Jersey knit fabric is a widely used material for making basic t-shirts, dresses, blouses, and other garments. It can be made from any fiber, including wool, hemp, bamboo, cotton, Tencel, Modal, Rayon, and polyester. Ribbed knit fabric is elastic in the transverse direction and lies flat on one side. It is perfect for making turtlenecks, bottom edges of sweaters, cuffs, and necklines.
It is also great for making rugs and other home furnishings. Interlock fabric is the best type of knit fabric to use for sewing pants, skirts, and tank tops. French Terry fabric is a terry knit fabric with soft loops and piles of yarn on one side and a smooth surface on the other side. It is absorbent, lightweight, and moisture-wicking.
Polar knit fabric is a durable, warm, and elastic fabric with a thick and deep pile. Straight needles are used for most rectangular projects such as scarves and cloths. Circular needles are two needle heads connected to a cord and are used for larger projects such as blankets that can contain more stitches than straight needles. They are also used for projects that work in the round such as hats or the body of a seamless sweater.
Double-pointed needles are used for smaller projects joined in the round such as mittens or the crown of a hat. A tapestry needle is a large sewing needle with an eyelet large enough to accommodate bulky threads. It is used to knit the woolen tails left after finishing a project. Markers are small colorful rings that slide on needles to mark particular points on a pattern.
A flexible measuring tape is indispensable when making pairs of things such as mittens or sleeves. Thread guides help hold two colors at the same time without getting tangled and maintain even tension while knitting. Needle gauges are great for calculating knitting needle sizes that aren't marked and checking gauge and measuring work. Thread threaders help thread tapestry needles when working with complicated fibers such as mohair.
Beanies can be placed on the end of needles to make sure stitches don't slip out while a project is in a knitting bag or to convert a double-pointed needle into a straight needle. A wool wash kit takes all the guesswork out of washing knitwear for the first time. Wooden needles have become the standard in the knitting world with bamboo needles being the most popular type of needle due to their warmth and softness to the touch. Bamboo needles offer an affordable alternative to wooden needles with the same warmth and softness offered by wooden needles.
To find your gauge, work a test sample and measure how many stitches per inch you knit then adjust up or down the size of a needle until your gauge matches the pattern.
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