What to Knit with Your Homespun

Spinning your own yarn is a lot of fun, but sometimes it can be difficult to decide exactly what to do with it once you've made it. Most knitting patterns are written with a particular yarn in mind; they don't take into account the vagaries and inconsistencies inherent in making your own yarn.

But if you'd like to knit up a pattern made especially for handspun, check out Amy Clarke Moore's All New Homespun Handknit. This book features 25 patterns made with handspun yarn, and each gives a ton of information aobut how the yarn was made so you're sure to be able to recreate it (or something like it) to get great results from your own knitting of the projects.

These are mostly small projects -- hats, mittens, kids' clothes, shawls -- but they feature great details like stranded knitting, lace, cables, entrelac and more. And of course you could knit them with someone else's handspun, or even with a purchased mass-produced yarn, if you like. The projects are so cute you're sure to want to try some even if you're not a spinner, but this book might just inspire you to give spinning a try if you haven't already (though admittedly some of the spinning skills involved are pretty advanced).

What to Knit with Your Homespun originally appeared on About.com Knitting on Saturday, March 20th, 2010 at 09:19:35.

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More Spinning Help

As I mentioned at the top of this week, I don't really have the skills or the right website setup to devote a lot of resources to sharing information about spinning yarn, but because there are so many knitters who are interested in learning more about spinning I thought I'd put together a little resource roundup of websites and publications you might want to check out if you're already a spinner or if you'd like to learn more.

The world of spinning can be a bit confusing for knitters, and a big reason for that is words like worsted and woolen that mean one thing for knitters mean something completely different for spinners. So I whipped up a brief spinning glossary to provide a little more insight into the vagaries of definitions that should make it a little easier to understand what spinners are talking about.

Do you know of other good resources for people learning how to spin? Please share!

More Spinning Help originally appeared on About.com Knitting on Friday, March 19th, 2010 at 11:08:20.

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Spinning What You Want

I don't own a spinning wheel, but I know from my limited experience with spindle spinning that I have a "just dive in there and see what happens" kind of technique. I don't know much about which sorts of fibers do best with different techniques, or even if there are different techniques for spinning with a spindle.

When it comes to spinning on a wheel, things get much more complicated much more quickly. How the fiber was prepared and what sort of fiber you're working with can greatly influence the technique you use to spin the fiber before you even consider the thickness or yarn you're looking for, what you might want to use it for and if you want to make anything other than a straightforward smooth singles yarn.

Spinners who need help making their yarn in a more thoughtful way should turn to Judith MacKenzie McCuin's The Intentional Spinner. This book is bursting with information about how different fibers are produced, how to spin them, various effects you can produce through spinning and plying and how to design your own yarns. It's an almost overwhelming amount of information that is sure to be an education and an inspiration for intermediate spinners (and to show less experienced spinners what they can aspire to).

Spinning What You Want originally appeared on About.com Knitting on Thursday, March 18th, 2010 at 13:38:06.

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Knitting in the News: Crafty Businesses, Charity and Yarn Bombing

There were two great stories this week about the big impact that knitting is having in the world right now -- and on the success of a couple of businesses we've talked about here before. First there's ReKnit, the service that has people sending in old sweaters to be knit into something else. The site first opened in January and has taken off in a big way, such that they've had to put a cap on the number of orders each month. Hiak Avanian, who started the site for his mom, says it's an Armenian tradition to reuse yarn and other things as often as possible.

Another knitting-related business that's doing really well right now is the Knit Kit, designed by Barbara Barry, which is going to be featured on Martha Stewart's knitting episode. The program has already been taped and will be on the air soon. More than 40,000 of the "Swiss Army knife for knitters" have been sold in the past year.

In charity news, there are girls knitting blankets for the elderly, a Santa Rosa knitter who makes tons of teddy bears to give out to kids in the emergency room, and a school that knit a whopping 1,000 blankets for local hospitals and kids in Haiti.

Guerrilla knitting has hit Newcastle in the UK, with scarves and armwarmers popping up on statues and cozies on lampposts.

And a British orphaned sheep has been knit his own jumper to help keep him warm after he got sick from being out in the cold. Shaun the sheep also has a little hat and gets to stay inside while the weather's cold. This is one you'll want to see the pictures of, for sure.

Knitting in the News: Crafty Businesses, Charity and Yarn Bombing originally appeared on About.com Knitting on Thursday, March 18th, 2010 at 09:12:45.

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Developing Drafting Skills

Most spinners at one time or another want to use a spinning wheel to produce their yarn, but there are so many different techniques it's possible to use to spin yarn on a wheel, it can be difficult to know which is the right way to go depending on the particular fiber you're using, how it's been prepared and what kind of yarn you hope to get out of it.

Super spinner Abby Franquemont is here to save the day again, this time with a DVD: "Drafting: The Long and Short of It." This roughly hour-long program illustrates four different ways to spin yarn on a wheel depending on the fiber preparation and the qualities you're looking for in the finished yarn.

While a lot of this is really technical stuff, it's great information for anyone who's been frustrated when a finished yarn doesn't turn out exactly the way you expected to and you aren't sure what to change to get the results you're really looking for.

Developing Drafting Skills originally appeared on About.com Knitting on Wednesday, March 17th, 2010 at 16:00:21.

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Easy Baby Knitting Patterns

Our free knitting patterns help you make fun, fashionable baby gear. Find easy knitting patterns to make baby clothes and accessories at HowStuffWorks.

Free Baby Bootie Knitting Patterns

Knitting the softest baby booties is fun and easy to do. Get free knitting patterns for baby's best booties and Mary Janes at HowStuffWorks.

Free Baby Sweaters Knitting Patterns

With a variety of looks and textures, you'll find a sweater pattern for every baby on your list. Learn more about these free knitting patterns.

Free Baby Toys Knitting Patterns

Learn to knit barnyard finger puppets, felted blocks, and a sweet teddy bear. Find free knitting patterns for beautiful baby toys at HowStuffWorks.

Free Hat Knitting Patterns

Knitting hats is quick and easy -- and fun! Find free knitting patterns for colorful, warm, and cozy hats for kids and adults at HowStuffWorks.