Knitting Rules! by Stephanie Pearl–McPhee Read Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Stephanie Pearl–McPhee
when knitters run the world, coming up with one consistent system of needle sizing is going to be the first thing we address.
A STRAIGHT PATH?
Once youâve come to understand knitting needle sizing, youâll have to weigh in on straight versus circular needles. This one simple point (or two) is probably the issue of greatest contention among knitters. It really doesnât take long for a knitter to make up her mind about her preference, and most make no bones about an inflexible opinion.
Straight needles are:
⢠Less expensive.
⢠Readily available and easy to find. Even a dollar store usually carries them.
⢠Used only for knitting things that arenât circular. (I know that seems obvious, but Iâm trying to be thorough.)
⢠Possibly faster, depending on your knitting style. âArmpit knitters,â or those who tuck one needle under an arm, are among the fastest in the world, and they use straight needles exclusively, since tucking a circular under your arm leads to cramping, knitting failure, and an odd chicken-like posture.
⢠Traditional, and I really like that. Thereâs a certain something about knitting with the same tools that people knit with centuries ago. Circulars are relatively new on the scene, and I like the idea of connecting with so many knitters who came before me. (This fantasy is blown right out of the water if youâre knitting with shiny-colored aluminum needles, but I can ignore that.)
⢠Easy to store neatly in just about anything â a drawer, a bag, a vase, down the side of a chair.
⢠Useful as a personal defense system in a pinch.
Circular needles are:
⢠A little more expensive.
⢠Slightly less likely to be lost down a crack on the bus or to roll away from you loudly in a dark and quiet movie theater. (Not that I would know from experience.)
⢠Useful for flat (back and forth) or circular knitting. Thus making it possible (and I hate to admit this, my love for straight needles being as pure as it is) for you to use just circular needles your whole knitting life.
⢠More difficult to store.
⢠Tied together so you canât lose one. (Until youâve lost a straight mid-project, you really donât understand the advantage of this.)
⢠Available in more sizes, since there are two parts to the sizing (the diameter of the needles and the length of the cord) and both measurements matter. Hence, you may need to purchase more of them.
If youâre ever in a yarn store full of knitters and decide (for reasons I canât imagine) youâd like to start the knitting-shop equivalent of a bar fight, take a deep breath and make the following statement: âStraight [or circular] knitting needles are stupid.â Then stand back and watch the wool fly.
Circular needles come in an assortment of lengths, as â at least when youâre using them to knit circularly â you need a needle that is a shorter length than the diameter of your total stitches. (There are exceptions to this, and if you must know, they involve using two circulars or one very, very long one.)
When youâre buying a circular needle, know that the length is the distance from tip to tip, not the length of the cord. I learned this the hard way, and have a whole drawer of wrong-length needles to prove it.
DOUBLE-POINTED NEEDLES
These are a fancy animal. Theyâre straight needles that you use to knit circularly. They scare the daylights out of a lot of new knitters, who see four or five needles sticking out of a sock in progress and immediately imagine thatmanaging five needles has to be more complicated than using two. All I have to say to newcomers to double points is this: Remember that no matter how many needles are present, you only use two at a time. Be not afraid.
Double-pointed needles are shockingly useful. Theyâre good for small tubes, like the arms of a baby sweater; theyâre indispensable for
A STRAIGHT PATH?
Once youâve come to understand knitting needle sizing, youâll have to weigh in on straight versus circular needles. This one simple point (or two) is probably the issue of greatest contention among knitters. It really doesnât take long for a knitter to make up her mind about her preference, and most make no bones about an inflexible opinion.
Straight needles are:
⢠Less expensive.
⢠Readily available and easy to find. Even a dollar store usually carries them.
⢠Used only for knitting things that arenât circular. (I know that seems obvious, but Iâm trying to be thorough.)
⢠Possibly faster, depending on your knitting style. âArmpit knitters,â or those who tuck one needle under an arm, are among the fastest in the world, and they use straight needles exclusively, since tucking a circular under your arm leads to cramping, knitting failure, and an odd chicken-like posture.
⢠Traditional, and I really like that. Thereâs a certain something about knitting with the same tools that people knit with centuries ago. Circulars are relatively new on the scene, and I like the idea of connecting with so many knitters who came before me. (This fantasy is blown right out of the water if youâre knitting with shiny-colored aluminum needles, but I can ignore that.)
⢠Easy to store neatly in just about anything â a drawer, a bag, a vase, down the side of a chair.
⢠Useful as a personal defense system in a pinch.
Circular needles are:
⢠A little more expensive.
⢠Slightly less likely to be lost down a crack on the bus or to roll away from you loudly in a dark and quiet movie theater. (Not that I would know from experience.)
⢠Useful for flat (back and forth) or circular knitting. Thus making it possible (and I hate to admit this, my love for straight needles being as pure as it is) for you to use just circular needles your whole knitting life.
⢠More difficult to store.
⢠Tied together so you canât lose one. (Until youâve lost a straight mid-project, you really donât understand the advantage of this.)
⢠Available in more sizes, since there are two parts to the sizing (the diameter of the needles and the length of the cord) and both measurements matter. Hence, you may need to purchase more of them.
If youâre ever in a yarn store full of knitters and decide (for reasons I canât imagine) youâd like to start the knitting-shop equivalent of a bar fight, take a deep breath and make the following statement: âStraight [or circular] knitting needles are stupid.â Then stand back and watch the wool fly.
Circular needles come in an assortment of lengths, as â at least when youâre using them to knit circularly â you need a needle that is a shorter length than the diameter of your total stitches. (There are exceptions to this, and if you must know, they involve using two circulars or one very, very long one.)
When youâre buying a circular needle, know that the length is the distance from tip to tip, not the length of the cord. I learned this the hard way, and have a whole drawer of wrong-length needles to prove it.
DOUBLE-POINTED NEEDLES
These are a fancy animal. Theyâre straight needles that you use to knit circularly. They scare the daylights out of a lot of new knitters, who see four or five needles sticking out of a sock in progress and immediately imagine thatmanaging five needles has to be more complicated than using two. All I have to say to newcomers to double points is this: Remember that no matter how many needles are present, you only use two at a time. Be not afraid.
Double-pointed needles are shockingly useful. Theyâre good for small tubes, like the arms of a baby sweater; theyâre indispensable for
Similar Books
The Guests on South Battery
Karen White
The Devil May Care (Brotherhood of Sinners #1)
Lara Archer
Fire Time
Poul Anderson
In the Shadow of Evil
Robin Caroll
Alert: (Michael Bennett 8)
James Patterson
Tom Swift and His Outpost in Space
Victor Appleton II
Jubilate
Michael Arditti
The Dragons Revenge (Tales from the New Earth #2)
J.J. Thompson
Druids
Morgan Llywelyn
