Knitting Must Haves
with instructor Steve Butler
Class 120
What is it? – Artists have them, sculptors have them and musicians have them. How about those who knit and crochet? Yes, they have them too. What is it that they all have you’re no doubt wondering. Specialty tools. Uncommon implements of assistance. You know, those relatively simple devices that perform a specific task in virtually any creative endeavor. A quality, purpose specific tool can make any task easier and more precise, freeing up more time for the creative process. It can also remove or even prevent the frustration and disappointment of going back and starting over or, even worse, giving up. Brushes, pallets, mallets, chisels, tuners, metronomes, they all perform specific tasks that more fully enable the desired creative outcome. You’d think the same would apply to the fully furnished knitting or crochet studio and you’d be right. We all have our favorite knitting needles or crochet hooks, the primary tools we use in pursuit of our creative vision. But there’s more to it than just knitting and crochet. There are accessories available that allow the dream to be more fully and easily realized. Four of them are Clover’s Bamboo Marking Pins, Marking Pins for Knitting, Bamboo Knitting Repair Hooks and Fork Blocking Pins.
What does it do? – There are a set of tools that are essential to accessorize the complete knitting and crochet studio. They truly enable the creative process. Here are four provided by Clover.
Bamboo Marking Pins – The marking pins are smooth, finely polished bamboo. The natural texture of the bamboo surface holds them in place until you intentionally remove them. This ensures your knitted or crocheted pieces are held securely in position and are easy to manipulate. The ends of the pins sport rounded points so no worries about splitting our yarn. The length of the pins is perfect for a wide range of projects and yarn weights. Clover’s Bamboo Marking Pins are a great way to pin out our knitted pieces before you begin sewing them up.
Marking Pins for Knitting – These pins function in a manner similar to bamboo pins but are constructed of steel. It’s a great tool for marking your place while knitting or to baste knitted pieces together when seaming. The large head makes them easy to manipulate and keeps the pins from slipping through loosely knitted fabric. The smooth ball point helps prevent splitting our yarn. They are long enough to penetrate thick knitted fabrics and hold them securely in place. The pin heads are even color coded to identify specific operations if that should be necessary.
Bamboo Knitting Repair Hooks – Everyone misses a loop now and then. What do you do when you discover it several rows later. Tear it all out? Maybe not. Clover’s Bamboo Repair Hooks allow us to go down six or seven rows and repair a dropped stitch. The hooks are made from the same pristine bamboo used for Takumi knitting needles. The set is comprised of repair hooks in two sizes that allow us to more closely match the yarn size we’re using. Each tool has a knitting needle style point on one end and a crochet hook on the other. That allows us to employ a wide variety of repair techniques. The repair hooks are a great alternative to ripping out all of those stitches and can be a real time saver.
Fork Blocking Pins – Fork blocking pins are constructed of two flexible prongs extending from a U-shaped connector. Because it’s two pins connected together these stainless steel fork blocking pins secure a section of fabric rather than just a point of fabric for maximum stability. And because they are flexible you can press your iron directly on top of them should you need to. This is the perfect answer if there is a question of stability.
How do I share it? – Bamboo Marking Pins, Marking Pins for Knitting, Bamboo Repair Hooks and Fork Blocking Pins. Four tools that have a place in every knitting or crochet studio. Each can play an essential part in any creative project that we might choose to pursue. Set out some knitted or crocheted projects showing he use of each tool and allow your friends to use them and see how useful they are. Share them in classes. Everyone will want the set.