Follow along and discover your next inspiration as we cast on for projects we love, explore new techniques, and dish about the latest and greatest from Knit Picks.
Meet the team »
Hey there! Welcome to “Customer Question of the Week”, a new weekly
blog feature wherein our crack team of experts (okay, it’s the KP staff)
answers your most pressing fiber-crafting queries. Have a ponderance or
problem you need solved? Email us at customerquestion@knitpicks.com. Even though we won’t be able to respond to every person, your question may be chosen for this feature!
Ultra-smart, in-house designer Kerin tackles this week’s fiber dilema.
Q: “How should I wash bamboo-blend garments?”
A: To begin, Rayon-type cellulosic materials like viscose, bamboo, and Modal are much different than other plant fibers in that they do not retain strength when wet. They will stretch more than cotton, and can shrink unevenly. When blended into a springy yarn, the inelastic viscose fibers are not held straight, but they will tend to relax and straighten out (therefore stretching the yarn) when wet.
‘Tis
the season for hearty soups and fresh-from-the-oven cookies which means
that my potholders have been doing double time the past few weeks. My
favorite hot pads are a handmade set in a bright green and cream cotton
yarn, double thick, square and the perfect size for grabbing as well as
acting as trivets. Unfortunately, they’ve been looking a little battered
and scarred with burns and melted chocolate that just won’t wash out
anymore. It was time for a new set! I grabbed a ball of Dishie Multi in Fig and a size G hook and started perusing Ravelry for a pattern.
Love to crochet small motifs, but never sure what to do with all of your
small crocheted creations? Get a dose of fresh, creative inspiration on
this week’s episode with Edie Eckman! A designer and author for both
knit and crochet, Edie chats with Jenny about her new book Connect the Shapes Crochet Motifs, which
brings you a whole new collection of interesting crochet shapes and a
myriad of ways to connect them. Learn how Edie got her start crafting
and how she translated her passion for knitting and crochet into a range
of patterns and books. You’ll also hear all about Edie’s design process
for creating new motifs and her inspiration for the patterns in her new
book, in addition to tips and tricks for beginning crocheters.
Oh, dear. The title says it all, I think? But rest assured, all the free-pile yarn that I score hasn’t been going to waste: I’m a long-time crocheter. You know what else has been going on for a long time? My violent failure at knitting. You see, pride issues are persistent. Even with all the educational resources KP can provide, I refused help from my coworkers like sour, sour milk! My attitude in essence: Yes, I’ll let you explain how to better improve my butterfly stroke. But no, I won’t let you see me flail and dogpaddle during my first visit to water. Moving along…
Last week, I took the “Beginner’s Knitting” class at Yarnia (a LYS located in beautiful Southeast Portland, my beautiful ‘hood). The lesson was perfect, and truly just the basics: long tail cast-on and knit stitch—with just the briefest/most horrifying glimpse of purl. At our instructor’s recommendation, I continued knitting when I got home that night, leading to the production of my very first proper swatch:
Hahaha, just kidding! That relative confection of beauty is actually my second swatch. Small children and tender hearts, turn away—here’s my true first swatch:
Remember this guy?
Well, our little spokesbunny, Linus is doing well and getting into all
sorts of mischief, even in the colder weather we’ve been having. He
loves to race around outside when the sun is out and lounge around the
house when it’s blustery out.
Every four months or so Linus gets a
pretty major haircut because of the way his fur grows. He goes from
looking pretty impressive and regal one moment to rather sheepish (but
happy to be free of all that extra weight) the next! He just had his first shave of the new year this past weekend and he’s been frisking about the house
every since but it’s been SO COLD outside the last few days that he’s
been cooped up inside because I was worried he’d be too chilly without
his fur coat. He’s definitely been missing his weekend jaunts in the
garden and has started racing around the house and being generally
pretty pesky. Thus began the search for the perfect pet sweater pattern.
Hey there! Welcome to “Customer Question of the Week”, a new weekly
blog feature wherein our crack team of experts (okay, it’s the KP staff)
answers your most pressing fiber-crafting queries. Have a ponderance or
problem you need solved? Email us at customerquestion@knitpicks.com. Even though we won’t be able to respond to every person, your question may be chosen for this feature!
This week’s winter-appropriate curiosity was answered by Stacey, our super IDP Coordinator.
Q: “Which Knit Picks yarns work best for felting?”
A: First of all, a quick definition: Felting
(or fulling as it is also called) is the process of intentionally
shrinking natural untreated fibers into a dense fabric using hot water
and agitation. Many people use this for projects such as slippers,
bags, mittens, hats, toys, and housewares – anywhere you would prefer a
thick durable fabric. We have a couple of tutorials on how to felt your
knitted & crochet projects – either by machine or by hand.
We
have several yarns that work great for felting. Remember, you will
want to use untreated yarns – no superwash! – and yarns that are made up
of mostly natural fibers. Different yarns (such as wool vs alpaca) and
even different colors will felt at different rates, so make sure you do
a swatch before starting a project!
Single ply yarns are some of the best for felting so our Full Circle Worsted and Bulky
are perfect for felted projects. With the blend of Merino and Highland
wools, you’ll not only get very durable accessories such as hats and
mittens, the fabric will be soft and warm through the chilliest of
winter days.
Our 100% Peruvian wools are the most popular for felting – that is, Palette and especially the Wool of the Andes line (sport, worsted and bulky). You can see this is great for projects such as bags, like Meghan Jones’ Intwined Bag, which uses Wool of the Andes Bulky.
I have a friend whose husband is a symphony conductor. With all of the musicians playing such an important role in her life, Jody feels like they are part of her extended family. A family in which it seems someone is always having a baby.
It doesn’t matter if you’ve completed over 200 pairs of socks (like the inspiring Frances Fisher, from last week’s podcast) or if you have just finished your first pair – every knitter knows the magic that lies within a pair of handknit socks. These special handknits stand up to a lot of wear and tear, which means that more than likely you will eventually see some thin spots showing up and maybe even a few holes here and there.
But just because one or two of your toes have started poking through small holes, that doesn’t mean it’s time to say “goodbye” to your favorite pair of socks – it just means it’s time for a wee bit of darning! And to help you whip your next pair of socks back into working order, we have a handy video tutorial where Kerin shows you how to repair holes at the toe.
