Bamboo knitting needles

A little dexterity is helpful in working with knitting needles

A knitting needle or knitting pin is a long stick or rod used as a tool in the manufacture of hand knitted fabric. The needle is used to reach through a knitting stitch in order to snag a bight of yarn and pull a length back through the stitch to form a new loop at the top of the current wale of stitches. The simplest requirements of knitting needles are that they must be smooth, thin and long enough to reach through a stitch and strong enough not to break while manipulating the bight of yarn. Knitting needles, commonly used in pairs, are the only essential tools for hand knitting (Thomas, 1938; Hiatt, 1988). Description: Photograph of knitting needles Source: Photograph taken by Jared C. Benedict on 03 March 2004. ... Description: Photograph of knitting needles Source: Photograph taken by Jared C. Benedict on 03 March 2004. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (3456x2304, 3713 KB) Summary Pink knitting in front of pink sweatshirt. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (3456x2304, 3713 KB) Summary Pink knitting in front of pink sweatshirt. ... A little dexterity is helpful in working with knitting needles Look up dexterity in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Look up stick in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... In geometry, a Rod is a 3-dimensional, solid (filled) cylinder. ... A modern hammer is directly descended from ancient hand tools A tool is a piece of equipment that (most commonly) provides a mechanical advantage in accomplishing a physical task. ... Knit hat, yarn, and knitting needles. ... Fabric may mean: Cloth, a flexible artificial material made up of a network of natural or artificial fibres Fabric (club), a London dance club Fibre Channel fabric, a network of Fibre Channel devices enabled by a Fibre Channel switch using the FC-SW topology This is a disambiguation page, a... Stitch can refer to: Medical stitches, sutures A side stitch, an intense stabbing pain during exercise. ... Some knots: 1. ... This article is about yarn fiber. ...

Overview

Knitting needles have also been called knitting sticks, knitting pins, knitting wires, or simply wires or rods (Rutt, 2003). Length and thickness of the needles vary depending on the type of yarn used (e.g., fine or thick) and the type of fabric to be produced (e.g., firm or loose).

The most widely recognized form of knitting needle, probably invented in the mid 19th century, is usually called a straight needle. Straight needles are narrowed nearly to a point at one end and capped at the other with a knob or head (like the head of a straight pin), and are used almost exclusively for knitting flat two-dimensional fabrics like rectangles and squares. The needles are popular because the knob at the end of each needle prevents the stitches from inadvertently falling off the needles. Fictional depictions of knitting in movies, television programs, animation, and comic strips almost always show knitting done on straight needles. Both Wallace and Gromit and Monty Python, for example, show knitting being done with straight needles. Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... A pin is a device used for fastening objects or material together. ... :For other senses of this word, see dimension (disambiguation). ... In geometry, a rectangle is defined as a quadrilateral polygon in which all four angles are right angles. ... In plane geometry, a square is a polygon with four equal sides and four right angles. ... The Three Graces, here in a painting by Sandro Botticelli, were the goddesses of charm, beauty, nature, human creativity and fertility in Greek mythology. ... Film is a term that encompasses motion pictures as individual projects, as well as the field in general. ... 12 frames per second is the typical rate for an animated cartoon. ... This article is about the comic strip, the sequential art form as published in newspapers and on the Internet. ... Wallace & Gromit Wallace and Gromit are the main characters in a series of three British animated short films and a feature-length film by Nick Park of Aardman Animations. ... The Python team. ...

The oldest known knitting needles, still very much in use, are double-pointed needles. They are generally used to form tubular fabrics such as socks and the bodies or sleeves of sweaters. As the name implies, double-pointed needles are tapered at both ends nearly to points. They are normally used in sets of four or five as depicted in a number of 14th century oil paintings, typically called Knitting Madonnas, depicting Mary knitting with double-pointed needles (Rutt, 2003). Typical 21st century double-pointed needles range from about 4 in. to 15 in. in length. Shorter needles are used for knitting socks and the fingers of gloves. Longer needles are used for nearly all other work, including sweaters, shawls and blankets. TUBE (チューブ; chūbu) is a Japanese popular music group. ... Ladies wearing stockings with suspenders A stocking is a close-fitting, variously elastic garment covering the foot and lower part of the leg, but usually not intended to conceal the leg. ... A jumper from Marks & Spencer A sweater, pullover, jumper or jersey is a relatively heavy garment intended to cover the torso and arms of the human body (though in some cases sweaters are made for dogs and occasionally other animals) and typically supposed to go over a shirt, blouse, t... This 14th-century statue from south India depicts the gods Shiva (on the left) and Uma (on the right). ... Saint Mary and Saint Mary the Virgin both redirect here. ... The 21st century is the present century of the Gregorian calendar. ... Ladies wearing stockings with suspenders A stocking is a close-fitting, variously elastic garment covering the foot and lower part of the leg, but usually not intended to conceal the leg. ... A glove (Middle English from Old English glof) is a type of garment which covers the hand. ... The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ... A bed covered by a blanket A painting by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec of two people under a blanket A blanket is a type of bedding, generally a large, rectangular piece of cloth, intended to keep the user warm, especially while they sleep. ...

Interchangeable circular knitting needle system

Both tubular and flat knitting is also done on circular needles, today consisting of two pointed needles joined together by a flexible wire or length of nylon. Some manufacturers sell the two needles and the joining length of nylon separately. Different authorities, however, disagree on whether the needles should be thought of as a single needle or pair. Mary Thomas (1938) and June Hemmons Hiatt (1988) both imply that a circular needle (note the singular) consists of a pair needles (note the plural). Richard Rutt (2003), however, calls a circular needle (note the singular) a double-pointed needle (singular again), and so considers it a single needle. In any case, the two ends are used exactly like two needles, in the sense that the knitter holds one in each hand and knits as if having two. The advantages of using circular needles are that the weight of the fabric is more evenly distributed and therefore, less taxing on the arms and wrists of the knitter, and also that there is more maneuverability of the fabric and needles without fear of the needles falling out, an occasional occurrence when using double-pointed needles. A technique that has become popular for knitting tubes is using two circular needles, instead of four or five double-pointed needles. This technique has been evolved further, and now, many people are knitting two socks, sleeves, or matching items at the same time on circular needles. It is said that this technique helps alleviate difficulties when completing the first of a matching pair of items, then having to duplicate it later on. Image File history File links Interchangeable_Needle_System. ... Image File history File links Interchangeable_Needle_System. ...

Cable needles are used in conjunction with straight and circular needles to create cables.

Antique knitting needles were made from tortoise shell, ivory and walrus tusks; these materials are now banned and these needles are virtually impossible to find. Modern knitting needles are made of bamboo, aluminum, steel, wood, plastic, glass and casein. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Diversity Around 91 genera and 1,000 species Subtribes Arthrostylidiinae Arundinariinae Bambusinae Chusqueinae Guaduinae Melocanninae Nastinae Racemobambodinae Shibataeinae See the full Taxonomy of the Bambuseae. ... Aluminum is a soft and lightweight metal with a dull silvery appearance, due to a thin layer of oxidation that forms quickly when it is exposed to air. ... The old steel cable of a colliery winding tower Steel is a metal alloy whose major component is iron, with carbon content between 0. ... A tree trunk as found at the Veluwe, The Netherlands Wood is derived from woody plants, notably trees but also shrubs. ... Plastic covers a range of synthetic or semisynthetic polymerization products. ... Glass can be made transparent and flat, or into other shapes and colors as shown in this ball from the Verrerie of Brehat in Brittany. ... Casein is the predominant phosphoprotein found in fresh milk and also in cheese. ...

Needle storage

Knitting needle case for straight needles

A tall, cylindrical container with padding on the bottom to keep the points sharp can store straight needles neatly. Fabric or plastic cases similar to cosmetic bags or a chef's knife bag allow straight needles to be stored together but separate, rolled up to maximize space. Circular needles can also be stored this way but are better kept dangling on a hanger device like the Circular Solution so the cables do not get wound up. If nylon or plastic circular needles are coiled tightly when in storage, it may be necessary to soak them in hot water for a few minutes to get them to uncoil and relax for ease of use. Image File history File links Skulls_and_Roses_2. ... Image File history File links Skulls_and_Roses_2. ...

Needle Gauge

A needle gauge makes it possible to determine the size of a knitting needle. Some may also be used to gauge the size of crochet hooks. Most needles come with the size written on the needle, but many needles (like double-pointed needles) tend not to be labeled. Also, with use and time, the label often wears off. A crochet hook is a type of needle, usually with a hook at one end, used to draw thread through knotted loops. ...

Needle gauges can be made of any material, but are often made of metal and plastic. They tend to be about 3 by 5 inches. There are holes of various sizes through which the needles are passed to determine which hole they fit best, and often a ruler along the edge for determining the gauge of a sample.

Needle sizes and conversions

The International System of Units (symbol: SI) (for the French phrase Syst me International dUnit s) is the most widely used system of units. ... United States is the current Good Article Collaboration of the week! Please help to improve this article to the highest of standards. ...

Other uses

Before the legalization of abortion, knitting needles were in some countries notoriously used to perform illegal abortions. Advocates of legalized abortion sometimes use the phrase "knitting needle abortions" to emphasize that when the procedure is illegal, some resort to desperate and dangerous measures.

Controversy

Knitting needles were, for a short while, banned from US and international commercial flights, being perceived by some as potential weapons after the September 11, 2001 attack on the World Trade Center and The Pentagon. Eventually, the US Transportation Security Administration, or TSA , created after the attacks, began to list knitting needles amongst the permitted items in its list of "Permitted and Prohibited Items". However, some airlines, such as Air Italia, continue to prohibit knitting needles on their planes. The bayonet is used as both knife and spear. ... The World Trade Center on fire The September 11, 2001 attacks were a series of coordinated terrorist attacks against the United States on September 11, 2001. ... 1 World Trade Center redirects here. ... The Pentagon is the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense, located at 48 N. Rotary Road, Arlington, Virginia 22211 (Map). ... The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) was created as part of the Aviation and Transportation Security Act passed by the U.S. Congress and signed into law by President George W. Bush on November 19, 2001. ...

References

• Thomas, Mary. (1938). Mary Thomas's Knitting Book. Dover Publications. New York. (1972 Reprint Edition ISBN 0-486-22817-7)
• Rutt, Richard (2003). A history of handknitting. Interweave Press, Loveland, CO. (Reprint Edition ISBN 1-931-49937-3)
• Hiatt, June Hemmons. (1988). The principles of knitting: Methods and techniques of hand knitting. Simon and Schuster, New York.

External links

• Choosing Knitting Needles
• Knitting history, free patterns and forums
• Paradise Fibers-Online retailer of knitting needles