Posted on by

Where can I find good (and cheap!) wool and materials

Numbers of local wool shops have dwindled from what they once were and have been pushed out of many major town centres by huge rents and a fall in interest. If you do have a local wool shop (and I mean a real one – not like Aldi or Wilkinson who sell insipid baby blues and pinks) then I would say your first stop should be there. Most of the owners are enthusiastic and helpful folk who would love to point learner knitters in the right direction, suggest a yarn or a pattern and they might even host a knitting evening you could get involved with.

Ravelry will help you locate your local wool shop. You’ll need to be a member but it’s free and a great source of information, patterns and knitters! www.ravelry.com (come and find me on there! My user name is Chellis!)

For those of us with more computer time then I would recommend the two following:

Northern Yarn – for great, local and natural yarns then the lovely Kate at Northern Yarns will see you right. www.northernyarn.co.uk/ 

Deramores – super fast, super helpful and a good clearance section. They have all the major players in the yarn brand stakes as well as needles, patterns and regular knit-alongs.  www.deramores.com

Black Sheep Wools – amazingly good prices  –  a lot of discontinued stuff which is fine if you’re not looking for something in particular.. www.blacksheepwools.com

 

 

 

Posted on by

Why is wool sold by weight?

Why wool weight and not the length? Why are balls of wool/yarn sold in grams (or back in the day ounces) and not by metres?

Well.. do you want to measure out the whole ball? Wool weight is a much easier thing to measure and is just as accurate. Many of the ball-bands indicate how much length you can get for your weight and some patterns will also indicate how much yardage or weight you need to complete a pattern. It might take some calculations but it’s easier than trying to measure the ball.

One of my most used tools for the creation of the knitting kits is a weighing scale to make sure each kit has enough yarn to complete the project.

Most balls/skeins these days are sold in either 25g, 50g, 100g, 200g and the other day I got a whopper of a ball at 400g.

A lot of the lace weight very fine yarn will come in 25g skeins because a little goes a long way. Chunky yarns come in either 100g or 200g, but don’t forget – because it’s fatter it wont go as far as 100g of double knit or Aran. Knitting a chunky scarf takes a lot more balls (and yarn!) than finer scarves simply because it is so bulky.

 

Posted on by

Does it matter which knitting needles and yarn I am using?

A question from many people learning to knit… and the answer to which will make a huge difference to your finished product.. So does it matter which knitting needles and yarn you’re using?

Yes. Sadly it makes a massive difference.

–         Knitting needles are measured universally in millimetres. This is normally indicated somewhere on the needle.

–         If you can’t see an ‘mm’ number then it might be an old school British measurement (a bit like an imperial measurement) or an American sizing convention. There are plenty of online conversion charts that will get you back to mms.

–         As with needles you can get all sorts of different thicknesses of yarn – eg lace-weight, DK (double-knit), 4-ply, chunky, Aran-weight…

–         Most balls of yarn have a recommended needle size to work with to achieve best knitted results.

–         Most patterns indicate a needle size and a recommended yarn. If you follow this then you’ll get something that is the same look and style as the photo. If you don’t, you could end up with a giant’s sock or a very difficult thing to knit.

–         Some people deliberately mix up the needles/yarns to achieve a desired effect but if you are following a pattern then it’ll indicate when and where to do this.

–         You can try and substitute a yarn in a pattern . As a rule of thumb if the yarn you want to substitute in has the same recommended needle size as the pattern then you should be near-enough ok but it’s not guaranteed.

So in answer to the question.. Yes it does matter which knitting needles and yarn you are using together.

All the Charlie Button Knit Kits have already had the yarn and the needle sizes checked and selected to make sure your knitting project works out exactly as it should do.

Posted on by

What exactly are the knit kits?

In a nutshell the knit kits are small, manageable, and achievable knitting projects that work, with all the right bits in one place. Each knit kit has the right amount yarn, the correct size needles, an easy-to-follow pattern and a finishing needle. They are perfect for beginner knitters or those who have a little more experience and just like convenience.

Just learning to knit? Try the Beginner Knit Kit Handwarmers or the Beginner Knit Kit Button Collar

A bit more experienced? Try the TEA Tea Cosy Knit Kit or download the pattern