Unraveling May Harm Yarn

We’ve all been there. Either you made a big mistake while knitting and need to rip out a bunch of your work (I have a project on timeout right now for this very reason) or you’ve abandoned a project and decide you don’t want to knit it after all so you need to tear it out.

Most yarns can handle a little ripping back with ease, but after repeated rippings your yarn can show signs of wear. Emily at Berroco explains that the structure of the yarn and how or whether its plied plays a major role in whether yarn can take multiple unravelings.

Singles yarns are more fragile than yarns that are plied firmly, so if you’re working a new stitch pattern in a more delicate yarn you may want to practice your moves with something more stable first and move on to your real yarn once you get the hang of it to limit damage to the fibers. Smart advice.

Have you ever ripped a yarn back so many times that it got messy? I will admit to having thrown away mohair because it’s so hard to rip back!

[Photo via Berroco.]

Next Pattern:

I know that my posts can be read at different times of year and in different years by different people, but as I write this we’re on teh cusp of summer. And I know a lot of people don’t knit as much, and certainly don’t wear a lot of knits in the summer, but I want to encourage you to make and to wear your makes no matter the temperature.

To introduce you to the joys of summer garment knitting, I offer the Tied Vest from Lion Brand Yarn.

This easy project is great to make and wear throughout the year but it’s especially good for summer. It’s worked flat in one piece from the bottom up, mostly in stockinette stitch with a seed stitch edging. The I-cord ties are worked directly onto the garment so you don’t have to sew them on.

The project uses worsted weight yarn, and calls for a blend of cotton and hemp that’s great for warm weather.

There are eight size options, ranging from a finished chest measurement of 35 to 62.5 inches, or 89 to 159 cm. That makes it sound like it should be worn with at least a few inches of positive ease, but the pattern doesn’t specify.

The ties at the front give it a casual look and make it great to wear over a tank top or T-shirt when the weather is warm.

I also think this one would be good to knit in wool or a warmer fiber, too, to make a version you could wear more comfortably in the winter months, too. Though of course you could layer the summer version over a long-sleeved shirt and wear it throughout the year, too.

The tied vest is a free pattern available from Lion Brand. You can also purchase a kit that includes the yarn and optional needles and stitch markers if you need them.

[Photo: Lion Brand Yarn]

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Knit Vests to Help Transition to Warmer Weather

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