Knitting – JSS3 Cultural & Creative Arts Lesson Note (Second Term)

Knitting is a method of making cloth by using needles to form yarn into rows of interlocking loops called stitches. It can be done by hand or by machine. Knit and purl are the two basic stitches.

Knitted outfits

Behavioural objectives

1. Define knitting.
2. Explain courses and wales.
3. Distinguish between weft knitting and warp knitting.
4. Distinguish between the knit stitch and the purl stitch.
5. List the materials in a knitting kit and state the uses of the three types of knitting needle.

What is knitting?

Knitting is a method by which yarn is manipulated to create a textile or fabric.

• Stitches: knitting makes many loops of yarn, called stitches, in a line or tube.
• Active stitches: many stitches are held on the needle at one time.
• Fabric: knitted fabric is made of several consecutive rows of interlocking loops.
• Method: knitting may be done by hand or by machine.

How are the rows of a knitted fabric formed?

1. A new loop is pulled through one or more loops from the previous row.
2. The new loop is placed on the gaining needle.
3. The loops from the previous row are then pulled off the other needle.

What decides the properties of a knitted fabric?

Yarn type, needle size and stitch type decide how the fabric looks and feels.

• Yarn: fibre type, texture and twist change the fabric.
• Needle size: larger or smaller needles change the looseness of the fabric.
• Stitch type: different stitches give different surfaces.
• Properties affected: colour, texture, weight, heat retention, look, water resistance and integrity.

What are courses and wales?

A course is a row of loops formed by one path of yarn across the fabric, and a wale is a column of stitches running along the length of the fabric.

• Course: the path of the yarn through the fabric, shown by the red path in the first picture below.
• Wale: a line of stitches in which each stitch is suspended from the one above it.
• How loops hold each other: in stockinette, a common knitted fabric, the uppermost loops are unsecured and “active”.
• Chain effect: the active loops secure the loops hanging from them, and those loops secure the loops just below them, and so on.

Stockinette: the red path is one course.

Alternating wales of red and yellow knit stitches. Each stitch in a wale is suspended from the one above it.

What are weft knitting and warp knitting?

There are two major varieties of knitting: weft knitting and warp knitting.

• Weft knitting: the more common kind, in which the wales are perpendicular to the course of the yarn.
• Warp knitting: a kind in which the wales and courses run roughly parallel, with parallel yarns zigzagging lengthwise along the fabric.

• Why warp knitting is done by machine: a typical piece of knitted fabric may have hundreds of wales, and each needs its own yarn.
• Warp-knitted fabrics: tricot and Milanese resist runs and are commonly used in lingerie.

A modern knitting machine in the process of weft knitting.

How are colour patterns made in weft knitting?

Weft-knit fabrics may be knitted with several yarns to make colour patterns, and the two common approaches are intarsia and stranded colourwork.

• Intarsia: the yarns are used in well-segregated regions, for example a red apple on a field of green. The yarns are kept on separate spools, and only one is knitted at any time.
• Stranded colourwork: the more complex approach. Two or more yarns alternate repeatedly within one row, and all the yarns are carried along the row, as in Fair Isle sweaters.
• Double knitting: it can produce two separate fabrics at once, for example two socks. Usually the two fabrics are joined into one, which gives great warmth and excellent drape.

What are knit and purl stitches?

The knit stitch and the purl stitch are the two basic knitting stitches, and they differ in the direction from which the new loop passes through the old loop.

• Knit stitch (plain stitch): the next loop passes through the previous loop from below.
• Purl stitch: the next loop passes through the previous loop from above.
• Link between them: a knit stitch on one side of the fabric appears as a purl stitch on the other side, and the reverse is also true.

Knit stitch (left): the red loop passes through the yellow loop from below. Purl stitch (right): the next stitch enters from above.

What are stockinette and garter stitch?

Stockinette and garter are two basic fabric types made by combining knit and purl rows.

• Stockinette: a course is knit into the row below, and the next row is also knit.
• Garter stitch: a course is purled into the row below and then the next row is knit.

The lower red course gives stockinette stitch. The upper red course gives garter stitch.

What can be made with knit and purl stitches?

• Patterns and pictures: knit and purl stitches can be used as “pixels”.
• Shape of pixels: they are usually rectangular, not square, depending on the gauge or tension of the knitting.
• Elongated stitch: a stitch is made taller by drawing more yarn into the new loop.
• Uneven knitting: a row of tall stitches alternates with one or more rows of short stitches for a visual effect.
• Fish-like pattern: short and tall stitches alternating within a row form an oval pattern.

A dropped stitch, or missed stitch, is a common error that must be fixed.

What materials are needed for knitting?

You need only a pair of needles and a ball of yarn to start knitting, and a few more items to finish a project.

What items are in a knitting kit?

• Tapestry needle: a large sewing needle with an eye big enough for bulky yarn, used to weave in the yarn tails after you bind off.
• Stitch markers: small rings that slip on the needles to mark points in a pattern. Some clip onto a stitch to mark a spot on the project.
• Stitch holders: tools like large safety pins, used to set some stitches aside to come back to later.
• Row counters: tools for keeping track of rows knitted. Some slip onto the needle with a number dial, some have a button, and there are smartphone apps.
• Measuring tape: a flexible tape for patterns given in inches, which helps make pairs such as mittens or sleeves the same size.
• Needle caps: caps placed on needle ends during a break so no stitches slip off. They can also turn a double-point needle into a straight needle.

What types of knitting needle are there?

There are three types of knitting needle: straight needles, circular needles and double-point needles.

• Straight needles: the classic pair, used for most rectangular projects, like scarves and washcloths.
• Circular needles: two needle heads joined by a cord, used for large projects like blankets and for work done in the round, like hats or a seamless sweater body. Cord lengths run from 9 inches to 60 inches.
• Double-point needles: sold in sets of 4 or 5, used for small projects joined in the round, like mittens or the crown of a hat.

• Combined use: some projects need more than one kind. You may start on circular needles and switch to double points near the end.
• Circular needle kit: it lets you choose the cord length and needle size. To change needle size, scrunch the stitches onto the cord and swap the needle heads.

Evaluation

1. Define knitting.
2. State two differences between weft knitting and warp knitting.
3. How does a knit stitch differ from a purl stitch?
4. Name the three types of knitting needle and state one project each is used for.
5. Explain the difference between intarsia and stranded colourwork.

Assignment

Name four items in a knitting kit and state the use of each.