Editing Knitting (section)

===Yarn===
{{main|Yarn}}
[[Image:Yarn hank uncoiled.png|thumb|A hank of wool yarn (center) is uncoiled into its basic loop. A tie is visible at the left; after untying, the hank may be wound into a ball or balls suitable for knitting. Knitting from a normal hank directly is likely to tangle the yarn, producing snarls.]]

Yarn for hand-knitting is usually sold as balls or skeins (hanks), and it may also be wound on spools or cones.  Skeins and balls are generally sold with a ''yarn-band'', a label that describes the yarn's [[YarnWeight|weight]], length, dye lot, fiber content, washing instructions, suggested needle size, likely gauge/tension, etc.  It is common practice to save the yarn band for future reference, especially if additional skeins must be purchased.  Knitters generally ensure that the yarn for a project comes from a single dye lot.  The dye lot specifies a group of skeins that were dyed together and thus have precisely the same color; skeins from different dye-lots, even if very similar in color, are usually slightly different and may produce a visible horizontal stripe when knitted together.  If a knitter buys insufficient yarn of a single dye lot to complete a project, additional skeins of the same dye lot can sometimes be obtained from other yarn stores or online. Otherwise, knitters can alternate skeins every few rows to help the dye lots blend together easier.

The thickness or [[YarnWeight|weight]] of the yarn is a significant factor in determining the gauge/tension, i.e., how many stitches and rows are required to cover a given area for a given stitch pattern.  Thicker yarns generally require thicker knitting needles, whereas thinner yarns may be knit with thick or thin needles.  Hence, thicker yarns generally require fewer stitches, and therefore less time, to knit up a given garment.  Patterns and motifs are coarser with thicker yarns; thicker yarns produce bold visual effects, whereas thinner yarns are best for refined patterns.  Yarns are grouped by thickness into the following categories: lace, superfine (fingering or sock), fine (sport), light (double knit or DK), medium (worsted and aran), bulky, superbulky, and jumbo;<ref name="stoller">{{cite book |last1=Stoller |first1=Debbie |title=Stitch 'n Bitch: the Knitter's Handbook |date=2012 |publisher=Workman Publishing Company |isbn=9780761174950 |page=18}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Yarn Standards |url=https://www.craftyarncouncil.com/standards/yarn-weight-system |website=Craft Yarn Council |access-date=18 December 2024}}</ref> quantitatively, thickness is measured by the number of wraps per inch (WPI).  In the British Commonwealth (outside North America) yarns are measured as 1ply, 2ply, 3ply, 4ply, 5ply, 8ply (or double knit),10ply and 12ply (triple knit). The related ''weight per unit length''  is usually measured in [[Units of textile measurement|tex or denier]].

[[Image:Yarn hank and ball.png|thumb|left|Transformation of a hank of lavender silk yarn (top) into a ball in which the knitting yarn emerges from the center (bottom). The latter is better for knitting, since the yarn is much less likely to tangle.]]
Before knitting, the knitter will typically transform a hank/skein into a ball where the yarn emerges from the center of the ball; this making the knitting easier by preventing the yarn from becoming easily tangled. This transformation may be done by hand, or with a device known as a ballwinder.  When knitting, some knitters enclose their balls in jars to keep them clean and untangled with other yarns; the free yarn passes through a small hole in the jar-lid.

A yarn's usefulness for a knitting project is judged by several factors, such as its ''loft'' (its ability to trap air), its ''resilience'' (elasticity under tension), its [[laundry|washability]] and colorfastness, its ''hand'' (its feel, particularly softness vs. scratchiness), its durability against abrasion, its resistance to [[pill (textile)|pilling]], its ''hairiness'' (fuzziness), its tendency to twist or untwist, its overall weight and drape, its blocking and felting qualities, its comfort (breathability, moisture absorption, wicking properties) and of course its look, which includes its color, sheen, smoothness and ornamental features.  Other factors include allergenicity; speed of drying; resistance to chemicals, moths, and mildew; melting point and flammability; retention of static electricity; and the propensity to become stained and to accept dyes.  Different factors may be more significant than others for different knitting projects, so there is no one "best" yarn.  The resilience and propensity to (un)twist are general properties that affect the ease of hand-knitting.  More resilient yarns are more forgiving of irregularities in [[gauge (knitting)|tension]]; highly twisted yarns are sometimes difficult to knit, whereas untwisting yarns can lead to split stitches, in which not all the yarn is knitted into a stitch.  A key factor in knitting is ''stitch definition'',  corresponding to how well complicated stitch patterns can be seen when made from a given yarn.  Smooth, highly spun yarns are best for showing off stitch patterns; at the other extreme, very fuzzy yarns or eyelash yarns have poor stitch definition, and any complicated stitch pattern would be invisible.

[[File:Yarn twist S-Left Z-Right.png|thumb|upright|right|The two possible twists of yarn]]

Although knitting may be done with ribbons, metal wire or more exotic filaments, most yarns are made by [[spinning (textiles)|spinning]] fibers.  In spinning, the fibers are twisted so that the yarn resists breaking under tension; the twisting may be done in either direction, resulting in a Z-twist or S-twist yarn.  If the fibers are first aligned by combing them, the yarn is smoother and called a ''worsted''; by contrast, if the fibers are carded but not combed, the yarn is fuzzier and called ''woolen-spun''.  The fibers making up a yarn may be continuous ''filament'' fibers such as [[silk]] and many synthetics, or they may be ''[[staple (wool)|staples]]'' (fibers of an average length, typically a few inches); naturally filament fibers are sometimes cut up into staples before spinning.  The strength of the spun yarn against breaking is determined by the amount of twist, the length of the fibers and the thickness of the yarn.  In general, yarns become stronger with more twist (also called ''worst''), longer fibers and thicker yarns (more fibers); for example, thinner yarns require more twist than do thicker yarns to resist breaking under tension.  The thickness of the yarn may vary along its length; a ''[[slub (textiles)|slub]]'' is a much thicker section in which a mass of fibers is incorporated into the yarn.

The spun fibers are generally divided into [[animal fiber]]s, plant and [[synthetic fiber]]s.  These fiber types are chemically different, corresponding to [[protein]]s, [[carbohydrate]]s and synthetic [[polymer]]s, respectively.  Animal fibers include [[silk]], but generally are long hairs of animals such as [[sheep]] ([[wool]]), [[goat]] ([[angora goat|angora]], or [[cashmere goat]]), [[rabbit]] ([[angora rabbit|angora]]), [[llama]], [[alpaca]], [[dog]], [[cat]], [[camel]], [[yak]], and [[muskox]] ([[qiviut]]).  Plants used for fibers include [[cotton]], [[flax]] (for [[linen]]), [[bamboo]], [[ramie]], [[hemp]], [[jute]], [[Urtica dioica|nettle]], [[raffia]], [[yucca]], [[coconut]] husk, [[banana]] fiber, [[soy]] and [[Maize|corn]].  [[Rayon]] and [[cellulose acetate|acetate]] fibers are also produced from [[cellulose]] mainly derived from [[tree]]s.  Common synthetic fibers include [[acrylic fiber|acrylic]]s,<ref>{{cite book | last = Masson | first = James | title = Acrylic Fiber Technology and Applications | publisher = Marcel Dekker, Inc | year = 1995 | location = New York  | page = 172 | isbn = 0-8247-8977-6 }}</ref> [[polyester]]s such as [[polyethylene terephthalate|dacron]] and [[ingeo]], [[nylon]] and other polyamides, and [[olefin]]s such as [[polypropylene]].  Of these types, wool is generally favored for knitting, chiefly owing to its superior [[Elasticity (physics)|elasticity]], warmth and (sometimes) [[felt]]ing.  It is also common to blend different fibers in the yarn, e.g., 85% alpaca and 15% silk.  Even within a type of fiber, there can be great variety in the length and thickness of the fibers; for example, [[Merino]] wool and [[Gossypium barbadense|Egyptian cotton]] are favored because they produce exceptionally long, thin (fine) fibers for their type.

A single spun yarn may be knitted as is, or [[braid]]ed or [[plying|plied]] with another.  In plying, two or more yarns are spun together, almost always in the opposite sense from which they were spun individually; for example, two Z-twist yarns are usually plied with an S-twist.  The opposing twist relieves some of the yarns' tendency to curl up and produces a thicker, ''balanced'' yarn.  Plied yarns may themselves be plied together, producing ''cabled yarns'' or ''multi-stranded yarns''.  Sometimes, the yarns being plied are fed at different rates, so that one yarn loops around the other, as in [[bouclé]].  The single yarns may be dyed separately before plying, or afterwards to give the yarn a uniform look.

The [[dyeing]] of yarns is a complex art that has a long history.  However, yarns need not be dyed.  They may be dyed just one color, or a great variety of colors.  Dyeing may be done industrially, by hand or even hand-painted onto the yarn.  A great variety of synthetic dyes have been developed since the synthesis of [[indigo dye]] in the mid-19th century; however, [[natural dye]]s are also possible, although they are generally less brilliant.  The color-scheme of a yarn is sometimes called its [[colorway]].  Variegated yarns can produce interesting visual effects, such as diagonal stripes; conversely, a variegated yarn may obscure a detailed knitting design, such as a cable or lace pattern.