On yarn-related things

This week, I encountered a challenge.  For the first time in a very long time, I was completely befuddled by something yarn-related.  We were learning bead crochet in math, and I couldn't figure out what I was doing wrong.  It turned out to be a completely simple thing - one half-step that's completely obvious now I look at it.

A second thing yarn-related happened this week: at Classics Tea this afternoon, a retired history professor told me that one of his former assignments was to give students a piece of yarn and told them to invent knitting.  Since I don't like doing more research than I have to, I'm just going to explain Ten Things I Know About Yarn and Related Items Off The Top of my Head.

1. Both knitting and crocheting are basically a series of loops.  The main difference is that knitting has two anchors with a whole bunch of loops, whereas crocheting has one anchor and the work can be more free-standing.
2. Knitting and crocheting are not the exact same thing.  That being said, it is perfectly possible to be able to do both, as well as any other yarn-thing you put your mind to (and life stuff, too).
3. Apparently, cotton was one of the earliest knitting yarns.
4. Nowadays, if you can spin it, you can make a yarn out of it.  This includes angora rabbits, silk, and yak fur.
5. Yarn comes in different weights, ranging from lace or fingerling weight to bulky.  Worsted is the most commonly seen weight, especially for beginners, since it's right in the middle, and it's easy to learn how to work with.
6. That being said, there's not really a One True Yarn Weight for All of Knitting.  You can use lace weight for a vest, for example (that's a project I have at home).  I wouldn't recommend using bulky for socks, but I guess you could.
7. The bigger the number on the needle or hook, the bigger the loop is going to be.
8. Bigger numbers are better suited for bigger yarns.  You could theoretically use a bulky weight on size 0 needles, but you really don't want to.  You might break the needle and you'll probably give yourself a headache.
9.  Some of the oldest knitting was found in an Egyptian tomb from around 3 AD.  This wasn't really knitting, though - it was a lot of knots. The word for knitting apparently came from a very old word in the 1400s that means 'knot.'
10. Apparently some of the oldest knit socks known to humankind, from 11th century Egypt, involved some complicated colorworking.  This means that the proper two-needle knitting comes from earlier than that - complicated colorworking doesn't just happen overnight.


Soooo there's my list.  See you on Monday!