Why Stitches Look "Weird" -- It's Not You, It's the Yarn! // Technique Tuesday
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- Опубліковано 25 лип 2024
- This video explains why some yarns create stockinette fabric with asymmetrical stitches, and how you can identify which yarns will create this type of fabric.
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Introduction: 0:00
Comparing the three fabrics: 0:28
Single Yarn with Z-Twist: 1:29
Balanced S-Plied Yarn: 2:19
Multi-strand Yarn (S-on-S): 3:06
If you have questions about this video, or suggestions for future videos, please let me know down in the comments or on social media.
Rox Rocks Ravelry group: www.ravelry.com/groups/rox-rocks
Facebook: / roxknits
Twitter: / roxmpls - Навчання та стиль
I just found your channel recently. I must say 1.) Thank you for talking to me like an adult and not like I'm a kindergartner, 2.) Thanks for getting directly to the point of the video without much "fluff" in the beginning, and 3.) Thanks for teaching me something I didn't know! I always thought it was just my knitting style. You're a very good teacher!
OK, that's exactly what I wanted to say👍
Claiming my “Agree” (to borrow a Ravelry custom). Your videos have GREAT content, presented in a clear, straightforward manner without wasting time going into unnecessary simplifications. I’m a fan. Thank you.
HUGE agree! The amount of tutorials that seem to be aimed at children is mind-boggling lol
I can't just click Like. You have nailed the the three things that I love about Roxanne's podcasts. She is an excellent and motivating teacher. Thanks Topher and Roxanne
100% agree with everything that was said in the original comment. Thank you for creating such helpful videos!
And I always thought it was me. Thought stockinette was supposed to look like it always does in drawings-perfect Vs and wondered why I couldn’t make my knitting look like that. Except every now and then. So happy to know that those “straight lines” are okay. Thank you.
And, here, I thought it was my knitting! Seriously, I really thought this. Thanks so much for the explanation. I’ve heard about “S” and “Z” twisting as it relates to some types of knitting (Latvian, maybe?) but didn’t consider it for stockinette.
I’m so thankful for your willingness to share all your wonderful knitty wisdom and knowledge! Always look forward to your videos, thank you!
You are so welcome!
Well, really fascinating. I had noticed this on some of my socks, but thought it was an interesting design feature and didn't mind the look of what seemed to me to be columns traveling up the sock. I knew yarns could have a Z twist or an S twist, but I never connected it with this look before. I'll know what to look for now when I don't want that look, say on a sweater with a lot of stockenette.
This video is very interesting and very important to understand and to start planning a project. Thank you. I'm a hand spinner and knitter. I teach my students and in my live videos, in my blog, and in my articles that how important to make a balanced yarn and put special attention to it use techniques to do it. Your video is an example of how twist affects the final project and how our work is important to have beautiful pieces.
What a great video Roxanne! I have often wondered about this very thing! Thank you so much for explaining it! Looking forward to your future videos on yarn construction! Thanks for another great video!!🤗🤗
Roxanne- as usual, very enlightning and interesting! Thank you!
I heard of this but really didn’t understand it. Thank you so much for explaining it.
Thank you, sometimes my stitches lean in one way. Very interesting, I thought it was my knitting that made it. I am going to look at my old pieces. Great!
Wow! Thanks for the explanation! I often wondered why certain yarns behaved differently. Also, it’s nice to be able to identify better what I need or like in a yarn.
I love learning from you! I’ve had knitted projects just like your swatches, and wondered why, but never looked into it. I totally get it now. Also, I’m learning to spin and I have always had a terrible time remembering which way is left or right, clockwise or counterclockwise. Now that I’ve seen your description maybe I’ll be able to quickly visualize the twist I’m putting in to my singles and plies.🤞
I never thought about the twist of the yarn affecting the look it woud give. I have notices all of these and wonder why they would look so different. Thanks for explaining all of this!
Yeay! I thought it was my fault! I love the way your mind works, and the research you do to answer those types of questions that also puzzle me. Thank you so much for being you. I definitely owe you another coffee :-) Thanks! Keep doing what you're doing!
I always thought this was my knitting style, too. Thank you for clarifying, Roxanne!
Wow, so incredible! I’ve already noticed this characteristic in my knit, but thought it was about my way of knitting or something like that... I’ve even discussed with a friend about it, but as both of us are not so experienced in knitting, we didn’t find the answer 😅 thank you so much for the explanation!!! Love your videos and admire your knowledge ❤️❤️❤️
Thank you for this video. I'm struggling through self-teaching and this gave me a little bit of relief!
Thank you so much. I thought I was doing something wrong when I was knitting and getting those z. I do like the look of it though and was wondering what I did to make it happen. Thankfully now I know it was the yarn. Im surprised that this isn't more talked about when shopping for yarn
Recently i came across s- and z-twist yarns. I gave up understanding then. With your video i understand them, these twists. And more, you explain so well what they do. Thxs.
Thank you so much. I’ve been blaming the way I tension my yarn for the off center appearance of my stitches.
Now you can stop blaming yourself and blame the yarn (and embrace the look of those sts).
Mary M 😂 me too. I kept changing my purl technique.
Great video. I'm a beginner and this was an open question I've had. I dont think would have come across that explanation any time soon. Good explanation (and I really like your yarn skeins hanging in the back)
Well, this was all new to me and explains why I have trouble distinguishing between left and right leg
when trying to count stitches in my swatches. Thank you for explaining it!
Thank you. I always wondered about the different look of the stitches. Now I know!
Thank you so much for this information! As a spinner I never could understand the importance of S or Z. Not only is this video helpful as a new knitter and spinner.
Well, you never disappoint! Like other comments, I’ve just assumed that it was my knitting. I’ve never really looked to see what others are doing. Perhaps, when and if I have, they are using a particular yarn and the stitches are clearly a ‘v’. I’ll be paying attention more closely to the yarns I’m using. Thank you so much! 😊
Excellent explanation! You've answered some long-standing questions for me.
Great to hear!
I shared this in my FB knitting group. I've seen so many posts about this issue where people think it's because of their tension. Thanks for sharing this information with us!
Thank *you* for sharing!!
Really enjoyed this. Love how much information you share with us all, I find it so informative. Thank you 😊
You are so welcome!
I cannot thank you enough- your tutorials and explanations are just amazing.
Happy to hear that!
Thank you Roxanne. This was very clear! I appreciate this very much.
I'm so happy to hear that. :-)
I've wondered about a lot, and I thought that maybe it depended on technique or tension. However, I recently knitted with some yarn that looks just like the multi-strand yarn you showed (Must Be Merino from Hobby Lobby), and it gave me that look, but I had no idea why! Thank you for explaining!
OMG. I often wondered about this. Thank you.
This is fascinating! Thanks for explaining it so well.
My pleasure!
Thank you, great info and explains a lot about how my knitted fabric looks.
Glad it was helpful!
Thank you so much for this explanation. I've often wondered why my knit stitches weren't as "neat" as other knitters. But my stitches were just like the asymmetrical ones in your illustration fabrics. I suddenly feel so much better about myself as a knitter. I appreciate all the things I have learned from you on your channel!
So many knitters are relieved to discover it's not them, it's the yarn! :-)
Thank you so much, I have been wondering about this. I thought it was my fault, because I do combination knitting.
Thank you so much for explaining this. I thought it was due to my knitting.
Holy cow Batman!!!
Now I've gotta go inspect my yarn stash 😮
Thank you for these lessons btw!
What a great explanation! I always wondered why my stockinette stitches looked different. Thank you.
Glad it was helpful!
Thank you SO much for this! I've started knitting a year ago, and my stitches seemed off. When I showed them to a friend who was an experienced knitter, she told me that I was twisting my knits... but I wasn't. I searched through, like, a half of the Internet and I didn't find the answer, but it kind of bothered me. And now I finally know what was happening. Thank you!
Glad I could help!
Great topic...had no idea!
Thank you! So interesting. I had made some hats and noticed my stitches looked funny. I assumed it was my tension. I have been trying to “correct “ myself. You saved my sanity.
Glad it was helpful!
Thank you! I always thought it was me!
Very interesting, great explanation. Thanks
You are welcome!
This caught me on my second ever project. I actually loved the look of the asymmetrical fabric but I knew it wasn't meant to look that way. It took me a while to figure it out that I wasn't doing something wrong, and luckily my housemate, who was the recipient of the hat, loved it too. There's always something new to learn.
Your experience is very common! I didn't knit with a yarn like that until I had been a knitter for a couple of decades, and it really threw me.
@@RoxanneRichardson I can imagine! For me, the immediate assumption was clearly that I was doing something wrong, but I can't imagine how odd it would be after knitting for so long with nice, even stockinette. It's nice to see videos like this because it was only after an hour or so that I found an old article someone had written (and of course, much of the information in it went way over my head as a beginner) but I grasped enough to at least be reassured that it was the yarn, not me and that I didn't have to start over.
Well, thank goodness. Thought the fact that I'm a tight knitter that was adding it. Now I know what to look for.
Thank you. Certainly answers a question about at least one project of mine.
Great to hear!
very interesting thanks
I noticed this with my knitting too and wondered why. I am a combination knitter so if I am purling one row of my stitches is twisted. I thought everything was based on my knitting. This is very interesting to learn, now I can relax and stop switching techniques 😁
With standard knitting, more twist is added to s-plied yarn as it's knit; with eastern, twist is lost (as it is with crochet). Combo knitting will balance it out overall, but you probably will notice a difference when working entire rows as knits and others as purls. With something like ribbing, it likely stays balanced the entire time.
Excellent. I thought I was wrapping my yarn wrong around the needle
Very interesting how the twist orientation of yarn construction affects knitted fabric. Thanks you.
You’re welcome 😊
Thanks so much for this! I have been berating myself for ending up with the distortion in the legs of the v with certain yarns! I actually had someone tell me that my tension was an issue. The most notable example of this for me has been a DK/Sport weight yarn made of wool and bamboo. It is beautiful but not easy.Cheers!
I'm glad that you can now stop berating yourself! :-)
Thanks! I thought it was me having an irregular knitting
!
Thank you. I like your t shirt
Excellent info! Now I understand why those swatches are “normal” or “cool-looking” 🤪
They are!
Huh! I'm knitting with a yarn that's got the stitches sloping off to the right at the moment, and sure enough, it's an s-on-s twist. Thank you for the explanation! I always thought yarns that did that were over- or under-twisted, or something similar.
Well, you aren't wrong!
Very enlightening. I'm interested in the future videos you have planned. I have wondered about woollen spun yarn, specifically, is it weaker than worsted spun? I had some yarn once that came apart so easily, sometimes just when pulling up a new length of yarn from the ball, and I wondered if it could be because it was woollen spun? (I don't know if it was...don't know how to check for that if the info isn't on the ball band in black and white.)
I've always wondered why my stitches didn't look like v's. Now I know, thanks for making this video :)
I am wondering if the way you wind your skens or the direction the yarn comes off the ball makes a difference?(Will working from the other end make a difference?) I think I remember a old video you did that talked about adding twist when winding balls? Thank you for sharing so much great information with us.
Lion Brand 100% sw merino I guess is S on S, because my stockinette cardigan looks insane. I was going to keep knitting, but now I might frog it. So much time...but better late than never. Thank you RR!!
Just to be clear -- it's not *wrong* for the stockinette to look like that, this video was just an explanation of *why* it looks like that. I quite like this type of yarn for cabled and textured fabrics.
@@RoxanneRichardson Thank you for your reply. Do you know if there is any way of getting the stitches to be even? Washing or anything? There are no cables and little texture in my pattern. BTW, love your t-shirt. I'm always saying this to my husband!
The twist of the yarn determines how it will appear in the fabric. Washing and blocking will always improve fabric, but it's not going to change the fundamental nature of the yarn.
Thank you very much for the video. I now have a better understanding of the stockinette stitch, and I also understand it's not my knitting 😅
Regarding the symmetrical type (the blue one): the legs of each stitch are symmetrical in position, but it seems that the yarn is twisted differently on each leg. Why is that? I encountered that in my stockinette stitch projects. I thought it had something to do with how I unwind the yarn, but no matter how much I try to straighten it out, there is a difference between the left and right leg.
That's because the yarn has a twist in it with a certain angle, and each stitch leg is angled in opposite directions with respect to each other. Lay a strand of yarn vertically on a flat surface so that one end is at 12 o'clock and the other at 6 o'clock. Notice that the yarn has a twist in it. A plied yarn will usually twist \, while a single will usually twist /. Now rotate that strand so that the two ends are at 10 o'clock and 4 o'clock. What does the twist angle look like now? Nearly horizontal. Now rotate the strand so that the two ends are at 2 o'clock and 8 o'clock. What does the twist angle look like now? Closer to vertical. That's why the twist in two legs of a stitch have a different appearance. It's the angle of the strand relative to the angle of the twist within the strand. There's nothing to fix. That's just what knitting looks like.
Excellent explanation, good examples in colors the video showed clearly. Thank you. My question is about winding the yarn. I’ve seen videos that say it’s the way the yarn is wound from skein to a ball- clockwise, counterclockwise, wind a second time, etc. Is there a way to wind the yarn then to avoid the horizontal lines?
Do you mean is there a way to wind to avoid the *vertical* lines? That's how those yarns are constructed, so that's how the fabric will present. Those yarns are not bad, and the fabric is not wrong, but it can be unexpected if you don't know what sort of fabric a particular yarn construction will present. If you're working in stockinette and want symmetrical stitches, you need to select a standard 2- to 4-ply yarn. If you're working cables or textures, 3- or 4-ply yarns and multi-strand yarns will both work well, because they are round yarns. A 2-ply yarn won't work as well, but is well-suited for lace. The way you wind the yarn can add or remove some twist, depending on the direction of the original twist and the direction you are winding. The way you knit can also add or remove twist. The goal isn't to change the nature of the original yarn. It is to recognize the advantages and disadvantages of a given yarn's properties so that you can select the best yarn for the project at hand.
Rox thanks for the interesting information about yarn. It's a never ending learning theme. What happens when S and Z plys are used together?
Are you asking what happens when you use two different yarns in the same project, and one is, say, a z-twist single yarn, while the other is an s-plied yarn?
@@RoxanneRichardson well plied together as a yarn and then knitting with it. Also seperately using s and z yarns on the same project.
Hi, love this video. As always you explain things very clearly. Is there anything I can do so the stitches are even?
This is the way these yarns behave. It's expected. The goal isn't to change the yarn, it's to understand it. :-) If you don't like this sort of effect in your fabric, then the only option is to choose a balanced (standard) 2-, 3-, or 4-ply) yarn
@@RoxanneRichardson The yarn I'm having this happen with is Icelandic lopi for a traditional lopi sweater and changing it is not an option so I'm grateful for your video. I did try swatching the yarn different ways to try to "fix" this before I saw your video. I'm grateful that now I won't waste any more time time (or concern) about how the stitches look. Thanks.
Knitting Z twist yarn
Thank you - it’s very interesting and helpful to understand this.
On another matter, I have noticed that different colours of the same weight lol appear to change the thickness. Specifically Merino 120 extra fine - the black is thicker and I am wondering if different colour dyes are influencing this.
I have noticed differences in yarns (how they feel, for example) that are the "same" but in different colors, and have heard that dyes cause that difference, but I have also noticed a difference between yarns that are the same color but different dye lots, so it's possible that the mill producing the yarn might get slightly different results with different batches of wool. So there could be multiple factors in any specific case.
Thank you for your clear explanation and all your thoughtfulness. Best wishes
Thank you. I used to think it was me knitting unevenly. I absolutely hate the twist and prefer the even "V". I asked about this in a yarn shop. They thought maybe I could knit backwards so that the uneven v shape would result. Any thoughts on this?
This is so interesting and helpful. I'll be sending you a coffee! Would you consider doing a video on what I imagine is a twist-related issue - where you knit a swatch but the resulting fabric slants off in one direction so you don't get square corners. Are there ways to adjust so this doesn't happen?
Some stitch patterns bias. If it's a stockinette swatch, the first thing I would do is to wash and block the swatch to see if that changes anything.
@@RoxanneRichardson Thank you, blocking has been my only recourse in the past to fix this. I have even had it happen with stockinette so it was not the stitch pattern. I'll keep all this information in mind if it happens to me again.
For the first time ever I'm currently knitting with single Z-twist. It's actually very pretty, but how would I ever get a life line in? Have a video on that? I don't see most yarn telling what the twist is either...🤔❤
As always - great video! But what I really want to know is where you got your t-shirt! :)
I got it years ago at a knitting event marketplace. No idea who made it!
Roxanne Richardson Thanks! Love it. Will have to sleuth to find one. 😁
Hi Roxanne, could you help me understand my pattern pls, it says elastic rib for two rows then continue in k1p1 rib. I’ve watched your elastic cast on but I don’t understand how i elastic rib more rows in rib. Can you help? If anyone reading this can help, I’d be so grateful as I’m not a great knitter. Thanks in advance
Thanks so much. I had always assumed I'd started knitting from the "wrong end" of the skein. So is there any way to compensate for the ply?
There are several factors that can cause twist to be added or subtracted from yarn as you knit. I'll be talking about this more in upcoming videos.
@@RoxanneRichardson That was my question too. I will look forward to this.
Left handed quilters do better w/ thread in a reverze (z) twist? Is it similar for knit/crochet work? As a southpaw would I get less splitting if I used z twist? Is this listed anywhere on yarn labels?
In general, knitters who wrap/pick the yarn "western" (counterclockwise) will add a bit of twist to the yarn as they knit, but if they wrap/pick "eastern" (clockwise), they will lose twist. Crochet is like eastern knitting, because the yarn goes around the hook clockwise, so they lose twist when using s-plied yarn (crochet thread has a z-twist because of this). Combination knitters can offset this gain/loss of twist if they are working an equal number of knits and purls. Being left handed is not a reason why the yarn would behave differently, but if you are a mirror knitter, it's possible that (depending on how you wrap the yarn as you knit) that the yarn may behave as it does for Eastern knitters (I'd have to think about it and experiment to know for sure -- I can't say off the top of my head.)
Thank you Roxanne, this is very helpful. Is there any way we can find out about the type of twist of a yarn from the label or when we buy it on line ? We are back in confinement in Montreal for another month :-(
Any recommandation for the type of yarn more appropriate for cable knitting ?
Yarnsub.com has helpful information about yarns. I have seen a few errors, but you can double check on Ravelry to see if there is agreement. If you can get a close up photo of the yarn, you can usually tell by looking at it whether it is a single, a regular 2-, 3-, or 4-ply, or if it's a multi-strand.
@@RoxanneRichardson Thank you so much I will check Yarnsub.com and also see on Ravelry, but If I read you correctly we can not find oout on the labels, is that right ?
If you have the yarn in your hands, you can usually tell the difference between a single yarn, a standard plied yarn, and a multi-strand yarn. The multi-strand yarns are visibly different from a regular plied yarn because the strands are so thin, the yarn is so round, and the ply angle is nearly horizontal.
@@RoxanneRichardson I quite agree with you, very easy to identify when I have the yarn in hand. I just noted I can almost always identify the multi-strand if I have a close up picture of the yarn. The yarn stores are closed for a month, so I can only buy online. I was wondering how multi-strand would react in a cabled pattern, but I already can guess your answer, "SWATCH". So I will do so on spare yarn. ;-)))
Excellent explanation! But (1) what can you do when you have bought expensive yarn for a mainly-stockinette summer top (100% super wash merino), and it just gripes you that the stitch turns out to be like your red S-twist? I am pretty annoyed - I even re-wound my balls at the suggestions of Facebook knitters, went up a needle size and knitted a little tighter, but it didn't help. Do I use the yarn for another project without stockinette? (2) Could you recommend several fingering yarns with which we will get the perfect V?
You have a couple of options: You can accept that this yarn will behave in this way and use it as you originally intended (when you're not used to the asymmetrical sts, it can take a bit to get used to, but once you realize it's not a flaw, it's a design feature, that can help); you can choose to use the yarn in a project that incorporates some sort of knit/purl pattern, which will give you great stitch definition, and eliminate the obvious asymmetry; you can choose a standard plied yarn for your project, which will give you the symmetrical V. I would suggest examining the yarn and comparing it to standard ply yarns so that you can learn to recognize an s-on-s ply yarn when you see it. You can also check a yarn in the yarnsub.com database to confirm how it's constructed.
@@RoxanneRichardson Hmmm, lots of wonderful suggestions. I will ponder each, and I thank you for your time. You are my favorite instructor on UA-cam.
Hey you read my mind. But don’t you think how you hold your yarn matters too? If you are holding right hand you unwind twist and left hand, like “pickers” or continental where you tighten the twist? Your explanation is fabulous, very well thought out. Will keep watching.
How you hold the yarn is irrelevant. How the yarn travels around the needle can add/remove twist. Most yarns are finished with an s-twist, and western knitting (yarn traveling around needle counterclockwise, regardless of right or left hand hold) adds a bit of additional twist. Wrapping the yarn clockwise will take some of that twist out (as happens with crochet), but it won't change the inherent nature of the yarn.
So is there any way to fix this? I’ve slowed my knitting down on this particular project that’s doing this, and I’ve concentrated on not pulling my stitches at all, as well as knitting in the very tips of my needles with every single stitch and it seems to help some but I was hoping there’s a different way to remedy this.
This isn't something that you fix. It's something to understand about how knitting with this type of yarn works. WHen you understand how a particular yarn behaves, that allows you to make an informed decision about whether or not to use it for your project.
Is there anything I can do while knitting to correct the S spin? I have a sweater quantity and don't want to throw it away. Thanks so much.
There's nothing to "correct." That's the way s-on-s plied yarn behaves. It may not be what you're looking for or what you were expecting, but that doesn't mean it should be trashed. If it isn't going to work for the sweater you had planned to use it for, you can more than likely find a sweater pattern that it would work beautifully for, such as one with cables, or a knit/purl textured pattern.
Thanks Roxanne. Cables or texture are good ideas.
Well, I'm late to this party, but thanks for the explanation. I just returned some yarn because I didn't like the weird stitches. Is this a fairly new phenomenon? I took a long hiatus from knitting and do not remember this ever happening years ago. I made a whole sweater a year ago with those weird vertical left legs and I can't stand the sweater, all I see are those "stripes". For me, this is unacceptable, I want those nice V's. The spin process is not described when looking at yarns so I have to figure out how to know in advance what I'm getting before buying the yarn and winding a ball and testing it.
It's been around for at least 20 years, so not that new, but it does seem to be more common in superwash wools, which grew in popularity during that time. Coincides also with the rise of the indie dyers, who tend to rely on superwash wools to achieve various dyeing effects, because the dye strikes very quickly on superwash wool.
@@RoxanneRichardson thank you. I am also from the Twin Cities, grew up in north Minneapolis. I love all your very helpful videos.
I would love to knit like this , I'm a beginner. Would I be able to do this . X
I'm not clear whether you are talking about the results I get, or my knitting style. In either case, it's a matter of practice and developing muscle memory. You'll get better over time.
When I was crocheting I was told that Z twist yarn is especially good for crochet because the motion of crocheting tends to untwist the S twist yarn, but I never could find Z twist yarn anywhere. Is there any such thing as Z twist that's not a single?
There is! Crochet thread is z-twist (constructed specifically because of this untwisting that happens with s-plied yarn), but there are also some other z-twist yarns on the market. Crepe yarns tend to have a final z-twist, but create a more textured stockinette surface. There are also some Swedish z-plied yarns which are used for traditional Swedish twined knitting. I'll talk more about other yarns in future videos.
@@RoxanneRichardson Thank you. I would love to see more stuff about different yarns and how they are made and best used. Great video topic!
😯🙄🤗