One of the most important decisions you must make when you knit is what yarn to use for your project. The yarn you choose has everything to do with how your finished project looks and stands up to time and wear. The last thing you want to do is spend hours making something only to have it fall apart in the wash, or look worn out after the second wearing. Taking the time to choose just the right yarn will help make your knitting projects a success.

Here are the answers to your top seven knitting yarn questions:

1. How do I learn about all of the different yarns? The easiest place to learn about yarn is by simply reading and comparing labels. Yarn labels include such information as the brand name, the fiber content of the yarn, the color name and number, the dye lot number, the number of piles or strands, the weight classification of the yarn, the knitting and crochet gauge, cleaning instructions, and the length of the yarn itself. By reading the labels and comparing them to each other, you can easily learn all you need to know about yarn.

2. Why do I care about yarn weight classification? The term “yarn weight classification” does not refer to the actual physical weight of the yarn, as you might have guessed it would. Rather, the yarn weight classification refers to the diameter of the yarn strand. The smaller the strand, the smaller the weight, and vice versa…

3. Can I use a different yarn brand than my pattern calls for? Generally the answer is yes. You will want to knit a test swatch and make sure your gauge is correct before knitting your entire project though.

4. What is yarn gauge? Gauge is the number of stitches and rows in every inch of knitting. Gauge is specified on patterns to assure that the end project is true to size. Because everyone knits differently, it is very important to make a test swatch with your project needles and yarn to check to make sure your gauge matches that of the pattern you are working with. Gauge is especially important when working with clothing.

5. Can I substitute one yarn weight for another one? Generally the answer is no. Because your yarn weight has a lot to do with the finished size and look of a project, by using a yarn of a different weight you risk your project coming out the wrong size. Generally you cannot substitute yarn weights unless you are making something like a blanket or scarf where it will not matter as much and you can easily adjust your project for the change in size.

6. What is a dye lot and why do some yarns have one and others do not? Dye lot numbers refer to the batch a skein of yarn was in when it was dyed at the factory. Because dying is not an exact science, the same color yarn, from different dye lots, can appear to be two different colors. This is why you should always purchase enough yarn to complete your project all from the same dye lot if at all possible.
Some yarns and fibers do not list a dye lot number because the fibers are colored first and then the yarns are made. This means there are no dye lots available for the yarn.

7. How do I care for my knitted fabrics? The easiest way to know how to care for a knitted fabric is to check on the laundering instructions on the yarn label. Generally you will want to hand wash all of your hand knitted items in a mild detergent and then dry them flat. If you do not have a yarn label, you can sometimes find similar yarn at your local craft store and read that yarn’s label for care directions.

The coming of summer means buying a nice 2 piece suit to wear to the beach, getting a tan and having fun at the beach. Instead of wearing the usual suit made of polyester, why not try something new?

Why not show that body with a bikini made of crochet patterns? These 2 piece bikinis are ideal for those who want to show some skin. Its design is just great without revealing the private parts of the person.

There are types that are really skimpy where it only covers those areas then connected with strings and there are those that are conservative.

The person can buy this online or in the shops. The price for a pair is around $40 to $150 and is worth every penny.

There are so many designs to choose from. Some are haltered top which can be worn while walking in the beach with a pair of shorts on. There are also styles available that are strapless like the tube top.

A unique design that some would like to try is the floral design. This is also a halter top that is available in different colors that will really bring out the look in the person.

The bikini which has been around for more than 2 years has changed. In the beginning, there were reductions made to the top for the person to show some skin. Since it doesn’t look nice on the bottom, improvements were also made thus thongs and other styles which are revealing for both the top and bottom have hit the market.

Crochet bikinis are not just for women Children can also have the same thing that are also available in many colors and designs. This is usually made of cotton and a little elastic for it to fit nicely on the toddler. The price range tag on this is around $25 and more designs are sure to come.

Some customers who buy bikinis in stores are not happy with how it fits in the top or in the bottom. Since this is probably the best there is, these people will buy it rather than not having anything nice to wear at the beach.

For those who want the right bikini, there is another way and that is to make one. The person can do this by first buying some needles and thread. It will also be nice to get a magazine where a design can be drawn on paper before starting on the project.

The picture in the magazine and the colors used doesn’t have to be followed. There are instances that the customer wants it in this shade but the designers never made one. Another improvement aside from the color is using 2 or 3 kinds of thread which transforms the basic bikini into something else.

The female body is different. To make the perfect one, it will be good to use the bra and panty that is normally used as a guide. The waist and breast size of the person should be drawn and this design depends on how much does the individual want to reveal.

This can be a thong or a just the regular kind which really depends on the taste of the person. After it is drawn, it is time to stitch. The person should make sure that the bra and panty fits the bikini being made which will serve as padding underneath the crochet pattern.

After it’s finished, it will be a good idea to check if it will work. This can be done in the bathroom in the tub or in the pool if the house has one. If it doesn’t fall off, then the person did a good job and will enjoy it once the person is at the beach.

There are a lot of ways to have fun at the beach and having the right outfit for the occasion is key. Wearing a bikini with a crochet pattern is something that is gaining a lot of popularity which makes the person blend in with the crowd.

By buying it from the shop or making it with some thread, the girl will really enjoy that day at the beach.

Women were given the materials and tools to make patch work quilts en route to
their Australian destination so that they could sell them and be able to support
themselves when they landed.

Sadly, only one of these appears to have survived, but it is clear that the British
women brought with them the skills and traditions of quilting.

Quilting was thought to be a ‘suitable’ occupation for a lady, and the quilters
soon began to put their work together at exhibitions, and a market in quilts was
quickly established. The British traditions were retained, and quilting in Australia
continues to respect and reflect the styles and patterns of the mother country.

However, for many years, Australian families were very poor, and generally the
women were responsible for ‘making’ all the bedding, as well as all the clothes
and household fabrics. In the absence of money to buy good cloth, the women
used their initiative. They used old sacks, old grain bags and anything that could
be used to give warmth. With luck, they would be able to find or get something
to make a bed cover more attractive, and the sacks would be used as the
wadding or batting. Old cloth would be cut and stitched either directly onto the
batting, or as a face fabric, and whatever artistic talent the maker had would be
used.

Later on it became commonplace to obtain old sample books from traveling
salesmen. So many quilts were made with suit cloth, as well as old curtains, and
what ever else was available.

Sadly, these days Australian women tend to be too busy to do a great deal of
quilting. And of course, with the much more cheaply available goods, it’s now a
time of buy new and throws away the old. Not like the old days, which epitomized
the make do and mend motto.

Clearly a colder climate than Hawaii, the traditions of ‘make do and mend’ were
such that for centuries, cloth was very valuable and not to be wasted. Long
before any mechanical cloth production, every piece of cloth was made by hand
or with simple weaving frames. Anything so time consuming to produce could
only be treated with care and considered to be of value.

Long before the first settlers arrived in America, British women, and men were
involved in patchwork and quilting, both for home and commercial benefit. So the
history of quilting in Britain goes way back.

There are records of padded clothing being made for soldiers to be worn
underneath their armor to protect them from the metal, and also to provide
warmth and comfort. And as far back as the fourteenth century, quilted fabrics
were used as bedcovers and clothes.

There are examples of eighteenth century pieces of clothing that remain from
noble and royal households. For example, an underskirt for a Scottish wedding is
now part of the Heritage Collection of the Quilters Guild, and dated at 1764.
Although in the households run by nobles and royals, there were wonderful
examples of luxurious and exquisite pieces of quilting, these were the minority.
The very wealthy would import cloth from abroad and use it to display their
wealth and social status.

Hence we see silks, satins, velvets, and printed Indian calico used in complex
quilting, often as backgrounds to embroidered hangings and bed drapes.
These pieces would generally be made by professional craftsmen who would
have been members of some of the early Guilds. Women would not generally
have been employed on a commercial basis in this way until much later.

In the homes of the less well off, the quilting and patchwork traditions would have
a much more utilitarian approach, and although some would be very cleverly
designed and executed, the main concern was to provide warmth without too
much expense.

The cottage industry was very much part of the northern England and Welsh
tradition, and as such, there would be quilters undertaking work on a commission
basis, and either selling directly to certain wealthier homes, or through an agent.
In Wales and some parts of England, there were also traveling workers. They
would take board and lodging in a household and be required to provide new
quilts for bedding, along with other stitch work in exchange for their keep.

In Victorian times, fashion dictated the use of lots of bright colors and contrasting
black. Fabrics were more readily available and there was greater wealth
available in the new middle classes. Drapery and bed coverings that had
previously been seen only in the houses of the nobility were now emulated by
the new professional and commercial classes.

Most girls of ‘good’ homes would be brought up to be competent, at the very
least, with their needle and thread. So the practice of embroidery, patchwork,
quilting, and appliqué was very much kept alive.

However, by the beginning of the twentieth century and the outbreak of war,
things were beginning to change.

When war broke out, women found they had to work to help the war effort. This
meant little time for hobbies, and rationing meant that everyone concentrated on
getting enough food to feed the family and getting the domestic necessities.
There was little time or energy for needlework as a hobby.

By the end of the 1940’s, things had begun to back to normal, the country was
becoming more and more reliant on manufactured clothes and bedding.
Factories had sprung up across the UK, and imports began subsequently to add
to the large amount of manufactured goods.

Really it was the resurgence of quilting arising from the United States that helped
Britain resurrects its quilting traditions. Now the Quilters Guild has a valuable
role in supporting quilting in the UK. The Guild set up a British Quilting Study
Group in 1998, and this provides invaluable support to the quilters of today with
research and information.

British quilting has, however, never managed to equal the art of the American
quilting traditions, and America has been entirely responsible for spreading the
word and the work of quilting across the world as far as Australia, Japan, South
Africa and Europe.

Were it not for America, the UK may have allowed its quilting history to fade
away. Thankfully, however, it has helped to revive quilting both as a hobby and
as an art form.

Hawaiian quilting is said to have started when the wives of two chiefs were
introduced to quilting by missionaries on board a boat. Hawaiians would not
naturally have begun to quilt for domestic use, as quilts were not needed in the
warm Hawaiian climate.

The missionaries showed the Hawaiians how to cut up fabrics into pieces and
then sew them back together. This the Hawaiians found rather wasteful, as they
were careful with all their resources and didn’t understand the concept of cutting
up a large piece of material, only to sew pieces of it back together, and then be
left with bits that couldn’t be used.

Eventually, the Hawaiians found a way of using their own clothing fabric (called
tapa) which they folded to achieve 1/4 or 1/8 patterns, and they gave any waste pieces back to the missionaries for them to use in their own quilting. This tapa was from tree bark.

The unique nature of the Hawaiian quilting is clear in their use of local flora, and
the spirit world as design influences for their quilts. Conceptually, they used
quilts to record their environment, their departed love ones, and their still to be
born. Their quilts were also strongly about the Hawaiian identity and the identity
of the individual members of their society.

The Hawaiian Gods, their rites and ceremonies, and their history, are all depicted
in the wonderful Hawaiian quilts. Local events and major historical events were
all beautifully detailed and preserved in their quilts. In fact, all their quilts have a
story to tell, or a person to describe, or an act to preserve for posterity.