Needle Art Mysteries: Knitting

Needle Art Mysteries: Knitting!

Okay guys! It’s Jess here with another round of needle arts to be revealed! I know it’s been two weeks since the last post but I had trouble deciding on which one to research. Right now I am actually helping my sister with some packing of things because of the big move she is making. While we were deciding which part of her place to tackle I suggested her crafting area. She has a lot of crafting supplies as it stands and most of it can be boxed away till she moves. As I was going under her couch to get whatever cat toys had gone under there, I came across some yarn and remembered that I mentioned I would do a knitting mysteries post. That was when I realized that now would be a good time to do the research for it!

As with most needle arts, I really haven’t attempted this one and am quite a beginner in this craft. Granted, the biggest mystery to these needle arts is how my sister can make such wonderful things by crocheting and sewing with two cats attacking the yarn! Seriously, how does it not come all undone when the cats attack the yarn while she is working!?

Knitting

This type of needle art is used when you take either thread or yarn weaving them together to make cloth. In order to make the cloth come to life, you need a few materials on hand. For starters, having some yarn would be a good idea along with some knitting needles. Knitting needles are different from sewing needles in that they are much larger and there is no eye at the top. They sort of resemble chop sticks that you get with Chinese food or sushi (at least to me but that may just be my way of seeing them!)  You take the yarn and wrap it around the needles to start. Then you create a loop with the yarn and continue to make loops. You pull one loop through the next loop making a row. Then you start on the next row until you have your work complete.

There are several different ways to knit and not all needles look exactly alike. The ones I mentioned above are probably the most recognizable ones though. Just like with sewing, this needle art can be done by machine or by hand. When you hear the expression “hand stitched” it means that a person actually sat down to make that item of clothing by hand. It takes longer to do, but in the end you have something unique that can never be made as an exact copy.

There are two types of knitting styles. First is the flat knitting style, which is what you use to make things such as blankets, scarves, and the majority of large areas of clothes. Second is the circular knitting style. This one is the one used to make sleeves, pant legs, and of course those really cute but sometimes itchy woolen socks! Depending on what item you are making, you may only need to use one style or the other- however for things such as shirts, you will probably need to know both.

Knitting is basically another word for saying ‘to knot things.’ Just like a sailor has many different ways to make a knot on a rope, so does the person who knows how to knit with a yarn spool. One of the earliest things that were knitted were actually those slightly itchy socks I mentioned, and those socks became the first Christmas stockings to boot! That might explain why we see images of Mrs. Clause either knitting or baking gingerbread cookies! Yum gingerbread cookies! Now I am hungry and getting off track. Those cookies will have to be delved into at a later date by my sister around Christmas time.

Eventually big machines came in to the picture and knitted items began to be mass produced. There were other products that became mass produced as well, such as books, computers, food items, and even our clothes are mass produced now. When clothes (which originally were all knitted by hand) started to become a corporate mass production, the art of knitting became more of a hobby.  What started as a necessity for every family in the world became a rich person’s favorite past time. Originally only rich people could afford the material needed to do this hobby, but now it’s something everyone can enjoy! Such an interesting tidbit!

Well guys, I hope you liked this little information I was able to find about knitting. This in no way covers the vast amount of information out there and there is lots more to learn. For now though, I leave you guys with some general information and a few fun little facts. The next time I do a “needle arts” post will bring me even further into the mystery world of needle arts. Hmm, maybe  I should use the thread in my hand as a trail of bread crumbs so I don’t get lost?