celtic princess braid, and is visually interesting because one side is cresting while the other side is in a trough. Thus, it has a shimmering quality, similar to a kris dagger.
The six-cable braid is called a Saxon braid, and looks square and solid. This is a large motif, often used as a centerpiece of an aran sweater or along the neckline and hemlines.

The seven-cable braid is rarely used, possibly because it is very wide.

It may be helpful to think of a cable pattern as a set of serpentine or wave-like cables, each one meandering around its own center line. A vast variety of cable patterns can be invented by changing the number of cables, the separations of their center lines, the amplitudes of their waves (i.e., how far they wander from their center line), the shape of the waves (e.g., sinusoidal versus triangular), and the relative position of the crests and troughs of each wave (e.g., is one wave cresting as another is crossing its center line?).

Cable Lattices

In some cases, one can form a lattice of cables, a kind of ribbing made of cables where the individual cable strands can be exchanged freely. A typical example is a set of parallel 2-cable plaits in which, every so often, the two cables of each plait separate, going left and right and integrating themselves in the neighboring cables. In the process, the right-going cable of one plait crosses the left-going cable of its neighbor, forming an "X".

Cable Textures

Many patterns made with cables do not have a rope-like quality. For example, a deep honeycomb pattern can be made by adjacent serpentines, first touching the neighbor on the left then the neighbor on the right. Other common patterns include a "Y"-like shape (and its inverse) and a horseshoe crab pattern.

Shadow Knitting

Shadow knitting also called "illusion knitting" is a knitting technique that produces patterns that vary with the direction of viewing.

Method Despite its impressive effect, shadow knitting is a simple technique. As in mosaic knitting, the knitter alternates between two colors. Colors with good contrast are preferred, but not needed. The knitter knits two rows of color A, then two rows of color B, then two rows of color A, etc. Only knit or purl stitches are used.
Each row in the pattern represents four rows of knit or purl stitches, and each column represents one stitch. To follow this pattern you would use black and white, white being the background color (BC), and black being the master color (MC).

Start at row one, this could be thought of as Row 1-1 and is a right-side row (RS): with BC, knit.Row 1-2 (still following the pattern at row 1) (WS): knit the blank boxes, purl the ones filled in.Row 1-3 (RS): change to MC, knit.Row 1-4 (WS): purl the blank boxes, knit the ones filled in.Move to Row 2 on the pattern and begin knitting the BC, this is row 2-1. Repeat for all rows and bind-off.

The visual effect of shadow knitting is due to the different height of the knit stitches on the wrong side rows. A knit stitch is flat, while a purl stitch is raised. Therefore, one can change which color (dark or light) stands out by changing from knit to purl. So the basic idea is to create a pattern in knit stitches in the colors one wants and purl stitches in the background color. When looking straight at the knitted piece, the stitches look approximately the same, but from an angle, only the raised purl stitches are visible.

There are no constraints on the position of the purl/knit stitches, so a nearly infinite variety of patterns can be made. The pattern will not be apparent from every direction of viewing, since one ridge may "overshadow" another. Knitters often enjoy watching when the picture created becomes visible. The stark contrast of alternating light and dark stripes is also visually interesting.

Extensions of the method include using more than two colors or using other stitches, e.g., lace knitting or cable knitting.

Mosaic Knitting

Mosaic knitting uses two colors (usually both held at one side), but only one yarn is handled at one time. Let the first and second yarns be called "black" and "white" for specificity, although any two colors may be used. The knitter casts on an entirely white row. The knitter then introduces the black yarn and knits two rows, across and back. If a white stitch is desired at a given position, the stitch (from the white row below) is slipped wyib; by contrast, if a black stitch is desired, the stitch is knitted using the black yarn. The second (return) row repeats the slip/knit choices of the first row, effectively giving double height. (Note that, on the return row, the stitches are slipped wyif, since the fabric is being knitted from the wrong side.) The knitter then takes up the white yarn and knits two rows, across and back. Now if a white stitch is desired at a given position, the stitch is knitted with the white yarn; by contrast, if a black stitch is desired, the stitch is slipped from the row below (if it is black). If a black stitch is needed in a white-yarn row and the stitch of the previous row was white (i.e., slipped), the pattern is impossible for mosaic knitting. Therefore, any black or white vertical stripe must begin and end with the corresponding yarn, which implies that the number of knitted rows in any vertical stripe must be 2 times an odd number, i.e., 2x1=2, 2x3=6, 2x5=10, etc. However, this constraint on possible patterns can be well-hidden if the pattern is large enough.

Mosaic knitting can produce many beautiful patterns, particularly geometrical or Grecian designs. Historically, mosaic patterns are rather rectilinear, being composed mainly of thin horizontal and vertical stripes that meet at right angles. However, mosaic knitting has limitations relative to other techniques for producing color patterns in knitting such as Fair-isle knitting. Depending on the pattern, a mosaic-knit fabric may be stiff and tense, due to the many slipped stitches; such fabrics may be better for coats and jackets, which do not require as much drape. The tension in the fabric may also distort the rectilinear lines into curves. These problems may be overcome by judiciously elongating the stitches. Some color patterns may be impossible for mosaic knitting, if they require too many slipped stitches or if the colors do not line up conveniently (as described above). Blocks of solid colors can be done in mosaic knitting, but require many slipped stitches in a row; hence, blocks of solid colors are usually broken up with stippling, i.e., with regularly spaces spots of the opposing color. On the other hand, mosaic knitting is significantly lighter than Fair-isle knitting, which is nearly twice as thick and bulky. Long horizontal bars of the same color are also more convenient in mosaic knitting than they are in Fair-isle knitting (where such bars require that the other colors be held at the back for long runs).

A simple extension of mosaic knitting is to use multiple colors, rather than just two, although the limitations on the pattern become even more severe. Another variant is to hold the yarns on opposite edges (or to knit circularly), which allows the knitter to knit only one row per color

Slip-Stitch Knitting

Slip-stitch knitting is a family of knitting techniques that use slip stitches to make multiple fabrics simultaneously, to make extra-long stitches, and/or to carry over colors from an earlier row.

Basic Methods

In the basic slip stitch, the stitch is passed from the left needle to the right needle without being knitted. The yarn may be passed invisibly behind the slipped stitch (wyib="with yarn in back") or in front of the slipped stitch (wyif="with yarn in front"), where it produces a small horizontal "bar". The wyif slipped stitch is less common, although several knitting patterns use it to produce a visual effect like woven cloth. Alternatively, the yarn can be "tucked", i.e., made into a yarn-over that is knitted together with the slipped stitch on the next row; like the simpler wyib, this is invisible.

If knitted on the next row, the wyib slipped stitch is twice as tall as its neighboring stitches. A vertical column of such "double-height" stitches is a nice accent, e.g., on a scarf or in a sweater, particularly in a contrasting color.

Double Knitting with Slip Stitches

Slip stitches may be used for an easier method of double knitting that requires only one yarn be handled at one time. As a concrete example, consider a two-color pattern with a multiple of four stitches (labeled ABCD) being knit on double-pointed circular needles. On the first row, using color 1, stitch A is knitted, stitch B is purled, stitch C is slipped wyib and stitch D is slipped wyif. The knitter then slides the stitches back to the beginning (recall that the needles are double-pointed). Then, using color 2, stitch A is slipped wyib, stitch B is slipped wyif, stitch C is knitted and stitch D is purled. The knitter then turns the work and repeats indefinitely. The knitted and slipped wyib stitches come forward, whereas the purled and wyif stitches recede, resulting in a (very warm!) double-knit scarf alternating in the two colors with beautiful drape. The knit and purl stitches produce the front and back fabrics, respectively, of the double-knitted fabric while the slipped stitches allow for the alternation of color.

An even simpler slip-stitch pattern generates two fabrics at once on the same needle. Consider the pattern: * knit 1, slip 1 wyif *. At the end of the row, turn the work. Then knit the stitches that were slipped and slip (again wyif) the stitches that were knitted. In the end, one should obtain a "pocket" that can be opened (be sure to use wyif slip-stitches during binding off as well!) The wyif slip stitch prevents the yarn from crossing over to the back fabric, so that only the front fabric is knitted in any row. This is probably the secret technique of Anna Makarovna from Leo Tolstoy's War and Peace, who always knit two socks simultaneously

Intarsia

Intarsia is a knitting technique used to create patterns with multiple colours. As with the woodworking technique of the same name, fields of different colours and materials appear to be inlaid in one another, but are in fact all separate pieces, fit together like a jigsaw puzzle.

Unlike other multicolour techniques (including Fair Isle, slip-stitch colour, and double knitting), there is only one "active" colour on any given stitch, and yarn is not carried across the back of the work; when a colour changes on a given row, the old yarn is left hanging. This means that any intarsia piece is topologically several disjoint columns of colour; a simple blue circle on a white background involves one column of blue and two of white---one for the left and one for the right. Intarsia is most often worked flat, rather than in the round. However, it is possible to knit intarsia in circular knitting using particular techniques.

Common examples of intarsia include sweaters with large, solid-colour features like fruits, flowers, or geometric shapes. Argyle socks and sweaters are normally done in intarsia, although the thin diagonal lines are often overlaid in a later step, using Swiss darning or sometimes just a simple backstitch.

Technique

Knitting in intarsia theoretically requires no additional skills beyond being generally comfortable with the basic knit and purl stitches. Materials required include multiple colours of yarn, standard needles, and bobbins. Bobbins serve to contain the inactive yarn and help keep it from getting tangled. Unlike the narrow, wooden ones used to make bobbin lace, modern intarsia bobbins resemble translucent plastic yo-yos that can snap tight to prevent the yarn from unwinding.

After winding a few yards of each colour onto its own bobbin (and possibly several bobbins' worth of some colours), the knitter simply begins knitting their pattern. When they arrive at a point where the colour changes, the knitter brings the new colour up underneath the old one (to prevent holes) and starts knitting with it. If flat knitting, at the end of the row, the piece is turned round just as with regular knitting, and the knitter returns back the way they came.

The simplest intarsia pattern is for straight vertical stripes. After the first row, the pattern is continued by always working each stitch in the same colour as the previous row, changing colours at the exact same point in each row. To make more elabourate patterns, one can let this colour boundary drift from row to row, changing colours a few stitches earlier or later each time.

Intarsia patterns are almost always given as charts (which, because of the mechanics of knitting, are read beginning at the lower right and continuing upward boustrophedonically). The charts generally look like highly pixellated cartoon drawings, in this sense resembling dot-matrix computer graphics or needlepoint patterns (though usually without the colour nuance of the latter).

Fair Isle

Fair Isle is a traditional knitting technique used to create patterns with multiple colours. It is named after Fair Isle, a tiny island in the north of Scotland, between the Orkney and Shetland islands. Fair Isle knitting gained a considerable popularity when the Prince of Wales (later to become Edward VIII) wore Fair Isle Tank tops in public in 1921. Traditional Fair Isle patterns have a limited palette of five or so colours, use only two colours per row, are worked in the round, and limit the length of a run of any particular colour.

Some people use the term "Fair Isle" to refer to any colourwork knitting where stitches are knit alternately in various colors, with the unused colours stranded across the back of the work. Others use the term "stranded colourwork" for the generic technique, and reserve the term "Fair Isle" for the characteristic patterns of the Shetland Islands.

Other techniques for knitting in colour include intarsia, slip-stitch colour (also known as mosaic knitting).

Technique

Basic two-colour Fair Isle requires no new techniques beyond the basic knit stitch. (The purl stitch is not used.) At each knit stitch, there are two available "active" colours of yarn; one is drawn through to make the knit stitch, and the other is simply held behind the piece, carried as a loose strand of yarn behind the just-made stitch. Knitters who are comfortable with both English style and Continental style knitting can carry one colour with their right hand and one with their left, which is probably easiest, although it is also possible to simply use two different fingers for the two colours of yarn and knit both using the same style.

The simplest Fair Isle pattern is as follows: using circular or double pointed needles, cast on any number of stitches. Then, just keep knitting round and round, always alternating colours every stitch. If you started with an even number of stitches, you will end up with a vertically striped tube of fabric, and if you started with an odd number of stitches, it will be a diagonal grid that appears to mix the two colours.

Traditional Fair Isle patterns normally had no more than two or three consecutive stitches of any given colour, because they were stranded, and too many consecutive stitches of one colour means a very long strand of the other, quite easy to catch with a finger or button. A more modern variation is woven Fair Isle, where the unused strand is held in slightly different positions relative to the needles and thereby woven into the fabric, still invisible from the front, but trapped closely against the back of the piece. This permits a nearly limitless variety of patterns with considerably larger blocks of colour.

Traditional Fair Isle sweater construction usually involves knitting the body of the sweater in the round, sewing or otherwise fastening the work securely where the arm holes are to go, and then cutting the knit fabric to make the armholes. These cuts are known as steeks in American knitting terminology, but not in the Shetland Isles where the Fair Isle technique was developed.

Beginning in the 1990s, the term "Fair Isle" has been applied very generally and loosely to any stranded color knitting which has no relation to the knitting of Fair Isle or any of the other Shetland Islands.

Drop-Stitch Knitting

Drop-stitch knitting is a knitting technique for producing open, vertical stripes in a garment. The basic idea is to knit a solid fabric, then (deliberately) drop one or more stitches (i.e., draw a loop out from the loop below it, and so on repeatedly), producing a run (or ladder) in the fabric. The run will continue to the bottom (i.e., cast-on) edge of the garment, or until it encounters an increase, at which it stops.

Drop-stich runs are an easy way to get the "see-through" effect of lace, but with a much more casual look. The designer can make interesting arrangements of open stripes (of whatever length); the endpoints of the stripe are specified by the initial increase and the point at which the first stitch was dropped. Drop-stitch stripes are usually vertical, since they follow the grain of the knitting, i.e., the wales, the columns of dependent loops. However, the grain of the knitting can be made off-vertical, e.g., in entrelac or by increasing on one edge and decreasing on the other.

Instead of being left open, the cross-strands of runs (the "rungs" of the ladder) can also be modified in various ways. For example, using a crochet hook, one can re-work them into larger knitted bights, e.g., by drawing four strands through the four below them, and so on indefinitely. As another example, the "rungs" can be bound up in different patterns using a contrasting yarn and a darning needle.

Diameter Of Knitting Needles

The most important property of needles is their diameter, which ranges from below 2 mm to 25 mm (roughly 1 inch). The diameter affects the size of stitches, which affects the gauge of the knitting and the elasticity of the fabric. Thus, a simple way to change gauge is to use different needles, which is the basis of uneven knitting. Although knitting needle diameter is often measured in millimeters, there are several different size systems, particularly those specific to the United States, the United Kingdom and Japan.

Circular Needles

These are long, flexible double-pointed needles. The two tapered ends (typically 5inches (130mm) long) are rigid and straight, allowing for easy knitting; however, the two ends are connected by a flexible strand (usually nylon) that allows the two ends to be brought together. Circular needles are typically 24-60 inches long, and are usually used singly or in pairs; again, the width of the knitted piece may be significantly longer than the length of the circular needle. Special kits are available that allow circular needles of various lengths and diameters to be made as needed; rigid ends of various diameters may be screwed into strands of various lengths. The ability to work from either end of one needle is convenient in several types of knitting, such as slip-stitch versions of double knitting. Circular needles may be used for flat or circular knitting.

Knitting needles may be made out of any materials, but the most common materials are metals, wood, bamboo, and plastic. Different materials have different frictions and grip the yarn differently

Slick needles such as metallic needles are useful for swift knitting, whereas rougher needles such as bamboo are less prone to dropping stitches. The knitting of new stitches occurs only at the tapered ends, and needles with lighted tips have been sold to allow knitters to knit in the dark.

Cable Needles

These are a special case of dpns, although they usually are not straight, but dimpled in the middle. Cable needles are typically very short (a few inches), and are used to hold stitches temporarily while others are being knitted. Cable patterns are made by permuting the order of stitches. Although one or two stitches may be held by hand or knit out of order, cables of three or more generally require a cable needle.

Double-Pointed Knitting Needles

usually come in sets of four (US size 1) or five (US size 8).

These are straight, double-pointed knitting needles (also called "dpns"). Double-pointed needles are tapered at both ends, which allows them to be knit from either end. Dpns are typically used for circular knitting, especially smaller tube-shaped pieces such as sleeves, collars, and socks; usually one needle is active while the others hold the remaining active stitches. Dpns are somewhat shorter (typically 7 inches) and are usually sold in sets of four or five.

Single-Pointed Knitting Needles

The first and most common type consists of two slender,Straight sticks tapered to a point at one end,With a knob at the other end to prevent stitches from slipping off. Such needles are usually 10-16 inches long but, due to the compressibility of knitted fabrics, may be used to knit pieces significantly wider.

Sizes Of Knitting Needles

Knitting needles in a variety of sizes (US 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13 and 15 from the bottom). The US size 7 and 15 needles are bamboo and wood, respectively, whereas the others are aluminum. Having a smoother surface, metal needles tend to produce faster knitting but stitches are more likely to slide off by accident.

Dyeing Of Knitting Yarns

The dyeing of yarns is a complex art. Yarns need not be dyed. They may be dyed with one color, or a great variety of colors. Dyeing may be done industrially, by hand or even hand-painted onto the yarn. A great variety of synthetic dyes have been developed since the synthesis of indigo dye in the mid-19th century; however, natural dyes are often favored, although they are generally less brilliant. The color-scheme of a yarn is sometimes called its colorway. Variegated yarns can produce interesting visual effects, such as diagonal stripes; conversely, a variegated yarn may frustrate an otherwise good knitting pattern by producing distasteful color combinations.

Two Possible Twists Of Yarn

Although knitting may be done with ribbons, metal wire and more exotic filaments, most yarns are made by spinning fibers. In spinning, the fibers are twisted so that the yarn resists breaking under tension

The twisting may be done in either direction, resulting in an Z-twist or S-twist yarn. If the fibers are first aligned by combing them, the yarn is smoother and called a worsted.

By contrast, if the fibers are carded but not combed, the yarn is fuzzier and called woolen-spun. The fibers making up a yarn may be continuous filament fibers such as silk and many synthetics, or they may be staples (fibers of an average length, typically a few inches).

Naturally filament fibers are sometimes cut up into staples before spinning. The strength of the spun yarn against breaking is determined by the amount of twist, the length of the fibers and the thickness of the yarn. In general, yarns become stronger with more twist (also called worst), longer fibers and thicker yarns (more fibers).

For example, thinner yarns require more twist than do thicker yarns to resist breaking under tension. The thickness of the yarn may vary along its length.A slub is a much thicker section in which a mass of fibers is incorporated into the yarn.

A single spun yarn may knitted as is, or braided or plied with another. In plying, two or more yarns are spun together, almost always in the opposite sense from which they were spun individually.

For example, two Z-twist yarns are usually plied with an S-twist. The opposing twist relieves some of the yarns' tendency to curl up and produces a thicker, balanced yarn. Plied yarns may themselves be plied together, producing cabled yarns or multi-stranded yarns. Sometimes, the yarns being plied are fed at different rates, so that one yarn loops around the other, as in bouclé. The single yarns may be dyed separately before plying, or afterwards to give the yarn a uniform look.

Factors Judging Yarn's Usefulness for a Knitting Project

• Loft (its ability to trap air)

• Resilience (elasticity under tension)

• Washability and Colorfastness

• Hand (its feel, particularly softness vs. scratchiness)

• Durability against Abrasion, its Resistance to Pilling

• Hairiness (fuzziness)

• Tendency to Twist or Untwist, its overall weight and drape

• Blocking and Felting qualities

• Comfort (breathability, moisture absorption, wicking properties) and of course

• 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

• The Propensity to become stained and to accept Dyes.

The resilience and propensity to (un)twist are general properties that affect the ease of hand-knitting. More resilient yarns are more forgiving of irregularities in tension.

Highly twisted yarns are sometimes difficult to knit, whereas untwisting yarns can lead to split stitches, in which not all of the yarn is knitted into a stitch.

A key factor in knitting is stitch definition, corresponding to how well complicated stitch patterns can be seen when made from a given yarn. Smooth, highly spun yarns are best for showing off stitch patterns,

very fuzzy yarns or eyelash yarns have poor stitch definition, and any complicated stitch pattern would be invisible.

Selection Of Knitting Yarns

Yarn for hand-knitting is usually sold as balls or skeins (hanks), although it may also be wound on spools or cones. 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, etc. It is common practice to save the yarn band for future reference, especially if additional skeins must be purchased. Knitters generally ensure that the yarn for a project comes from a single dye lot. The dye lot specifies a group of skeins that were dyed together and thus have precisely the same color; skeins from different dye-lots, even if very similar in color, are usually slightly different and may produce a visible stripe when knitted together. If a knitter buys insufficient yarn of a single dye lot to complete a project, additional skeins of the same dye lot can sometimes be obtained from other yarn stores or online.

The thickness or weight of the yarn is a significant factor in determining the gauge, i.e., how many stitches and rows are required to cover a given area for a given stitch pattern. Thicker yarns generally require thicker knitting needles, whereas thinner yarns may be knit with thick or thin needles. Hence, thicker yarns generally require fewer stitches, and therefore less time, to knit up a given garment. Patterns and motifs are coarser with thicker yarns; thicker yarns produce bold visual effects, whereas thinner yarns are best for refined patterns. Yarns are grouped by thickness into six categories: superfine, fine, light, medium, bulky and superbulky; quantitatively, thickness is measured by the number of wraps per inch (WPI). The related weight per unit length is usually measured in tex or dernier.

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.
Before knitting, the knitter will typically transform a hank into a ball where the yarn emerges from the center of the ball thus making the knitting easier by preventing the yarn from becoming easily tangled. This transformation may be done by hand, or with a device known as a ballwinder. When knitting, some knitters enclose their balls in jars to keep them clean and untangled with other yarns.The free yarn passes through a small hole in the jar-lid.

Fully-Fashioned Knitting

Fully-fashioned knitting machines are flat knitting machines that produce custom pre-shaped pieces of a knitted garment. Instead of knitting a whole rectangular sheet of fabric, instructions from a knit pattern on a punch card or computer file guide a fully-fashioned knitting machine's needles to add or drop stitches to create custom two dimensional shapes appropriate to the desired finished garment structure. The pieces emerge from the machine ready to be sewn together.

Fully-fashioned knitting cuts down on the amount of material required to make a garment by eliminating selvage, the remnants that would be left after cutting from a rectangular fabric sheet. For example, a sweater requires at least four pieces of fabric: two sleeves, the front piece, and the back piece. Prior to fully-fashioned machine techniques, a full sheet of material would have to be produced, each of the four pieces would be cut out, and the remaining fabric would be discarded. With full-fashioning, the machine produces only the four required pieces.

The necessary techniques for changing the fabric width or diameter are achieved by:

• Changing knit structure (e.g. rib to interlock)

• Varying the structural elements (stitch length, weft insertion, knit, tuck, float)

• Shaping through loop transfer

• Wale fashioning by 'needle parking'

• Segmented takedown for varying rates of takedown across the width of the fabric.

These knit options above may also be used to change the structure of each piece to create limited curvature (such as convexity at the bust of a sweater) in the relatively 2-dimensional output. A new generation of fully-fashioned machines, called complete garment knitting machines, output seamless 3-dimensional garments by knitting connected tubular forms.

Complete Garment Knitting

Complete garment knitting is a next-generation form of fully-fashioned knitting that adds the capability of making a 3-dimensional full garment. Unlike other fully-fashioned knitting, where the shaped pieces must still be sewn together, finished complete knitted garments do not have seams. The knitting machines' computerized instructions direct movement of hundreds of needles to construct and connect several tubular knitted forms to create a complete garment in a single production step.

The complete garment system's advantages lie in 1) a further reduction in materials beyond even fully-fashioned production by eliminating seam allowances and 2) faster time to market by eliminating the need for sewing any components. These factors increases cost-effectiveness (especially important when using high-performance materials such as aramids for composites). One might also argue that cutting down on wased by-product selvage makes complete garment better for the environment. Examples of structures that are most often made with the complete garment technique are clothing (sportswear to sweaters) or technical textiles (car seat covers which also incorporate additional structural elements such as metal and plastic fasteners, composite preforms). The machines can produce a variety of topologies that were more difficult or impossible to create with knitting machines before, including: connected tubes, circles, open cuboids, and even spheres (for helmet shells and other preforms).

Complete garment knitting requires two needle beds for three-dimensional structures (such as clothing). As is the case with all fully-fashioned knitting, machines require individual single needle selection (through electronic control) and presser feet (to hold down formed loops).
Aspects of complete garment knitting such as changing the fabric width or diameter and connecting two sides of the structure together are also possible with a single needle bed for two-dimensional or 'flat' structures -- and are achieved by:

• Changing knit structure (e.g. rib to interlock)

• Varying the structural elements (stitch length, weft insertion, knit, tuck, float)

• Shaping through loop transfer

• Wale fashioning by 'needle parking,'

• Segmented takedown for varying rates of takedown across the width of the fabric.

Knitting Structure | Courses and wales

Like weaving, knitting is a technique for producing a two-dimensional fabric from a one-dimensional yarn or thread. In weaving, threads are always straight, running parallel either lengthwise (warp threads) or crosswise (weft threads). By contrast, the yarn in knitted fabrics follows a meandering path (a course), forming symmetric loops (also called bights or stitches) symmetrically above and below the mean path of the yarn.

These meandering loops can be stretched easily in different directions, which gives knitting much more elasticity than woven fabrics; depending on the yarn and knitting pattern, knitted garments can stretch as much as 500%.

Knitting was initially developed for garments that must be elastic or stretch in response to the wearer's motions, such as socks and hosiery. For comparison, woven garments stretch mainly along one direction (the bias) and not very much, unless they are woven from stretchable material such as spandex. Knitted garments are often more form-fitting than woven garments, since their elasticity allows them to follow the body's curvature closely.By contrast, curvature is introduced into most woven garments only with sewn darts, flares, gussets and gores, the seams of which lower the elasticity of the woven fabric still further. Extra curvature can be introduced into knitted garments without seams, as in the heel of a sock.The effect of darts, flares, etc. can be obtained with short rows or by increasing/decreasing the number of stitches. Thread used in weaving is usually much finer than the yarn used in knitting, which can give the knitted fabric more bulk and less drape than a woven fabric.

If they are not secured, the loops of a knitted course will come undone when their yarn is pulled; this is known as ripping out, unravelling knitting, or humorously, frogging. To secure a stitch, at least one new loop is passed through it. Although the new stitch is itself unsecured ("active" or "live"), it secures the stitch(es) suspended from it. A sequence of stitches in which each stitch suspended from the next is called a wale. To secure the initial stitches of a knitted fabric, a method for casting on is used; to secure the final stitches in a wale, one uses a method of binding off. During knitting, the active stitches are secured mechanically, either from individual hooks (in knitting machines) or from a knitting needle or frame in hand-knitting