All sorts of materials can become knitting yarn as long as they have the right size and length to be knitted by hand, loom or machine; artificial fibers, wool, cotton, string and ribbon fall under this category. The aspect to keep in mind before choosing the knitting yarn is that this item gives the features of the knitted object. How formal do you want the garments to be? On what weather are you going to wear them? And how often do you need to wash them? This suggests that the right knitting yarn influences the level of success or failure in a knitting project, although there are other factors at work too.
The first thing to start with is that, knitting yarn is available in different shapes and sizes, plus the structure of the fibers does count to in the equation. Thus, animal-based fibers such as wool are great for their warmth and durability. This means that such knitting yarn works great for sweaters, shawls, baby blankets, gloves, hats and socks. In summertime cotton and other plant fibers make the knitting yarn suitable to make very breathable fabric.
Nylon and polyester are other knitting yarn types often chosen by knitters; they make excellent materials for all sorts of fashionable clothes, yet, despite many opinions, you should not use such yarn for baby clothes. Use only cotton and linen knitting yarn for the clothes that come in direct contact with the delicate baby skin. The quality of the knitting yarn is one other aspect that needs to be considered. You definitely need to make sure that the yarn you purchase belongs to the same dye lot and that there are no variations whatsoever.
Knitting yarn comes in a variety of thicknesses otherwise known as weights. Aran yarn works as the standard weight and it proves perfect for basic knitting patterns and hats. Any knitting yarn type thicker than Aran is usually good for heavy jumpers and works only with thick needles. On the other hand, knitting yarn types that are thinner than Aran are usually double-knit yarn and four ply yarn. The former is good for children’s clothing and socks whereas the latter allows for the making of fine elegant apparel items.
I hope you liked this article. As always if you need more information on knitting do not forget to use the internet, as it is such a valuable resource of free advice.