Mimi Hill - The Knitting Pocket Bible

THE

KNITTING
POCKET BIBLE

MIMI HILL

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The Knitting Pocket Bible

Mimi Hill

This first edition is published in 2011 by Crimson Publishing

Crimson Publishing, Westminster House, Kew Road, Richmond, Surrey TW9 2ND

Crimson Publishing, 2011

Epub edition 2011 ISBN: 978-1-907087-53-0

The author Mimi Hill has asserted her moral rights to be identified as the author of this work in accordance with the Copyrights, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

British Library cataloguing in Publication data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this ebook on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of Crimson Publishing ebooks.

Epub file created by RefineCatch Ltd, Bungay

To the most Smashing Puffin.

This book wouldnt have been made possible without the help and support of the wonderful knitting community and readers of my blog. Many thanks to Saffron, who warmed my hands whilst I typed; to Vivianne for the constant support, the yarn and the chocolate; to Vera, for the amazing diversions; and to Lisa and Steph, for their friendship and love. Many thanks to the wonderful Skein Queen for entrusting me with yarn for the scarf in this book.

Thank you to Craig, for the support.

Knitting is an old skill that has found a new following. Where once people would have knitted out of the necessity to clothe their families, a new generation of knitters have now picked up their needles to knit for pleasure and for the joy of creating something personal and handmade.

No longer created mainly for function, many modern knits have a new excitement, almost a frivolity, with fresh shapes and innovative materials making the act of knitting a pleasurable past time as well as a link back to a past heritage where such skills were an essential part of life.

From chunky, sculptural knitwear to the cobweb-weight lace knit in the most delicate and intricate patterns and yarn, there has never been so much variety in knitting as there is today. The range of innovative yarns now on the market can transform even the simplest garter stitch scarf into a work of art.

Knitters have thrown out the image of knitting as being the preserve of little, grey-haired old ladies, slowly churning out a production line of baby bootees for their brood of grandchildren. Nowadays you may find teenage granddaughters knitting alongside their grandmothers, and proud fathers knitting for their families.

The Knitting Pocket Bible is intended as a trusty companion for knitters of all generations. As well as a handy knitting guide it is packed full of fun facts and trivia, advice and ideas. Weve even included some knitting patterns to keep your needles entertained.

As with most hobbies, the further enthralled an enthusiast becomes with their topic, the more equipment and gadgetry they seem to acquire. Knitting is not particularly different in this regard, but it requires little equipment just some yarn and needles to begin with. Having said that, the acquisition of new tools and gadgets to make knitting easier and more pleasurable is part and parcel of the transition from someone who can knit into a knitter. This chapter will guide you through all of the essential equipment you need to get started, as well as describing a few of the more exotic pieces of kit.

Knitting needles come in a great variety of forms and materials the traditional long, pointy stick with a bead-like finial on the end being the most instantly recognisable type. Other types of knitting needles include:

Circular needles. These are two short needle points connected by a flexible cable, and are used for knitting in the round: a technique which allows the knitter to create seamless cylindrical tubes of knitted fabric for items such as hats or sleeves.

Double pointed needles. Also called DPNs, these are short needles with a point on each end, sold in sets of four or five. They are used for knitting small-diameter objects in the round, and are particularly useful for socks and small soft toys.

There is even greater variety in the materials that knitting needles might be manufactured from. Many knitting needles manufactured in the 1970s and 1980s were of two types grey powdered-steel needles, and needles made from brightly coloured plastic. Both of these types are still manufactured and available to buy, but have fallen from popularity with the recent resurgence of knitting as a hobby, as a new generation of knitters seek to improve both the comfort and functionality of the tools they choose.

Materials used for modern knitting needles include the following:

Inexpensive, relatively heavy needles with a high amount of grip. Some knitters find that the amount of drag caused by the needles slows down their knitting, as stitches waiting to be knitted do not work their way down the needle so readily. Conversely, some knitters may find this beneficial when working with very slippery fibres such as silk.

Smooth, shiny metal needles, which allow the stitches to glide over them for the ultimate experience in speed knitting. Some knitters find the slipperiness of these needles to be too much, with stitches accidentally slipping off the needles when using yarns such as silk or bamboo.

Smooth, slightly flexible needles with a medium amount of grip. Acrylic needles are often very light in comparison to metal needles, making them easy to take on the move.

Lightweight and slightly flexible, with a relatively high amount of grip. The bamboo absorbs oil from the knitters hands over time and many people find that the needles improve with continued use.

Pocket Tip

Some knitters with arthritic conditions report that the warmth of the bamboo makes knitting less painful, allowing them to knit for greater lengths of time.

Wooden needles are manufactured from many different varieties of wood and are often very beautiful. Most types of wooden needles have a medium amount of grip and similar warmth properties to bamboo needles, but with less flexibility.

The beauty of glass needles is under no debate, but the practicality of knitting with two glass sticks definitely is. Wonderful to look at as a display piece, glass needles are cold in the hands, heavy, inflexible, noisy, and often catch as the two needles meet.