Understanding Yarn Labels

If you’re new to knitting, it can sometimes be overwhelming to visit a yarn store or try to buy yarn online for a lot of reasons, not the least of which is understanding what yarn is best for the project you want to knit.

Maybe for your first couple of projects you can knit with the exact yarn called for in the pattern, but it’s not always possible to find the yarn used in a pattern, or you don’t like it or can’t afford it or whatever.

Choosing the right yarn depends on an understanding of the qualities of the original yarn were most important — like yarn weight, gauge and fiber content — and looking for a yarn that meets as many of those specifications as it can.

Vickie Howell has a video at CreativeLive that will help you read a yarn label and understand where to look for what you’re looking for so you can make the best choices when substituting yarns or picking yarn for a project you want to design (or, let’s be honest, to build up your stash).

[Photo via CreativeLive.]

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Why should the fireplace get all the fun? Instead of knitting stockings this year, why not whip up a pair of Christmas themed socks? These Christmas sock knitting patterns are lots of fun to make and you can wear them to holiday gatherings for years to come.

For our friends in the southern part of the world, there are the Christmas in July socks from the Kiwi Lodge – Kylie (Ravelry link). These shorty socks are covered in Christmas trees and have bright pink heels and toes for a tropical feel. There’s also an option to make a longer sock if you celebrate somewhere it’s colder.

Twin Stitches Designs (Ravelry) has a fun pattern with mix and match colorwork motifs you can use to build your own cozy Christmas socks. From the sample socks I see Christmas puddings, trucks hauling trees, Santa belts, ornaments and a couple of different borders. There may be more patterns included but the listing doesn’t say. Make a pair that matches or use different motifs on each foot for extra holiday cheer.

If you want to stick to Christmas puddings on your holiday socks, check out this cute pattern from Stone Knits. These lovely socks feature a band of puddings around the leg and a bit of holly by the toes.

These vintage holiday light socks from Grey Owl Knits by Sarah are classic looking and lots of fun at the same time. I love this color combination but of course you can make your lights and stripes whatever colors you like or have on hand. They’re worked using stranded knitting.

And if you’d like even more of a mix of patterns for your socks, try Barbara Ceglédi’s Christmas Chaos socks, a free pattern on Ravelry. The pattern includes 25 little motifs you can choose from, ranging from snowflakes and Christmas trees to elf hats, reindeer and hearts.

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