Learning about Yarn Texture

The Craftsy blog is always full of great, useful tips and information that will make knitting easier for you, and this post about yarn texture is no exception.

Ashley looks at different plies of yarn and shares the general rule that the more plies a yarn has, the more stitch definition you will get. So a yarn with more plies would be better for cables and other textured stitch patterns that you really want to pop, while a singles (the proper term for a yarn made from a single strand of yarn, since you can’t really have a 1-ply) is better for plain stockinette or other stitch patterns where distinct stitches are not that important (it’s fine for felting, too).

In addition to ply, there are a whole lot of different textures you can find in yarn these days, from slubby thick and thin yarns to eyelash yarns and all sorts of textured novelty yarns. Of course when using those yarns you won’t get much stitch definition at all, but they can be a lot of fun as an accent or for an accessory like a scarf.

Do you pay much attention to the texture of a yarn when choosing what to knit with? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

[Photo via Craftsy.]

Next Pattern:

I’ve shared a lot of Christmas stocking knitting patterns over the years (see posts 1, 2, 3 for example) but what if you want to knit a stocking for a non-human member of your family. If you’re looking for Christmas stocking knitting patterns for your cats or dogs, this is the post for you.

These large paw print stockings are perfect for either dogs or cats, so they’re great to knit if you have both. They are worked in the round using DK weight yarn, and the stocking measures about 17 inches/43 cm from the top to the heel. You can get the pattern from nicolaluke.

The K4 Project has a super cute Kitty Christmas stocking pattern, which is worked in worsted weight yarn. They also have a dog version, or you can buy both and get a discount if you have both dogs and cats to knit for. Both projects have two patterns, showing how to work the stockings flat or in the round.

Put your dog into a Christmas scene with this stocking pattern from ifanhourChild. It shows a dog in a dog house in the snow, and has room for the dog’s name at the top. It’s worked flat using worsted weight yarn and the pattern includes charts for many small and medium dog breeds (there’s a separate listing for bigger dogs) so you can stitch a dog that looks like yours.

Annie’s Woolens has both dog and cat stocking knitting patterns that are worked in worsted weight yarn in the round. You can change up the colors to suit your pet if you want, and they come with an alphabet chart for personalization. Or you can stick with holiday colors and buy a kit to make the dog or cat stocking.

Waiting for Santa Paws is a pattern from Kate Agner on Ravelry that would be cute for a dog or a cat. It looks like a leg with a paw print on the bottom part of the foot and more paw prints running around the top of the leg. This is a great option if you don’t want to mess with a heel turn because it doesn’t have a heel, because dogs and cats don’t have heels so why would their stockings?

Book Review – 20 to Knit: Tiny Christmas Toys to Knit

Book Review – Knit Christmas Stockings

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