reblog

Knitters love to make things with their loved craft. They always have a project growing on their knitting needles for their loved ones. These knitting projects encompass even the dear pets. Be it a cat, dog, turtle, bird on any lovely creature that you adore, you can knit them beautiful garments accessories or some playful things. The loved pets have a treasure trove of designs from hoodies, sweaters, hats, toys, beds and so much more, with a range from practical to endearing options. Get out your favorite knitting needles ready and discover some great options. Even if you don’t have a pet, you can gift them to any friend or family member for their adorable beings.

So, gather you supplies.

Pattern – There is a wide range of patterns available for knitting projects for pets. From specially designed hoods to cosy beds and delightful toys, there is a lot to choose from. If you are beginner then knitting pattern will assist you with the knitting needles, the sizes, yarn, gauge and step by step instructions. Even if you want to plan your own design, you can go ahead with the measurements and gauge swatch.

Knitting Needles – The choice of knitting needles for adorable projects for your pets totally depends on what you are making and how. If you are knitting a hat, you can entire knit in the round with double-pointed knitting needles (DPNs) or circulars or you can choose the work with single pointed needles to knit back and forth. For flat projects, you can either work with circular needles of the appropriate lengths or STNs. The right knitting needle size is determined by the yarn weight, which is either mentioned in the label or the pattern.

Yarn – Choosing the yarn for your pets is done after careful consideration. Wool, cotton, acrylics or acrylic-blends are the most popular options. Make sure that your pet or the one you are knitting for is not allergic. Many times you’ll find yarn in your stash from previous projects that will be sufficient for a quick project for your pets.

1. Pet Garments

Pets are susceptible to cold so many knitters fashion garments to keep them warm and snuggly. Even for fashion, making a cute sweater or hoodie for them is easy. You can follow a pattern but then too you would require to calculate the right measurements along with positive ease. Scarves and hats are wonderful knitting projects that you can work out by yourself without a pattern with any pair of single points and circular knitting needles. You just need the standard size and knit them back and forth. For the hat you can knit it flat and shape it up with a darning needle. Or, knitting in the round is the best way to go about it. For a cardigan or even a sweater knit it in pieces and seam them later. Even baby booties can be worked and adjusted according to your pet’s hoof or paw size.

2. Pet Beds & Blankets

Beds and blankets are wonderful gifts for pets. While dogs love snuggling on your bed with you, cats prefer their own space. Snuggly beds and blankets will be a good option for both pets. Also, cats may be less accommodating about wearing things so they would appreciate their own soft corner to curl up. Beds for pets can be knit in various ways with almost all yarns and knitting needles. You can knit a round or rectangular bed. Stuff in some soft foam or other products for a comfortable bedding. You can work with any blanket pattern and customize it according to your measurements. Working with circular knitting needles with a long cord length, especially interchangeable circulars will accommodate all the stitches for a mid-size to large project.

3. Toys

Knitting toys for your pets is adorable. You can work with any pattern. Consider colourful projects as this way you can reduce your stash of leftover yarn. A simple ball or one of the favourite creatures such as a bunny or penguin can be easily knit with double pointed needles (DPNs) or circulars. For dogs they would love to have chewy bones projects while cats enjoy pouncing on balls and other shiny stuff. Even little birdies and other pets prefer snuggly toys.

4. Bow Tie

If you are fond of dressing up your loved pet, a bow tie is a quick and easy project. It is also a great yarn stash buster. Any pattern can be used with your measurements. Knit a few in different colours for every occasion for different outfits.

5. Toy Basket

Toy baskets are easy knitting projects. You can knit one as a gift too. The toy basket can be designed by customizing any regular project. You can add a name or other designs with duplicate stitches with a darning needle or knit a Fair Isle pattern.

With these 7 adorable knitting projects now cast on your stitches on your knitting needles.

Happy knitting for pets!

Source: https://articlebusinessnews.com/7-adorable-knitting-projects-for-your-pets/

Darning needles are one of the essential knitting accessories that every knitter, new as well as seasoned experts must own. For darning the seams or edges, making the proper finish of a project, weaving in yarn ends or repairing mistakes, the darning needles are used for many purposes. Often referred to as tapestry or wool or finishing needles, the darning needles are the unsung heroes of the knitting world. Such is the multipurpose use that even in the olden days every woman and man used to carry one on themselves at all times.

Choosing the right darning needle is very important for its significant purpose in knitting as well as other yarn crafts. Also like knitters are different, every needle is different. The darning needles come in different materials and lengths with different kinds of tips and different-sized holes for the yarn to pass through. The Mindful Collection offers high-density laminated wood darning needles in the teal shade as well as bent-tipped plastic needles in each Mindful knitting needle set. If you have explored the range of stainless steel knitting needles, you are well aware of the fact that the entire range focuses on the meditative aspects of the craft. Each of the accessories is designed on the same theme of mindfulness. The mindful darning needles are a great choice for all knitters.

Here are a few facts about the Mindful Darning Needles

Needle Tips

The Mindful Collection offers darning needles in both types of round straight tips as well as bent tips.

The round straight tip of the darning needles is great for going through different kinds of yarn without damaging the stitches or the yarn fibre. As the knitted fabric is permeable in comparison to other fabrics, the tip doesn’t need to be sharp. In fact, blunt tips or rounded ones let you work through stitches without slicing through individual strands of yarn.

Bent-tipped darning needles are also very helpful when you’re seaming two pieces together. They navigate very clearly without snagging any stitches.

Even when weaving in ends such as in colourwork or lace patterns, the blunt tips can comfortably slice through part of a yarn making the tail a part of the final fabric.

Many times darning involves “plucking” individual stitches and pulling the needle underneath them so the blunt edge can work smoothly without any damage. For this same reason, they are also ideal for duplicate stitches on a finished knitted fabric.

Even when you’re doing tricks that involve more of an up-down or side-to-side motion, like seaming two sides together with mattress stitch, a bent-tipped darning needle may be more comfortable for you.

Needle Size

The general rule of thumb is to use darning needles a size smaller than the knitting needle. The trick is not too small size, in fact, a snug fit is good. You don’t want the yarn too slip through the big eye or force too thick of yarn through too small of an eye.

If the yarn slips through, you will be taking much more time to complete the simple task and be frustrated. And, if the yarn is too thick, the abrasion of the wood needle will gradually cause the yarn to wear thin and break taking more time to rectify the error and lose precious yarn in the process. Even if you’re darning a small end or you’re seaming an entire sleeve, you don’t want to lose your end halfway through.

If you’re unsure that a darning needle is a right match for your fabric, we have an easy way to check. Simply hold the darning needle over your fabric, or slide it horizontally through one stitch. If the needle is as wide as a stitch is tall, you should switch to a smaller needle. Ideally, you don’t want it to be any more than half as wide as the stitch is tall.

The More the Merrier

Like knitting needles and stitch markers, you can never have too many darning needles. You need to have them in different sizes. When it comes to darning needles, the Mindful Collection offers 2 big and 2 small darning needles in a wooden case.

Uses of the Darning Needles

Now coming to the use of darning needles. Whether it is a pair of socks or a wide blanket, you’ll always be needing the darning needle.

Weave in yarn ends - Every knitting project will have at least two yarn ends to weave in while there will be many when you use different yarns. With a darning needle, you can weave every end no matter the knitted stitches. Just thread the yarn tails and go through the knitted stitches as invisibly as possible.

Repair Holes - There will be knitting patterns where you come across mistakenly made holes. Here too, the darning needles can cover up holes from the opposite side of the knitted fabric.

Duplicate Stitches - Sometimes when you need to add beauty to a simple knitted fabric, duplicate stitches are of great help. Thread yarn in a different shade on a darning needle and go through the stitches to make interesting designs, alphabets and more.

So, with this guide on everything you need to know about darning needles get ready to create some wonderful projects.

Happy knitting!

Source: https://writeupcafe.com/everything-you-need-to-know-about-mindful-darning-needles/

Blocking your knitting is a major step in the successful completion of projects. After your project or a gauge swatch is off the knitting needles, it’s time for blocking. Blocking means relaxing your yarn and the overall knitted project. After all your yarn has been wound, unwound, twisted, tugged and stored for the duration of making your project. Now, the knitted yarn needs some love and pampering. There are many ways to block your knitted projects with specially-designed blocking tools to smooth your process.

Let’s take you through the method of blocking.

1. Wet Blocking - A common way of blocking wool and animal fiber yarns. Fill a sink or tub with lukewarm water (hot water may cause felting in wool!) with some wash and mix it thoroughly.Submerge your project until fully saturated.Let the knitted project rest in the bath for at least 10 minutes and up to 30 minutes. Lift the project out of the water gently. Make sure to not let the knitted project stretch or distort due to the water weight. Lay your wet project flat on a clean, dry towel or bedsheet. Roll the cloth and gently press out the extra water. Once its semi-dry, lay your project on blocking mats or a rubber yoga mat (spare one), bath mat, etc. Adjust your project and pin it with knit blockers.

1. Spray Blocking – Lace projects and cotton fabric is blocked with spray blocking. Lightly spray with a diluted mix of wool wash and water in a regular spray bottle. The damp project can be shaped to approximately match the finished dimensions. Place knit blockers at intervals while stretching your project to the desired dimensions. When your piece is fully dry, unpin and use.

1. Steaming – This method is recommended for delicate lace projects. Use knit blockers to pin the knitted project. In this method, you would want the steam to penetrate the piece. So, lay a light sheet or cotton towel over the project. If the project is made of cotton yarn, you can let the iron touch the fabric very lightly. You can also steam first and let your piece rest after using the knit blockers.

Use the blocking methods for your knit gauge swatch. After the swatch has been blocked, it will give an accurate result of the row and stitch count. You will also get a clear idea of how the yarn reacts after being washed, sprayed or steamed. For blocking your knitted projects, carefully use the knit blockers. Do not insert between the stitches. Blocking can work wonders for many projects, allowing to match dimensions, let the yarn bloom and even clean the yarn. So, be it the stockinette stitch or the intricate cables or the delicate lace, you make on any of the knitting needles, do not miss out on the process of blocking. Like knitting needle sets make your life easier, so does the blocking tools. You will be thankful for the extra effort.

If you want to explore and practice the meditative aspects of knitting, the Mindful Collection offers stainless steel needles & accessories to enjoy crafting!

Source: https://uberant.com/article/1874308-how-to-block-your-knitting/

Knitting is a fun craft, after all, you only need three simple things: knitting needles, yarn, and creativity.  But, there are also a few “things” that can make knitting a lot easier and fun. Be it the beginners or the advanced crafters, every knitter needs some help. Before you go and get your hands on everything possible, check out our list of knitting essentials.

1. Knitting Needle Sets

In knitting, of course, you will need knitting needles, but the collection is never complete until you own all three types of needles and the popular sizes. A pair of single-pointed needles are handy to knit most rectangular projects in back-and-forth knitting. The circular needles are two 10 and 13 cm length tips joined by cables varying between lengths of 25cm to 150cm. If you do a lot of knitting you might want to get an interchangeable circular needle set which will offer flexibility. You won’t need new sizes for each project, as a set offers multiple. Plus, if your project calls for changing needle size or even the cable length you can easily go ahead with it. Double-point needles are ideal for knitting small things in the round, like mittens or the top of a hat.

Many times you may need to switch needles. You may start a project on circular needles, then switch to double points as you get close to binding off or knit different sections on different needles, so it is always recommended to include all needles in your collection.

2. Yarn

Obviously yarn, given the fact that knitting is fiber art. There are so many types, different weights, different fibers, different colors, etc of glorious yarn. Too much to possibly mention, but suffice it to say, you never have enough. For every project, you need different yarns. The ones that work best for socks may not be the right fit for a sweater, the ones you use to practice new techniques may be only used for practice and not any actual project.

3. Scissors

A pair of sharp scissors is always handy for a maker. You need it to cut the yarn when you finish your project or want to switch colours.

4. Tapestry Needle

A basic need for any knitter, a darning needle is a large sewing needle, with an eye big enough to accommodate bulky yarn. You’ll use the needle to weave in the tails of yarn left after you bind off your project or for different techniques and even seam projects together.

5. Stitch Markers

Like its name, stitch markers are used on your needles to mark particular points in your pattern. Some markers can be directly put onto a stitch such as locking ones, while cute round designs stay on the needles for reference in a particular stitch or pattern.

6. Measuring Tape

As a maker, you would want to work on your own designs and for that measuring tapes are handu. Also many times, a pattern mentions inches, rather than rows, so it's better to keep them on hand. Measuring tapes will not leave you guessing.

7. Row Counter

Some patterns require keeping track of exactly how many stitches and rows you have knit, and a row counter helps you keep an accurate count.

Know More: How to Use Row Counter for Knitting

8. Blocking tools

Yarn blooms beautifully after being blocked and blocking tools assist you in this. Any yarn of any project requires some pampering and blocking does that.

Know More: How to Block your Knitting

With the above knitting-related things, you are ready to knit anytime and anywhere!

Source: https://knitproblog.blogspot.com/2022/10/things-every-knitter-needs.html