Things to know about Bamboo Yarns (by Yarn Cloud)

I would like to take a few minutes to discuss some of the features of bamboo yarns. If you are asking how can panda food become a yarn you may find some answers right here.  

Bamboo was introduced to the world of hand knitting yarns only a few years ago. It is an excellent choice when it comes to protection of our environment since 100% bamboo is biodegradable and made out of renewable resources. Bamboo can be harvested without destroying the plant and takes a fairly short time to renew. 

I know we all care about our planet but you are probably anxious to hear about the things this fiber can do for you as a crafter. Bamboo is naturally antibacterial and antimicrobial, it can protect from UV rays and was proven to cool body temperature while worn as a garment. Yarn Cloud Bamboo has also earned the European certification of suitability for use in products intended for babies under the age of 3.

Fabric knitted from bamboo has a great drape, looks silky and can be very soft. It looks somewhat like silk or mercerized cotton but it’s quite different from both. One thing to consider when knitting with bamboo is that it can be fairly heavy so afghans made out of worsted weight 100% bamboo while gorgeous will be quite handful.  If you choose to knit a large project from bamboo use rather circular needles since you can rest your work in your lap which puts less strain on your hands and wrist. Small projects from light weight bamboo should not be much different than knitting with any  viscose based yarn.

Some knitters mentioned that bamboo may have the tendency to split while knitting. This is due to a fact it does not have great coherence in its regular spun varieties. The splitting factor is also affected by needles used. We have noticed that when knitted with blunter tip needles made out of bamboo or rosewood the splitting is significantly reduced.

Bamboo has a great absorbing features which may be positive and negative as well. Due to high absorption bamboo when washed has tendency to swell  and takes a long time to air dry. It’s generally recommended to hand wash and air dry projects from bamboo. We have tested our yarns for machine washing and machine drying and we found no problem with neither when done with proper care. Our yarns can be washed on delicate settings on low temperature and tumble dry on low heat. Make sure to check for color fastness first. While generally Yarn Cloud yarns are very color stable some colors may bleed especially when washed for the first time.

I would like to let you know a bit more about Yarn Cloud Bamboo Yarns.

Our yarn comes in 3 different weights (light, worsted and bulky) and 5 different  varieties.

Regular Bamboo is 5 ply and considered light weight. It is great choice for lace scarves, shawls, christening gowns and light garments where drape is desired. Suitable for knitting, crochet and weaving.

Bamboo Magic Waves is a 10 ply variety which is worsted weight and top choice for dishcloths, baby washcloths, baby blankets, toys and apparel. Suitable for knitting, crochet and weaving. This yarn can be used for some Plastic Canvas Projects as well.

Bamboo Soft Spell is our thinner chainette in worsted weight and when knitted it remains more flexible while still keeps it’s beautiful drape. Due to this fact it is better suitable for sweaters and apparel. Suitable for knitting and crochet.

Bamboo Charmed is our thickest bamboo yarn great for totes, handbags, bath mats, rugs and other projects. Suitable for knitting and crochet.

Bamboo Elegant is a 5 ply light weight blended with cotton boucle strand and its general use is similar to our regular Bamboo. Suitable for knitting, crochet and weaving.

The important thing when knitting or crocheting with Bamboo is to chose the right yarn and right project. As I’ve said before Bamboo has a great drape but this may be a problem when looking for close knitted tank top. Soft Spell may be better suitable for that kind of project. If you are not sure you can always ask us a question before you start to prevent any frustration later. We all know how much we hate to unravel!

Some gorgeous products made out of Yarn Cloud Bamboo can be found on Ravelry and we are working on creating customer showcase on our site very soon.

If you have any questions about Bamboo you can always e-mail me at romana.graham@yarncloud.com and I’ll do my best to get you your answer.

At last I would like to mention that in order to support the use of environmentally friendly fibers we have started Yarn Cloud Bamboo Club which offers its members everyday 25% off on the whole line of our Bamboo yarns and several other discounts in other categories. It also offers occasional coupons for even more savings. For more info please visit https://www.yarncloud.com/BambooClub.html.

Romana C Graham

Founder and President of Yarn Cloud

Knit Like a Man – The Long-Tail Cast On (video)

How to knit a scarf (video)

In this video, we’ll show you how to knit a garter stitch scarf using bulky weight yarn. This is a good project for knitters who are just beginning. A scarf is a simple initial project, besides the infamous dish cloth, we encourage you to try if you’re starting out. A scarf is also something you can give as a gift. Give it a try.

Knit, then Purl, then back again (by Robyn Devine)

Just learning to knit, and feel overwhelmed by patterns that tell you to do such things ask “kfb”, “m1” and more? I remember the feeling well – I still sometimes have it!
But have no fear, beginner knitters.

There are plenty of patterns that call for no more knitting knowledge than casting on, binding off, knitting and purling. And with those few skills under your belt, you can make many a knitted item – possibly something handmade for the holidays?!

From scarves to hats (yes, hats!), from baby items to those for adults, and even a few for your home – here’s some of my favorite ‘easy peasy’ patterns for you to try!

Entwined - this great pattern gives you a scarf and hand warmers all in one!

Rockstar Scarf – easy peasy, all knit stitch, this scarf gets it’s drama from the variety of yarns used.

Waffle Stitch Dishcloth – looks harder than it is! This dishcloth uses only knits and purls to give it a great texture.

The Squidge Cloth – another one where the pattern is all knits and purls, I use this dish cloth all the time!

Calorimetry – looks so much harder than it is. Short rows are a new skill to be sure, but again, just knits and purls and you’ve got a great cold-weather headband!

Drops Headband – another great headband, this time ribbed.

Flat Hat – this is a great go-to pattern for flat-knit hats. You just knit up a big square and gather the top, and you’ve got a hat! Perfect for donation hats!

Baby Surprise Jacket – really Robyn? Yes, really. This jacket is knit flat, with knits, purls and bind-offs and then suddenly? You have a jacket! (Ravelry link)

Baby Bib O’Love – from Mason-Dixon Knitting, this bib is the perfect gift for any baby shower. (Ravelry link)

How to Knit on Circular Needles (video)

An easy, up close, demonstration of how to knit on circular needles by Judy Graham, Knitter to the Stars, who’s knits have appeared in movies, TV, and concerts for over 30 years and who has been hand knitting for over 50 years.

The World’s Longest Scarf

Celebrate the U.N. International Year of Natural Fibres by helping raise $250,000 for Heifer International to build the world’s largest fiber flock. 

Join in the fun of knitting the World’s Longest Scarf while helping raise money to fight poverty around the world. As part of the celebration of the International Year of Natural Fibers, Keep the Fleece in partnership with Heifer International is helping to organize teams around the world to knit sections of the World’s Longest Scarf that will all be joined together at the New York Sheep & Wool Festival Oct. 17-18, 2009.

During September and early October, The Woolpack will keep two scarves going, one knit and one crochet.  We will donate all the yarn for the scarf.  When you visit the shop, please consider working a row or two and adding your dollar(s) to our collection. We will be looking for volunteers to serve as our delegation to deliver them to the NY Sheep and Wool Festival for a formal presentation.  Our team, The Woolpack Woolly Wonders is register on the www.keepthefleece.org website.

Keep the Fleece’s goal is to raise $250,000.00 that Heifer International will use to donate fleece-bearing animals of all kinds to needy families all around the world.  Heifer not only donates the animals, but provides the necessary training so that the families can nurture and grow their herds and become self-sufficient.  (For more information about Heifer, please visit their website, www.heifer.org.

Everyone who participates is asked to consider a donation of $1.00 per row knitted/crocheted or  $10.00 per inch woven/felted.  Keep the Fleece will collect the donations from the teams and pass it on to Heifer.  Keep the Fleece is registered as a 501-c-3 charitable organization, and as such, contributions should be tax deductible.

Scarves must be 9 inches wide and each row of the scarf represents a $1 donation to Heifer.  Team members can donate the money themselves or raise money from other. A donation of $120 is enough to buy one sheep at Heifer International, so at $10 per inch, a 5-foot scarf represents 5 sheep.  It’s that easy to help ensure the sustainability of the fiber industry and the lives of those who are in greatest need.

Yarn Addiction (by The Woolpack)

What’s so addictive about yarn? Everything – With so many choices and uses, it’s the perfect collectible.

Yarns today are being made from so many fibers-natural and synthetic.  Natural fibers include sheep, llama, goats, buffalo, alpaca, angora, musk ox, possum, cotton, silk, corn, soy, bamboo, and milk fibers.

Our yarn supply is a truly global economy:  Italy, Australia, South America, Turkey, China, USA.  Many US distributors work with small cooperatives in developing countries helping regions to become self-sustaining. 

Today’s synthetic fibers like  modal, viscose, tencel, courtelle,  nylon, and acrylic are spun using high tech spinning equipment to produce yarns far removed from the acrylic yarns of the 50’s and 60’s.  Many acrylics feel like natural fibers and are wonderful to knit with.

Hand spinners are turning out artful yarns in small quantities and hand dyers produce rich, deep or delicate colors using many natural fibers as their canvas.

You can knit, crochet, weave, felt, embellish and craft with yarns.  You can put them in a basket like a bouquet of flowers and just admire them. 

Yarns are spun finer than human hair and as thick as your finger.  Yarns can be a single strand or ply and many plies twisted together.  Sometime they are even constructed of plies of plies twisted clockwise and counterclockwise (for a Z twist or an S twist). Some are smooth while others are highly textured.

You can make a collection of yarn from a particular designer, fiber, color, gauge, or even collect yarns as a souvenir from your travels.  You can swap yarn like trading cards, buy on ebay and yard sales or make donations to worthy causes.

People buy yarn who have no earthly idea what they are going to do with it, some don’t even knit or crochet.  They are seduced by the color, the feel.  It might remind them of a place or a person.  The texture might be soothing and calming to the touch.  The colors may brighten your spirits.  You just know that if you don’t buy this yarn, it may not be there the next visit.  That if you don’t buy this yarn, you will think about it for days.  That life is full of regrets and this shouldn’t be one of them.

What’s the best-kept secret of entrelac? (by Ina Gilmore)

The first time I saw a picture of entrelac, I knew I would try it. You see, baskets intrigue me.  Mostly I like to fill them with necessities: like my yarn stash.  I suspect I’ve always wanted to make some, but haven’t found the time or the space. So, I do the next best thing: I knit.

When I found the basket weave cable, I thought that was the best I could do. Little did I know entrelac was waiting for me to discover.

Basically, it’s knitting short rows on the diagonal to form tiers of rectangles and triangles that appear to weave in and out like a woven basket. This effect is strongest with stockinette stitch, although entrelac can also be made in garter stitch.

 

After making entrelac several times, what are some of my favorite secrets? 

1. With stockinette entrelac, the front and back are even more pronounced than regular stockinette stitch. This is true especially if you change colors.  If you’re like me, and like both sides of your scarf to look like a right side, you may not want to make a scarf by changing colors.
2. On the other hand, garter entrelac is reversible. Which makes it nice for a first attempt. You may want to try knitting a small project like a dishcloth, as in this pattern called Garterlac. 
   

   Garterlac Dishcloth

    

3. Cast on loosely. There are a variety of ways to do this, and all seem about the same to many experts. My personal favorite is casting on with a crochet hook and adding an extra chain betwee n the stitches. Laura provides knitting instructions for her technique.  
4. Entrelac is great practice for short rows. So what? Well, short rows are needed for turning a heel, and can be inserted to customize a fit around a curve. You know, like for rounded shoulders or an ample bosom.
5. Alternating between two colors on the tiers in stockinette entrelac really makes the three dimensional aspect of the pattern “pop.”
6. After a while, the stitch becomes automatic. With this, you may find yourself forgetting whether you’re on the front or back, and may even knit a few stitches or blocks in the wrong direction. 
7. Entrelac is a great technique to practice knitting backwards also. Instead of turning each short row and purling. In stockinette entrelac, you can knit backwards the purl rows from the right side. This saves turning your work, which often is an advantage if your project is large. Or maybe you just want to practice knitting backwards.

 And then there are the ultimate secrets of entrelac: It’s not as hard as it looks and it’s addicting!

Ina Gilmore learned to knit as a child.  She enjoys sharing her knitting adventures, tips and techniques. You can find her online at her knitting blog The Knitting Yarn.  You can follow her updates on Twitter at www.twitter.com/theknittingyarn.  You can also find her on Ravelry as theknittingyarn.

Introduction to Spinning, Part 2 (video)

Relax and Enjoy the Spin! (by fireflysummer)

Hi All,

I have been a knitter & crocheter for about 32 years now, taught like most, by my grandmother when I was a child.  I love anything craft related and now my new passion is fibre. Spinning and dyeing my own yarn to use for projects is so satisfying.  I live on the east coast of Australia. I am a nurse by trade but have decided to be a stay at home mum to nurture my family while they grow.   I had decided that I wanted to spin my own yarn, but due to a lack of fundage, my options were limited.

I had heard about a craft Exhibition that was on at my local community centre and that the local weaving and spinning group would be there demonstrating. So I went along to have a look.  I chatted with the ladies while they spun away with such ease and expressed my wish to one day have my own spinning wheel. One of the ladies took me by the hand and said “there is a wheel inside for sale, it’s a great buy”.  Well…. I came home with a sheepish look on my face and said to my DH, “Darling, guess what I just bought”.

I got my first wheel. A traditional Ashford 1982, a Lazy Kate, 9 bobbins, a pair of hand carders, some Chinook and a few craft books all for AU$100. A real bargain. Apart from needing a new string and a little oil she is in perfect condition.  Ok. Now that I had my wheel I needed to learn how to use it. While I was at the Craft exhibition I had grabbed a flyer for the Spinning and Weaving groups’ Annual Exhibition and fashion parade that was about 6 weeks away.

So I grabbed all the books I could find on ebay that fit my very very slim budget and read and read. All the time counting the days until the groups exhibition and meeting. I was so eager to join the group and start absorbing information from a collective knowledge of over 500 years on spinning. 

It wasn’t to be. I came home with my hopes of joining quite squished because there was a waiting list of 9 people already waiting to join the group.  What was I to do.  The books covered a lot, but there were a lot of grey areas and some things were not covered at all. Being a visual person I learn much better from watching, so I decided to consult the “Oracle” (Internet) in particular YouTube (www.youtube.com).  YouTube is a massive craft education resource. Wow.  I did have to filter through many videos that were not very good to find the gems.

Firstly I found Sue Macniven’s (http://www.youtube.com/user/chicksinrubber) video that explained all the different parts of the spinning wheel.  Then I came across the New Voyage Videos (http://www.youtube.com/user/NewVoyagerVideo). Tim has a three part series on spinning wheel maintenance, where I learnt how to take care of my wheel and keep it running at it’s best.  With the technical stuff on board I headed back to Sue’s videos to learn about carding, combing and some spinning basics. Sue is a great teacher to listen too, she explains things very clearly and thoroughly.  

Another video maker that I found and really enjoyed was Rexenne (http://www.youtube.com/user/rexenne). This lady has a very, in her own words “dorky” approach. I love watching these videos, especially if I have a had a crappy day. Rexenne’s approach is light and heaps of fun and a little crazy, which I can relate to well.  Rexenne taught me probably the most important lesson so far in my learning experience. Relax and enjoy, everything does not need to be perfect.

I really loved the fact that if I needed to watch a video 200 times for it to sink in, I was the only one that knew it. I was able to feel really comfortable in my own home, mind you my kids did tell me I was a sight, set up in front of the computer with the spinning wheel doing as I watched. But hey, it really worked.  Perfection will come with practice.  I was still a little stressed about getting my yarn to be a perfect 5ply or what ever ply I wanted. Then I realised that my knobbly, loopy, lumpy yarn resembled the “fancy fibres” being sold in yarn stores.  It was then I really relaxed and started enjoying the whole process.  

The moral of the story is do not be hard on your self and try for perfection with your first yarn, enjoy it. Be open to learning via different methods. Explore the Internet, there are so many talented people out there to learn from.  We have school holidays here Down Under, and I have spent the first week of the holidays with my 3 kiddlies Master 11, Miss 6 and Miss 4 along with my niece Miss 8 dyeing mohair the kid safe way.  I am writing an article to follow this one with pictures and advice on dyeing yarn. So keep your eyes peeled.

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