Choosing Wool For Knitting For The Unique Arm Knitting Method

Many of us have had very colorful childhood all thanks to the beautiful hand woven sweaters and scarves that our grandmother and mother used to weave for us. Winters were warm and most importantly, there was a joy in wearing something that you have practically seen taking shape before your eyes. We could not just wait for it to get finished and put it on. The work of the expert hands was nothing less than magic.

Knitting is fun. While for some it is just a good way of passing time, for some it is a hobby, a serious interest, a passion. Moreover, many just loved to knit for their family members and friends. What could be the best gift than a well knit sweater or a pair of gloves? And then, there are just so many ways of knitting. Though the most common one that many of us have come across is by using needles, there is yet another popular way of knitting and that is known as arm knitting.

What Is Arm Knitting?

For those who are unaware of what arm knitting is, it s a knitting technique where the knitter uses arms instead of knitting needles. This knitting method is a sheer delight to watch and learn. It was popular during 2013 and 2014.

What Kind of Yarns Is Suitable For Arm Knitting? 

For those who are just getting started on this unique knitting technique must know that you need to have a lot of patience to master this. Once you have done so, you can weave blankets, infinity scarves, scarves and cowls. A question that genuinely arise in such circumstance is what kind of wool for knitting is best for this technique. A little difficult for you to find the answer, but either talk to someone who has been knitting for a while or do your research online. According to expert knitters, following are some helpful tips for you to keep in mind.

You can use any yarn that you think will be perfect for the technique. Arm knitting allows the knitter to use any fiber that they wish. Just a simple rule to keep in mind is that the yarn should be thin. Thinner the yarn, the better. Ir you can just use fewer strands to create more open weave.

Apart from your creativity which you need to have in plenty, you can go for the ever winning mix and match theory. Scarves and cowls can be knitted nicely by fixing any yarn you wish. Team 2 strands of bulky yarn to one strand of super-bulky yarn.

As the general rule of arm knitting goes, the yarn should be typically in size of 6 or what is known as ‘super bulky’. Once you have chosen the correct wool for knitting, start at the job. You can check online for tutorials and examples, or check Vardhman knitting designs if you are out of ideas.

Natural Ways to Protect Your Knitwear

For a knitter, there’s no feeling better than the feeling of satisfaction created by making a perfect project – knitwear for you that you’ll just love to wear and touch over and again. 
But it is very essential that you get to treasure your garment for many years. 

Storage : 

Here are a few storage tips:

• First you need to do a little but smart house keeping. Any storage area – be it a cupboard, top of your wardrobe, under the bed or anywhere else – should be dusted,  and wiped to make it completely damp-free and clean. 
 
• Don’t make your garment made from Vardhman yarns, a tasty treat for the critters and moths. Declare war against them. If you’d prefer to use a drawer or a shelf for storing your knitwear, line it with scented anti-moth paper. And if it’s a wardrobe, you can use mothballs. You can also use fragranced sachets or cedar balls to keep the eerie moths at bay. It would be even better to pop one or two fragranced sachets among the knitwear. You must not forget to replace the old ones that have lost their strength. But if moths are already there, you can use moth traps in the rooms; these sticky pheromone traps kill male moths and leave the female ones flying around without letting them to lay eggs. You can also put the garments in a plastic bag if they already have moths and freeze overnight. Now slowly defrost them; this would kill the moths and even the moth larvae. 
 
• If it is cashmere or any special wool for knitting, don’t store it in cardboard boxes as they aren’t pH neutral and thus the chemicals of the garment’s fabric can react with the alkaline or acid of the boxes. The brown boxes should be strictly avoided as they are highly alkaline. It would be better if you use a breathable bag of 10 cm depth; they can store up to 5 garments. Such breathable bags have a top and bottom with a clear plastic wide band that allows you to look into the bag to see what’s inside. Moreover, they are moth proof. 
 
• Avoid using plastic bags to store your garments. Even if you use, don’t keep the garments in those bags for over 3 months owing to the change in temperature. Central heating going off and on may cause condensation inside the bags and that would dry on the garments and cause yellowing on light colors. They can cause mildew too. 
 
• If possible, wrap the garments, especially cashmere with an acid-free tissue paper that preserves the original color of the garments and protects them against dust and damp. 
 
• Any stored garments should be kept in well-ventilated, covered and dust-free environment. They shouldn’t be kept away from direct sunlight as it would make the garments discolored and rot the fabric. 

Knitting Patterns to Try in the New Year for Beginners

Knitting is a great fun and women across the world are addicted to this. It offers a plethora of health benefits which is a valid reason for you to enhance your skills in this particular field. Unlike any other hobby, you can enjoy it anytime while traveling or watching television. There’s no fixed timing to practice knitting. Considering all these benefits, you must be very excited to learn some knitting patterns. Read on to know more about it in details.

Hat: Want to make a cozy hat for your munchkin? A snug hat can also keep your loved one’s head protected in the winter. For this, you just have to practice some basic techniques. Thankfully, you can learn knitting patterns online with just a few steps.  

Scarf: If you are holding a needle for the first time, knitting may seem confusing. It’s good to start with a simple scarf. This beginner’s project will help you nail down the basic weaving patterns. Always remember, needle size and yarn thickness always influence the woollen product. So make sure to choose the perfect yarn and the exact needle size.

Hand warmers for the child: There are many less complicated knitting patterns for beginners, and hand warmers are one of them. Traditionally it is called gloves, and despite being a novice knitter, you can make it for adults as well with a little bit tweak .

Pillow: What about decorating your sweet home with your newly developed skill? To add feel to your living space you can make some amazing pillow covers with yarns. You can use your leftover yarns to make a striking cover.

Simple stole: Carrying a stole is now a trend for all seasons. You can try your hands at it at the very beginning. Thankfully, there’s no size barrier in making a stole or shawl.

Whatever you spin with your hands make sure to choose yarns from a reputable source. Woolen materials are meant to be comfortable, and that’s why you need to choose a soft woolen yarn to do your handcrafted projects. To help you in this matter, there are ample of knitting patterns available online. Following them will help you learn it at ease.

10 Best Knitting Tips

Knitting is an engaging habit that is widely popular around the world. No matter whether you are a novice or a pro, you can always enhance your knitting skills by learning more tips and working on them. Sometimes, such tricks are very useful specially when you want to create a new woolen pattern. If knitting is your passion and you want to make awe-inspiring woolen products, here are some unique and useful ideas to help you make awesome creative garments.

1. Yarns are available in different size, shape, and patterns and you need to know what type of yarn is required to make your item. For instance, thinner yarn is ideal for dense drape and different woolen patterns offer different finish. Similarly, needle size also matters when you are knitting a woolen garment. It also depends on the woolen product that you are going to make. The needles that you can use to knit a sock are not applicable if you want to make a blanket or a stole.


2. There are ample of videos available on the internet showing the basic knitting style. If you are lucky you can also ask your granny to teach you some easy steps of knitting.


3. One yarn is definitely not sufficient to create any shape, and that’s why you need to join the yarns one after another. Always try to join a new ball at the edges of a row. Then, you can easily hide the joining and your handicraft will also look neat.


4. When you have a plan to stop knitting for that time use a sticky note to keep a track of the rows that you have knitted. Once you resume, it will be easier for you to pick up from the last row.


5. It’s advisable to pull the yarn from the center of the ball. If you ever create a knot, simply cut it off and attach the yarn again.


6. A single color is always boring when Vardhman knitting yarn gives you a wide variety of colors to choose from. When using multi-colors make sure you attach each ball carefully.


7. Some yarns may appear similar but once knitted the subtle difference gets wider. So when choosing the yarn follow the product name and number carefully and order the same in case you need more yarn balls to finish your job.


8. When the yarn of a ball is about to end, and you don’t know whether you can finish a row with it or not, then stretch the yarn across the width of your knitted item three times back and forth. If the yarn is sufficient, it can make it.


9. Are you a new member to the knitting community? Try your hands with small items of single pattern like socks. Don’t go for any special yarns unless or until you are an expert knitter.


10. Be attentive enough to make all your stitches the same size else it will look odd.

Needles, scissors, guidebook, and wool yarn for knitting need to be kept in a box properly when you are not using them. Get glued to this healthy hobby and get relief from depression.