For other uses see: Basket (disambiguation)
78-493: A basket is a container that is traditionally constructed from stiff fibers , and can be made from a range of materials, including wood splints, runners , and cane. While most baskets are made from plant materials, other materials such as horsehair , baleen , or metal wire can be used. Baskets are generally woven by hand. Some baskets are fitted with a lid, while others are left open on top. Baskets serve utilitarian as well as aesthetic purposes. Some baskets are ceremonial, that
156-515: A border; and many more. The number of active stitches remains the same as when cast on unless stitches are added (an increase ) or removed (a decrease ). Most Western-style hand knitters follow either the English style (in which the yarn is held in the right hand) or the Continental style (in which the yarn is held in the left hand). There are also different ways to insert the needle into
234-488: A fabric. Artificial fibers consist of regenerated fibers and synthetic fibers. Semi-synthetic fibers are made from raw materials with naturally long-chain polymer structure and are only modified and partially degraded by chemical processes, in contrast to completely synthetic fibers such as nylon (polyamide) or dacron (polyester), which the chemist synthesizes from low-molecular weight compounds by polymerization (chain-building) reactions. The earliest semi-synthetic fiber
312-819: A few uses. Weaving strips of bark or other plant material to support the bark containers would be the next step, followed by entirely woven baskets. The last innovation appears to be baskets so tightly woven that they could hold water. Depending on soil conditions, baskets may or may not be preserved in the archaeological record. Sites in the Middle East show that weaving techniques were used to make mats, and possibly also baskets, circa 8000 BCE . Twined baskets date back to 7000 in Oasisamerica . Baskets made with interwoven techniques were common at 3000 BCE . Baskets were originally designed as multi-purpose vessels to carry and store materials and to keep stray items about
390-432: A form of embroidery, or by knitting a tube separately and attaching it to the knitted fabric. A wale can split into two or more wales using increases , most commonly involving a yarn over . Depending on how the increase is done, there is often a hole in the fabric at the point of the increase. This is used to great effect in lace knitting , which consists of making patterns and pictures using such holes, rather than with
468-467: A general aspect ratio (defined as the ratio of fiber length to diameter) between 20 and 60, and (ii) long fibers, also known as continuous fibers, the general aspect ratio is between 200 and 500. Metallic fibers can be drawn from ductile metals such as copper, gold or silver and extruded or deposited from more brittle ones, such as nickel, aluminum or iron. Carbon fibers are often based on oxidized and via pyrolysis carbonized polymers like PAN , but
546-456: A knitted fabric, e.g., for button holes, by binding/casting off and re-casting on again (horizontal) or by knitting the fabrics on either side of a vertical edge separately. Two knitted fabrics can be joined by embroidery-based grafting methods, most commonly the Kitchener stitch. New wales can be begun from any of the edges of a knitted fabric; this is known as picking up stitches and is
624-421: A knitted garment is that generated by the flat stockinette stitch —as seen, though very small, in machine-made stockings and T-shirts —which is worked in the round as nothing but knit stitches, and worked flat as alternating rows of knit and purl. Other simple textures can be made with nothing but knit and purl stitches, including garter stitch, ribbing, and moss and seed stitches . Adding a "slip stitch" (where
702-556: A leisure activity for the wealthy. English Roman Catholic priest and former Anglican bishop, Richard Rutt , authored a history of the craft in A History of Hand Knitting (Batsford, 1987). His collection of books about knitting is now housed at the Winchester School of Art (University of Southampton). The topology of a knitted fabric is relatively complex. Unlike woven fabrics, where strands usually run straight horizontally and vertically, yarn that has been knitted follows
780-412: A loop is passed from one needle to the other) allows for a wide range of textures, including heel and linen stitches as well as a number of more complicated patterns. Some more advanced knitting techniques create a surprising variety of complex textures. Combining certain increases , which can create small eyelet holes in the resulting fabric, with assorted decreases is key to creating knitted lace ,
858-594: A looped path along its row, as with the red strand in the diagram at left, in which the loops of one row have all been pulled through the loops of the row below it. Because there is no single straight line of yarn anywhere in the pattern, a knitted piece of fabric can stretch in all directions. This elasticity is all but unavailable in woven fabrics which only stretch along the bias . Many modern stretchy garments, even as they rely on elastic synthetic materials for some stretch, also achieve at least some of their stretch through knitted patterns. The basic knitted fabric (as in
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#1732780337904936-710: A low number of surface defects; asbestos is a common one. Invented in Japan in the early 1980s, microfibers are also known as microdenier fibers. Acrylic, nylon, polyester, lyocell and rayon can be produced as microfibers. In 1986, Hoechst A.G. of Germany produced microfiber in Europe. This fiber made it way into the United States in 1990 by DuPont. Microfibers in textiles refer to sub-denier fiber (such as polyester drawn to 0.5 denier). Denier and Dtex are two measurements of fiber yield based on weight and length. If
1014-401: A new stitch and its wale allowed to disassemble. This is known as drop-stitch knitting , and produces a vertical ladder of see-through holes in the fabric, corresponding to where the wale had been. While creating knitting by hand, usually two needles are used to hold the live stitches. While crochet uses a single hook, usually creating one stitch at a time, finishing one stitch before creating
1092-417: A number of applications. This is because artificial fibers can be engineered chemically, physically, and mechanically to suit particular technical engineering. In choosing a fiber type, a manufacturer would balance their properties with the technical requirements of the applications. Various fibers are available to select for manufacturing. Here are typical properties of the sample natural fibers as compared to
1170-463: A raised horizontal welt on the fabric. Not every stitch in a row need be knitted; some may be 'missed' (unknitted and passed to the active needle) and knitted on a subsequent row. This is known as slip-stitch knitting . The slipped stitches are naturally longer than the knitted ones. For example, a stitch slipped for one row before knitting would be roughly twice as tall as its knitted counterparts. This can produce interesting visual effects, although
1248-452: A related pair of directions that lie roughly diagonally between the warp and the weft, while contracting in the other direction of the pair (stretching and contracting with the bias ), and are not very elastic, unless they are woven from stretchable material such as spandex . Knitted garments are often more form-fitting than woven garments, since their elasticity allows them to contour to the body's outline more closely; by contrast, curvature
1326-560: A significant and somewhat surprising revival in the new millennium. Once viewed as “grannies” practicing a domestic chore, knitters are shedding this stereotype and are knitting on New York City subways, in crowded pubs, and in other trendy places.Many young women saying that some of the motivation is making their own garments and accessories allowed them to follow their own creative vision as opposed to that of retailers. They observed that items similar to what they had produced were not available for purchase. The Craft Yarn Council (2012), which
1404-461: A single color of yarn, but there are many ways to work in multiple colors. Some yarns are dyed to be either variegated (changing color every few stitches in a random fashion) or self-striping (changing every few rows). More complicated techniques permit large fields of color ( intarsia , for example), busy small-scale patterns of color (such as Fair Isle), or both ( double knitting and slip-stitch color , for example). Yarn with multiple shades of
1482-498: A stitch in the following stitch. Knitted fabric tends to be thinner, more flexible, and usually has easier to understand patterns because each new stitch must go into the next stitch. Because of the differences in how the fabrics are created, the first knitting machine was invented in Victorian times, while machine that can stitch a crochet fabric has yet to be produced. Although different methods, they can create similar projects using
1560-591: A subtle but interesting visual texture, and tend to draw the fabric inwards, making it stiffer. Plaited stitches are a common method for knitting jewelry from fine metal wire. The initial and final edges of a knitted fabric are known as the cast-on and bound/cast-off edges. The side edges are known as the selvages ; the word derives from "self-edges", meaning that the stitches do not need to be secured by anything else. Many types of selvages have been developed, with different elastic and ornamental properties. Vertical and horizontal edges can be introduced within
1638-509: A very open fabric resembling needle or bobbin lace . Open vertical stripes can be created using the drop-stitch knitting technique. Changing the order of stitches from one row to the next, usually with the help of a cable needle or stitch holder , is key to cable knitting , producing an endless variety of cables, honeycombs, ropes, and Aran sweater patterning. Entrelac forms a rich checkerboard texture by knitting small squares, picking up their side edges, and knitting more squares to continue
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#17327803379041716-678: A viscous mass and formed into fibers by extrusion through spinnerets. Therefore, the manufacturing process leaves few characteristics distinctive of the natural source material in the finished products. Some examples of this fiber type are: Historically, cellulose diacetate and -triacetate were classified under the term rayon, but are now considered distinct materials. Synthetic come entirely from synthetic materials such as petrochemicals , unlike those artificial fibers derived from such natural substances as cellulose or protein. Fiber classification in reinforced plastics falls into two classes: (i) short fibers, also known as discontinuous fibers, with
1794-412: A whole garment is hand knit as a single piece, is also possible. Elizabeth Zimmermann is probably the best-known proponent of seamless or circular hand knitting techniques. Smaller items, such as socks and hats, are usually knit in one piece on double-pointed needles or circular needles. Hats in particular can be started "top down" on double pointed needles with the increases added until the preferred size
1872-463: A wide choice of colors, materials, sizes, patterns, and details. The carrying of a basket on the head , particularly by rural women, has long been practiced. Representations of this in Ancient Greek art are called Canephorae . The phrase " to hell in a handbasket " means to deteriorate rapidly . The origin of this use is unclear. "Basket" is sometimes used as an adjective for a person who
1950-634: A woven, non woven or knitted structure. Fiber surfaces can also be dull or bright. Dull surfaces reflect more light while bright tends to transmit light and make the fiber more transparent. Very short and/or irregular fibers have been called fibrils. Natural cellulose , such as cotton or bleached kraft , show smaller fibrils jutting out and away from the main fiber structure. Fibers can be divided into natural and artificial (synthetic) substance, their properties can affect their performance in many applications. Synthetic fiber materials are increasingly replacing other conventional materials like glass and wood in
2028-529: Is a natural or artificial substance that is significantly longer than it is wide. Fibers are often used in the manufacture of other materials. The strongest engineering materials often incorporate fibers, for example carbon fiber and ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene . Synthetic fibers can often be produced very cheaply and in large amounts compared to natural fibers, but for clothing natural fibers have some benefits, such as comfort, over their synthetic counterparts. Natural fibers develop or occur in
2106-413: Is also possible, by alternating rows of knit and purl stitches. Checkerboard patterns ( basketweave ) are also possible, the smallest of which is known as seed/moss stitch : the stitches alternate between knit and purl in every wale and along every row. Fabrics in which each knitted row is followed by a purled row, such as in stockinette/stocking stitch, have a tendency to curl—top and bottom curl toward
2184-568: Is born out of wedlock. This occurs more commonly in British English. "Basket" also refers to a bulge in a man's crotch. The word “basket” is frequently used in the colloquial “don’t put all your eggs in one basket.” In this sense, the basket is a metaphor for a chance at success. Basket makers use a wide range of materials, including: Fiber Fiber (also spelled fibre in British English ; from Latin: fibra )
2262-409: Is introduced into most woven garments only with sewn darts, flares, gussets and gores, the seams of which lower the elasticity of the woven fabric still further. Extra curvature can be introduced into knitted garments without seams, as in the heel of a sock; the effect of darts, flares, etc. can be obtained with short rows or by increasing or decreasing the number of stitches. Thread used in weaving
2340-428: Is known as a swatch . Like weaving , knitting is a technique for producing a two-dimensional fabric made from a one-dimensional yarn or thread. In weaving, threads are always straight, running parallel either lengthwise (warp threads) or crosswise (weft threads). By contrast, the yarn in knitted fabrics follows a meandering path (a course ), forming symmetric loops (also called bights) symmetrically above and below
2418-412: Is passed through it. Although the new stitch is itself unsecured ("active" or "live"), it secures the stitch(es) suspended from it. A sequence of stitches in which each stitch is suspended from the next is called a wale . To secure the initial stitches of a knitted fabric, a method for casting on is used; to secure the final stitches in a wale, one uses a method of binding/casting off . During knitting,
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2496-473: Is religious, in nature. While baskets are usually used for harvesting , storage and transport, specialized baskets are used as sieves for a variety of purposes, including cooking, processing seeds or grains, tossing gambling pieces, rattles, fans, fish traps , and laundry . Prior to the invention of woven baskets, people used tree bark to make simple containers. These containers could be used to transport gathered food and other items, but crumbled after only
2574-412: Is the cellulose regenerated fiber, rayon . Most semi-synthetic fibers are cellulose regenerated fibers. Cellulose fibers are a subset of artificial fibers, regenerated from natural cellulose . The cellulose comes from various sources: rayon from tree wood fiber, bamboo fiber from bamboo, seacell from seaweed , etc. In the production of these fibers, the cellulose is reduced to a fairly pure form as
2652-499: Is the major trade association for yarn manufacturers, reported that 38 million consumers participated in either knitting or crocheting in the United States in 2011. In a survey of 5,000 knitters and crocheters, the Craft Yarn Council (2012) discovered that 18- to 34-year-olds comprised 18% of all respondents. Historian Abrams (2006, p. 150) proclaimed, "Today hand-knitting is regarded as a creative and skilled endeavor which
2730-418: Is undergoing a revival and a re-evaluation by means of the re-appropriation and adaptation of traditional skills by modern artists and designers." Clearly, there is noteworthy growth in the number of knitters and yet there has been little scholarly attention paid to understand the motivations of knitters and the artifacts they create. There has also been a lack of research on young female knitters who are some of
2808-428: Is usually much finer than the yarn used in knitting, which can give the knitted fabric more bulk and less drape than a woven fabric. If they are not secured, the loops of a knitted course will come undone when their yarn is pulled; this is known as ripping out , unravelling knitting, or humorously, frogging (because you 'rip it', this sounds like a frog croaking: 'rib-bit'). To secure a stitch, at least one new loop
2886-408: The gaining needle so that the loops from the prior row can be pulled off the other needle without unraveling. Differences in yarn (varying in fibre type, weight , uniformity and twist ), needle size, and stitch type allow for a variety of knitted fabrics with different properties, including color, texture, thickness, heat retention, water resistance, and integrity. A small sample of knitwork
2964-410: The gauge/tension of the knitting . Individual stitches, or rows of stitches, may be made taller by drawing more yarn into the new loop (an elongated stitch ), which is the basis for uneven knitting : a row of tall stitches may alternate with one or more rows of short stitches for an interesting visual effect. Short and tall stitches may also alternate within a row, forming a fish-like oval pattern. In
3042-409: The "thumb method" (also known as "slingshot" or "long-tail" cast-ons), where the stitches are created by a series of loops that will, when knitted, give a very loose edge ideal for "picking up stitches" and knitting a border; the "double needle method" (also known as "knit-on" or "cable cast-on"), whereby each loop placed on the needle is then "knitted on", which produces a firmer edge ideal on its own as
3120-496: The "wrong side" stitches, known as purl stitches, either in columns (ribbing), rows ( garter , welting ), or more complex patterns. Each fabric has different properties: a garter stitch has much more vertical stretch, while ribbing stretches much more horizontally. Because of their front-back symmetry , these two fabrics have little curl, making them popular as edging, even when their stretch properties are not desired. The basic knitted fabrics are referred to by different names in
3198-471: The "wrong side", reverse stockinette is frequently used as a pattern in its own right.) Because the yarn holding rows together is all on the front, and the yarn holding side-by-side stitches together is all on the back, stockinette fabric has a strong tendency to curl toward the front on the top and bottom, and toward the back on the left and right side. Stitches can be worked from either side, and various patterns are created by mixing regular knit stitches with
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3276-414: The 'present' row, thus clustering the intervening stitches; this approach is often used to produce a smocking effect in the fabric. The new loop may also be passed through 'two or more' previous stitches, producing a decrease and merging wales together. The merged stitches need not be from the same row; for example, a tuck can be formed by knitting stitches together from two different rows, producing
3354-406: The active stitches are secured mechanically, either from individual hooks (in knitting machines) or from a knitting needle or frame in hand-knitting. There are two major varieties of knitting: weft knitting and warp knitting . In the more common weft knitting , the wales are perpendicular to the course of the yarn. In warp knitting , the wales and courses run roughly parallel. In weft knitting,
3432-417: The back loops, i.e., passing the needle through the initial stitch in an unusual way, but wrapping the yarn as usual. By contrast, the left-plaited stitch is generally formed by hand-knitters by wrapping the yarn in the opposite way, rather than by any change in the needle. Although they are mirror images in form, right- and left-plaited stitches are functionally equivalent. Both types of plaited stitches give
3510-430: The basis for entrelac , in which the wales run perpendicular to one another in a checkerboard pattern. Ordinarily, stitches are knitted in the same order in every row, and the wales of the fabric run parallel and vertically along the fabric. However, this need not be so, since the order in which stitches are knitted may be permuted so that wales cross over one another, forming a cable pattern. Cable patterns tend to draw
3588-431: The diagram, and usually called a stocking or stockinette pattern) has a definite "right side" and "wrong side" . On the right side, the visible portions of the loops are the verticals connecting two rows which are arranged in a grid of V shapes. On the wrong side, the ends of the loops are visible, both the tops and bottoms, creating a much more bumpy texture sometimes called reverse stockinette . (Despite being
3666-440: The direction of a brush-stroke in oil painting. Various point-like ornaments may be added to knitting for their look or to improve the wear of the fabric. Examples include various types of bobbles , sequins and beads . Long loops can also be drawn out and secured, forming a "shaggy" texture to the fabric; this is known as loop knitting . Additional patterns can be made on the surface of the knitted fabric using embroidery ; if
3744-511: The earliest known examples being cotton socks dating from the 11th century, found in the remains of the city of Fustat, now part of Cairo. Nålebinding (Danish: literally "binding with a needle" or "needle-binding") is a fabric creation technique predating both knitting and crochet. The first commercial knitting guilds appear in Western Europe in the early fifteenth century (Tournai in 1429, Barcelona in 1496). The Guild of Saint Fiacre
3822-408: The embroidery resembles knitting, it is often called Swiss darning. Various closures for the garments, such as frogs and buttons can be added; usually buttonholes are knitted into the garment, rather than cut. Ornamental pieces may also be knitted separately and then attached using applique . For example, differently colored leaves and petals of a flower could be knit separately and attached to form
3900-758: The end product is almost pure carbon. Silicon carbide fibers, where the basic polymers are not hydrocarbons but polymers, where about 50% of the carbon atoms are replaced by silicon atoms, so-called poly-carbo- silanes . The pyrolysis yields an amorphous silicon carbide, including mostly other elements like oxygen, titanium, or aluminium, but with mechanical properties very similar to those of carbon fibers. Fiberglass , made from specific glass, and optical fiber , made from purified natural quartz , are also artificial fibers that come from natural raw materials, silica fiber , made from sodium silicate (water glass) and basalt fiber made from melted basalt. Mineral fibers can be particularly strong because they are formed with
3978-687: The entire fabric may be produced from a single yarn, by adding stitches to each wale in turn, moving across the fabric as in a raster scan . By contrast, in warp knitting, one yarn is required for every wale. Since a typical piece of knitted fabric may have hundreds of wales, warp knitting is typically done by machine, whereas weft knitting is done by both hand and machine. Warp-knitted fabrics such as tricot and milanese are resistant to runs, and are commonly used in lingerie . Weft-knit fabrics may also be knit with multiple yarns, usually to produce interesting color patterns. The two most common approaches are intarsia and stranded colorwork . In intarsia,
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#17327803379044056-427: The fabric appears as a purl stitch on the other side. The two types of stitches have a different visual effect; the knit stitches look like 'V's stacked vertically, whereas the purl stitches look like a wavy horizontal line across the fabric. Patterns and pictures can be created in knitted fabrics by using knit and purl stitches as " pixels "; however, such pixels are usually rectangular, rather than square, depending on
4134-576: The fabric together, making it denser and less elastic; Aran sweaters are a common form of knitted cabling. Arbitrarily complex braid patterns can be done in cable knitting , with the proviso that the wales must move ever upwards; it is generally impossible for a wale to move up and then down the fabric. Knitters have developed methods for giving the illusion of a circular wale, such as appear in Celtic knots , but these are inexact approximations. However, such circular wales are possible using Swiss darning,
4212-572: The fiber density is known, you also have a fiber diameter, otherwise it is simpler to measure diameters in micrometers. Microfibers in technical fibers refer to ultra-fine fibers (glass or meltblown thermoplastics ) often used in filtration. Newer fiber designs include extruding fiber that splits into multiple finer fibers. Most synthetic fibers are round in cross-section, but special designs can be hollow, oval, star-shaped or trilobal . The latter design provides more optically reflective properties. Synthetic textile fibers are often crimped to provide bulk in
4290-401: The fiber shape, and include those produced by plants, animals, and geological processes. They can be classified according to their origin: Artificial or chemical fibers are fibers whose chemical composition, structure, and properties are significantly modified during the manufacturing process. In fashion, a fiber is a long and thin strand or thread of material that can be knit or woven into
4368-492: The final picture. Separately knitted tubes can be applied to a knitted fabric to form complex Celtic knots and other patterns that would be difficult to knit. Unknitted yarns may be worked into knitted fabrics for warmth, as is done in tufting and " weaving " (also known as "couching"). The word is derived from knot and ultimately from the Old English cnyttan , to knot. The exact origins of knitting are unknown,
4446-401: The front (or knitted side) while the sides curl toward the back (or purled side); by contrast, those in which knit and purl stitches are arranged symmetrically (such as ribbing, garter stitch or seed/moss stitch) have more texture and tend to lie flat. Wales of purl stitches have a tendency to recede, whereas those of knit stitches tend to come forward, giving the fabric more stretchability. Thus,
4524-507: The home. The plant life available in a region affects the choice of material, which in turn influences the weaving technique. Rattan and other members of the Arecaceae or palm tree family, the thin grasses of temperate regions, and broad-leaved tropical bromeliads each require a different method of twisting and braiding to be made into a basket. The practice of basket making has evolved into an art . Artistic freedom allows basket makers
4602-477: The mean path of the yarn. These meandering loops can be easily stretched in different directions giving knit fabrics much more elasticity than woven fabrics. Depending on the yarn and knitting pattern , knitted garments can stretch as much as 500%. For this reason, knitting was initially developed for garments that must be elastic or stretch in response to the wearer's motions, such as socks and hosiery. For comparison, woven garments stretch mainly along one or other of
4680-418: The most avid participants in the craft , according to the Craft Yarn Council (2012). Knitting is a method for production of textile fabrics by interlacing yarn loops with loops of the same or other yarns. It is used to create many types of garments . Knitting may be done by hand or by machine . Knitting creates stitches : loops of yarn in a row; they can be either on straight flat needles or in
4758-403: The needle without unravelling the item. Although the mechanics are different from casting on, there is a similar variety of methods. In hand knitting certain articles of clothing, especially larger ones like sweaters , the final knitted garment will be made of several knitted pieces, with individual sections of the garment hand knitted separately and then sewn together . Seamless knitting, where
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#17327803379044836-425: The new loop may be passed through an already secured stitch lower down on the fabric, or even between secured stitches (a dip stitch ). Depending on the distance between where the loop is drawn through the fabric and where it is knitted, dip stitches can produce a subtle stippling or long lines across the surface of the fabric, e.g., the lower leaves of a flower. The new loop may also be passed between two stitches in
4914-457: The next. Knitted fabric tends to be flexible and flowing, the stitches forming a shape that is similar to a "V". Crochet fabric has a more structured feel, each stitch consisting of several loops entwined. Each textile has its own specialties and methods. Because of the different nature of each stitch, crochet fabric uses more yarn per stitch, is more structured, and is more flexible in the structures that can be created, not being restrained to create
4992-428: The piece. Fair Isle knitting uses two or more colored yarns to create patterns and forms a thicker and less flexible fabric. The appearance of a garment is also affected by the weight of the yarn, which describes the thickness of the spun fibre. The thicker the yarn, the more visible and apparent stitches will be; the thinner the yarn, the finer the texture. Plenty of finished knitting projects never use more than
5070-399: The process of casting on , which involves the initial creation of the stitches on the needle. Different methods of casting on are used for different effects: one may be stretchy enough for lace, while another provides a decorative edging. Provisional cast-ons are used when the knitting will continue in both directions from the cast-on. There are various methods employed to cast on, such as
5148-476: The properties of artificial fibers. (in) (Ksi) (Ksi) (%) (%) (Kraft Pulp) b N/A means properties not readily available or not applicable (0.001 in) (Ksi) (%) (%) (°C) Temp (°C) Low High 0.92 0.95 11-17 50-71 25-50 20-30 nil nil 110 135 55 65 b N/A means properties not readily available or not applicable Knitting Knitting has undergone
5226-482: The purl wales in ribbing tend to be invisible, since the neighboring knit wales come forward. Conversely, rows of purl stitches tend to form an embossed ridge relative to a row of knit stitches. This is the basis of shadow knitting , in which the appearance of a knitted fabric changes when viewed from different directions. Typically, a new stitch is passed through a single unsecured ('active') loop, thus lengthening that wale by one stitch. However, this need not be so;
5304-421: The resulting fabric is more rigid because the slipped stitch 'pulls' on its neighbours and is less deformable. Mosaic knitting is a form of slip-stitch knitting that knits alternate colored rows and uses slip stitches to form patterns; mosaic-knit fabrics tend to be stiffer than patterned fabrics produced by other methods such as Fair-Isle knitting . In some cases, a stitch may be deliberately left unsecured by
5382-414: The round on needles with (often times plastic) tubes connected to both ends of the needles . There are usually many active stitches on the knitting needle at one time. Knitted fabric consists of a number of consecutive rows of connected loops that intermesh with the next and previous rows. As each row is formed, each newly created loop is pulled through one or more loops from the prior row and placed on
5460-415: The same fibers and yarns. Both knit and purl stitches may be twisted: usually once if at all, but sometimes twice and (very rarely) thrice. When seen from above, the twist can be clockwise (right yarn over left) or counterclockwise (left yarn over right); these are denoted as right- and left-plaited stitches, respectively. Hand-knitters generally produce right-plaited stitches by knitting or purling through
5538-468: The same hue are called ombre , while a yarn with multiple hues may be known as a given colorway ; a green, red and yellow yarn might be dubbed the "Parrot Colorway" by its manufacturer, for example. Heathered yarns contain small amounts of fibre of different colours, while tweed yarns may have greater amounts of different colored fibres. There are many hundreds of different knitting stitches used by hand knitters. A piece of hand knitting begins with
5616-499: The setting of industrial manufacture. The fabric known by hand knitters as stockinette is called plain knit or jersey , and the fabric known by hand knitters as garter is called purl knitting or links-and-links. Different combinations of knit and purl stitches, along with more advanced techniques, generate fabrics of considerably variable consistency, from gauzy to very dense, from highly stretchy to relatively stiff, from flat to tightly curled, and so on. The most common texture for
5694-498: The simplest of hand-knitted fabrics, every row of stitches are all knit (or all purl); this creates a garter stitch fabric. Alternating rows of all knit stitches and all purl stitches creates a stockinette stitch/stocking stitch pattern. Vertical stripes ( ribbing ) are possible by having alternating wales of knit and purl stitches. For example, a common choice is 2x2 ribbing, in which two wales of knit stitches are followed by two wales of purl stitches, etc. Horizontal striping ( welting )
5772-441: The stitch. Knitting through the front of a stitch is called Western knitting. Going through the back of a stitch is called Eastern knitting. A third method, called combination knitting , goes through the front of a knit stitch and the back of a purl stitch. Once the hand knitted piece is finished, the remaining live stitches are " cast off ". Casting (or "binding") off loops the stitches across each other so they can be removed from
5850-426: The stitches themselves. The large and many holes in lacy knitting makes it extremely elastic; for example, some Shetland "wedding-ring" shawls are so fine that they may be drawn through a wedding ring. By combining increases and decreases, it is possible to make the direction of a wale slant away from vertical, even in weft knitting. This is the basis for bias knitting , and can be used for visual effect, similar to
5928-402: The two fabrics are usually integrated into one, giving it great warmth and excellent drape. In securing the previous stitch in a wale, the next stitch can pass through the previous loop from either below or above. If the former, the stitch is denoted as a 'knit stitch' or a 'plain stitch;' if the latter, as a 'purl stitch'. The two stitches are related in that a knit stitch seen from one side of
6006-509: The yarns are used in well-segregated regions, e.g., a red apple on a field of green; in that case, the yarns are kept on separate spools and only one is knitted at any time. In the more complex stranded approach, two or more yarns alternate repeatedly within one row and all the yarns must be carried along the row, as seen in Fair Isle sweaters . Double knitting can produce two separate knitted fabrics simultaneously (e.g., two socks). However,
6084-499: Was founded in Paris in 1527 but the archives mention an organization (not necessarily a guild) of knitters from 1268. The occupation: "cap knitter" describes Margaret Yeo, of London, in 1473. With the invention in 1589 of the stocking frame , an early form of knitting machine , knitting "by hand" became a craft used by country people with easy access to fiber. Similar to quilting , spinning , and needlepoint , hand knitting became
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