| FAQS |
Can
I put my knitting down in the middle of a row?
Always try to finish your
current row before putting your knitting down. It’s easy
to forget what your next stitch should be or for stitches to
fall off your needles.
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My
needles are old and bent; can I still use them?
Damaged or bent needles
are the main cause of uneven knitting. Discard and
replace damaged needles if you can. If you haven’t
used plastic needles for a while, dip them in warm
water for 10 to 15 minuets, this will hydrate them
and stops them breaking.
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If
I make a mistake can I unwind and re-use the yarn?
Yes, but sometimes
especially with natural fibre yarn, reused yarn will
take on a crinkled or crimped appearance. If this happens
you can lightly steam or rinse the yarn (if washable).
Simply wind the yarn around a large book or chair back
in 20cm or greater intervals, then lightly steam with
an iron (do not press or touch the yarn with the iron).
If rinsing, just dunk in warm water, squeeze out excess
water and dry flat on a clean towel. Let the yarn rest
until dry and it should be ready for knitting.
Fancy yarns can be difficult to un pick, but if patient this can be achieved.
Re ball the yarn after unpicking and re knit.
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Why
does the pattern say to work from 2 balls?
When
yarns have variations in texture
or colour, working from 2 balls 2
rows from one ball, then 2 rows from
the other ball (reduces unwanted
regularities. e.g. Colour in printed
yarn and thick and thin textures.)
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I knit a solid coloured garment using only one dye lot?
Matching the dye lot number is very important
especially in one colour knitting, any change of dye lot will
be visible in the finished garment.
- A very important tip for your customers
when they are at the cash register. Please recommend that
they keep their ball bands until they have finished their
project. If there is a problem with the dye lot, or yarn
quality the help-line staff at Australian Country Spinners
will ask for the yarn type, colour and dye lot. Our Laboratory
can track back through every process of a dye lot. They keep
a reference sample of every dye lot in case of quality issues.
This is part of the Patons, Cleckheaton and Panda product
support we offer to you and your customers.
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Can
I change yarns from pattern to pattern?
It’s highly
irresponsible for a retailer to recommend the use
of a yarn not specified by the publication and
or pattern. We at Australian Country Spinners take
responsibility for our patterns and yarns and offer
a help line for each brand, as well as web site
communication.
We will speak to your staff or directly with your retail customers to
solve any problems or if necessary replace yarn.
- The problem – Patterns are
written to a tension. Width = number of stitches to a measurement,
Length = number of rows to a measurement. Both of these
must match for the garment
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I
have found a knot in my ball of yarn what should I do?
Due to the process
of yarn spinning and balling knots do occur. We at
Australian Country Spinners do not expect to see more
than one knot to any ball.
Never knit a knot into your row. Always unpick back to the beginning of
the row, cut and join the yarn at the start of the row and continue knitting.
This applies to starting a new ball as well.
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If
I’m a loose knitter should I go up or down a needle size?
First check your tension
for each and every project.You need your stitches to
be smaller if you are loose, so go to a smaller needle.
If you where a tight knitter your stitches are too
small, so you need to go to a larger needle.
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Can
I use any 8Ply with an 8Ply pattern?
Yes,
but check your tension as a safeguard
against incorrect garment sizes.
Also the quantity of required balls
for a project will vary as the meterage
of different types of 8 Ply will
differ. E.g. Colour 4 me 8Ply meterage
= 90– Acrylic
8ply meterage = 100.
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Should
I use yarn from the outside or inside of the ball?
It depends on the yarn – Many
yarns can be knitted from either and some yarns will
tangle and knot if worked from the inside. Some yarns
will change tension when worked with or against the
pile (the direction the fibres lie along the yarn).
With textured or long pile yarn, it is important to
knit from the same direction for the whole garment.
Most patterns will have direction for this.
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What
is a dye lot?
When yarn is spun, it is usually
in a natural colour (natural fibres) or white (man made fibres),
e.g. wool is cream.
To dye this yarn into our various shades it goes into a huge metal vat,
(like a huge pressure cooker).
The amount of yarn that goes in depends
on the size of the vat.
At Australian Country Spinners, we have small medium & large vats.
We sells lots of Black, Navy and White yarn, so these go into the large
vats. Seasonal fashion colours like Lime or Orange sell less in quantity,
so these go into a smaller vat.
However if suddenly everyone wants lime green then we quickly do more small
vat lots, or a large vat lot to meet the demand.
All of the coloured yarn in each vat, dyed at the same time is issued a
number; this is the dye lot number. Each new lot of yarn is issued a new
dye lot number. This changing number is located on the ball band.
e.g. Colour 4 me Shade 4952 lime green – dye
lot 70224
Dyeing is like cooking a cake – with
ingredients, where any slight variation will give a slightly different
result
e.g. Lime green recipe is
- Quantity Yellow
- Quantity Blue
- Quantity Water
- Heat Temperature
- Length of Time
So many elements go in – and any slight
variation results in a slight variation in the finished colour.
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Do
I have to knit a tension square?
We recommend that knitters
always knit a tension square. Even expert knitters
aren’t expert in knitting all yarns and can expect
variance in tension from yarn to yarn. This will impact
on the finished project.
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What
yarn should I use to sew up a garment?
Generally you should
use whatever yarn you have used to knit the garment.
If you have knitted a fancy yarn and are finding it
difficult to sew using it, use a plain yarn (see page
7) in a matching shade to sew up your garment.
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