Tricot 101

  Here is the beautiful Fluo Flow shawl, a design by Joji Locatelli published in Vogue Knitting. The pattern shown above was knitted with several varieties of fingering yarns from our hand-dyed collection!   To make this pattern, here are the yarns and colors used   2 skeins of Bis-Sock Nature 1 skein of Bis-Sock Limette 1 skein of Fizwizbiz Bonbon 1 skein of Fizwizbiz Aqua 1 skein of Sirius Purple 419   Get this pattern published in the Vogue Knitting Late Winter 2020 magazine or directly on the Vogue Knitting website by clicking on the following link FLUO FLOW BY JOJI LOCATELLI. 

HOW TO SUBSTITUTE YARN IN A KNITTING PATTERN To substitute the suggested yarn in a knitting pattern, here's what you need to consider: CHARACTERISTICS OF THE ORIGINAL YARN FIBERS: Merino wool, alpaca, cotton, hemp… STYLE: Hairy, woolen, silky, number of ply COLOR TYPE : Solid, striped, gradient, speckled? YARN WEIGHT: Lace, sport, fingering, worsted… LENGTH (YARDAGE) & SKEIN (OR BALL) WEIGHT THE FINAL USE OF KNITWEAR Is it a seasonal garment? Durability (will be worn in shoes?) Softness (worn on the skin or over a sweater?) Maintenance (must be machine washable?) Drape (must be smooth or needs toning). Was the yarn in the original pattern knitted with larger needles than the recommended size to achieve an openwork effect? Stranded colorwork (fairisle) ideal with woolen yarn Must be feltable (choose an untreated wool, i.e. the yarn must not have the mention "superwash") CALCULATION TO SUBSTITUTE THE REQUIRED QUANTITY Here is how to calculate the amount of required yarn when using a different yarn than the one suggested in a knitting pattern. NOTE :  If the yarn specifications are not identified in the pattern, Google and Ravelry.com will always be your best allies!   ORIGINAL YARN SUBSTITUTE YARN Collection Louise Robert Algua Marina Katia Concept Seacell Cotton 70% silk, 30% seacell 250 meters / 100 grams Gauge : 20 to 22 sts = 10 cm Sug needles : 3 / 4 mm 75% cotton, 25% lyocell 120 meters / 50 grams Gauge: 21 sts = 10 cm Sug needles : 3 / 3.5 mm Quantity required to knit the pattern in the chosen size : 5 skeins See the answer below … Calculation of the meters required to knit the pattern : 250 meters x 5 skeins = I need a total of 1250 meters   Calculation of the quantity required in the substitute yarn : 1250 meters ÷ 120 meters = 10.41 rounded to 11 balls   MAKE SURE TO MEET THE SUGGESTED GAUGE SUGGESTED GAUGE 10 STITCHES & 11 ROWS = 10 CM² In most patterns, the number of rows suggested in the gauge is not very important since you can easily add or subtract rows to get the required length. On the other hand, the number of stitches must be the same to get the right knit size (unless you are knitting a shawl or other garment for which the final size is not important) but take note of the following: NOTE: a different gauge could mean that you will use more or less yarn than indicated in the pattern so be sure to take this into consideration!   TO GET THE PRINTABLE VERSION OF THIS POST, CLICK HERE!    

How to insert your fleece tips (or how to lard) your knitting Larded mittens (or thrummed mittens) originate in the Newfoundland and Labrador region. It is said that sailors who went to sea carried this type of mitts in which small pieces of fiber were inserted. Here are the steps illustrating how to thrum a stitch. Step 1: Detach a piece of the fleece by pulling on it (do not cut with scissors, this would break the tips of your fibers and make the fleece less "hanging" at your stitches). Step 2: Separate the fleece in a width direction to obtain a thinner net. Step 3: Stretch your fleece to check the thickness: it should not be thicker than the wool you knit with. Step 4: Now fold your fleece to form a circle and rub the two ends together by rolling them between your fingers to felt the wool (the fibers will cling and stick to each other. Step 5: Pinching the place where you have closed the circle to prevent it from coming off, cross the circle to form an "8" and roll the center of the "8" between your fingers to felt out the center and fix it in this position. As shown below, to insert the fleece into the stitch, stitch into the stitch below the one you want to thrum. Place the middle of the fleece (center of "8") on the right needle and bring the fleece in front. Now, stitch the stitch on the top (the one that is currently on your left needle) and knit this stitch and then pass the fleece over this new stitch (make sure that your two ends of the fleece are also positioned behind your knitting).   And now, voila!! To put this technique into practice, you will find our free mittens pattern in the knitting patterns section of our site by clicking HERE. Remember that to make mittens, you need a natural wool that has not been treated with "anti-felting". We need the "felting" properties of wool and matching fleece to make strong, durable thrummed mittens. Happy knitting !!

At Biscotte Yarns, we are privileged to welcome many knitters each year. Some of them come from far away to pick up the wool of happiness in our shop. To the attention of these knitting enthusiasts, we have prepared a list of things to remember before a visit to a wool store. First, check the opening hours of the wool shop: knitting shops often have an atypical schedule. You can check the website of the wool shop in question but in the holiday period or the Christmas holidays: call before you go, it's always safer! Also inquire about parking or transportation nearby. If you are accompanied by someone who does not knit (a muggle!), You may want to know where the nearest cafe is and bring this lovely person a magazine;)   Do you already have a knitting pattern? Make sure you know the yardage required to knit the chosen sample. If the pattern in question does not give you this information, you can do the math yourself: learn here how to substitute wool for a specific knitting pattern. At the very least, write down the required gauge (eg 22 stitches = 10 cm) and the size and type of needles needed to make it: straight, double-pointed or circular needles? Of course, if you hesitate: take the extra ball to avoid running out of yarn. You will knit a matching accessory if you have not used this ball after your work is done. Are you knitting a project that you want to give to someone? Ah yes! knitter often rhymes with generous: you are part of those who like to offer a gift handmade with love !! It's all your honor ♥ First, if the knitting project is not "one size fits all", consider measuring or asking the desired size to the lucky recipient of your knitting. When it comes to a sweater, you have to measure the bust, the waist and the hips. For stockings (or socks), take note of the shoe size or ask the recipient to put their foot on a piece of paper and trace the foot with a pencil. For accessories such as hats, measure the head (headband) or the length and width of the hands if you are knitting mittens or gloves. You will find a handy guide on how to take measures on  YarnStandards.com | Standards & Guidelines For Crochet and Knitting. Also think about the type of maintenance required before choosing your yarn: people who don't knit do not have the habit of maintaining handmade knits and do not necessarily know the precautions to take to wash a 100% wool knitwear. Remember to choose a machine washable yarn (felt proof) to avoid the worst! The pattern or the sheep? That is the question! While some knitters prefer to choose a pattern first and then look for the matching yarn, others will rather buy the yarn on a crush without necessarily knowing what they are going to knit with. There is nothing wrong with that: enjoy yourself :) You can browse Ravelry.com to find a pattern based on particular criteria such as the amount of yarn you have and the suggested gauge. With 100g of yarn, normally you have enough to knit a hat: use our custom knitting application to generate the pattern that matches your gauge and the size of hat desired.   Beginner knitter? Do not be embarrassed: all the knitters had their first visit to a yarn shop! Mention to the staff that you are new to knitting and ask them to help you find an easy project and the materials needed to make it happen. We are here to help you!! You will find video tutorials for beginners and knitting kits to learn how to knit here as well! Did you enjoy your visit to the yarn shop? Be kind: leave a positive comment on Google, The Yellow Pages or share / talk to your friends! Your comments and testimonials are important to us! ♥♥♥ Image source http://mochimochiland.com/

De nos jours, on utilise le mot laine à toutes les sauces: laine de coton, laine minérale, laine d'acier et laine de verre... Mais sachez que la pure laine au sens propre se définit ainsi sur le site Wikipedia Légalement, on désigne par « laine » les fibres du mouton ainsi que les fibres d'autres animaux (mais dans ce dernier cas on appelle toujours ces textiles par leur nom) dont la toison est composée de fibres kératiniques tels que la chèvre angora (dont les fibres de toison sont désignée par « laine mohair »), le lapin albinos ou lapin angora (dont les fibres de toison sont désignée par « Angora »), la chèvre dite cachemire (dont les fibres de toison sont désignées par le même terme « cachemire »), le lama, l'alpaga, le guanaco, le chameau domestique, yack, etc.  C'est pour cette raison que certains producteurs utilisant des fibres synthétique adoptent le terme "fil à tricoter" plutôt que laine... Aviez-vous déjà remarqué? Pure laine vierge, qu'est-ce que ça veut dire? Non, ce terme ne fait pas référence à la vertu du mouton qui s'est dénudé pour vous, chers adeptes du tricot! Ce titre est apparu dans les années 1960 au moment où l'industrie du textile a connu un développement majeur.  Alors que certains producteurs récupèrent la toison d'animaux abattus et recyclent la laine déjà usée pour nous "refiler" de la laine à tricoter, on instaure le certificat Woolmark afin d'identifier les marchandises qui contiennent de la laine vierge provenant de la tonte d’animaux sains et vivants. L'étiquette Woolmark garantissait alors un produit fait de Pure laine vierge à 100 % Est-ce que tous les moutons s'appellent Mérino? Lorsqu'on parle de laine de mérinos, il s'agit d'une race de mouton. Le mérino est le mouton sur lequel pousse le poil le plus fin de tous les moutons. C'est pourquoi cette laine est la plus douce: c'est la pure laine du bonheur pour les tricoteuses et une fibre de choix dans le domaine des vêtements sportifs. Filature de pure laine en action Bien que Les Laines Biscotte oeuvre dans le domaine laineux depuis bientôt une décénie, nous sommes toujours contemplatif devant la transformation de la toison pour en faire une laine à tricoter. Nous avons trouvé ce vidéo instructif pour vous... Pure laine et expressions québécoises Notre rapport à la laine perdure depuis toujours et au Québec, nous utilisons plusieurs expressions en lien avec la laine, parfois même sans le savoir! En voici quelques unes: Comment ça file? • Définition: comment ça va? Filer un mauvais coton • Définition: "ne pas se sentir bien" (Si vous avez déjà filé le coton, vous comprendrez que rien ne va plus si le coton en question n'est pas de bonne qualité!!) Se faire manger la laine sur le dos • Définition: se faire abuser par des personnes sans scrupules Avoir un bas de laine • Définition: avoir des économies Une famille tricotée serrée • Définition: une famille très unie qui valorise l'entraide Québécois pure laine • Définition: Canadiens français de génération en génération PURE LAINE Magazine est également le nom d'une revue qui "rend hommage aux entrepreneurs d'icitte".  Comme quoi la laine est définitivement enracinée dans l'identitée québécoise! Notre pure laine du Québec Les Laines Biscotte est une entreprise québécoise tricotée serrée et fière de vous offrir une pure laine teinte à la main au Québec dans une variété de couleurs semi-unies ainsi que dans plus de 60 couleurs Autorayanteᵐᶜ. Pour visiter notre boutique de laine en ligne, cliquez ICI et bon magasinage!!

In our yarn store, we often meet beginner knitters who ask us if we have a pattern to knit a scarf or an infinity cowl. There is no need to use a pattern to show you how to knit a scarf.  Just follow these following tips: 1- Pick a stitch pattern First of all, you have to choose a stitch pattern.  You can find a lot of them on the web, for example on the website KnittingStitchPattern.com which contains a great directory of popular knitting stitches. If you are knitting your first scarf, I suggest you to use the garter stitch pattern. The Garter Stitch is one that allows new knitters to practice their hand and tension in order to obtain a beautiful knit made of regular stitches.   You don't know how to knit garter stitch?  It's easy: when you work in back and forth rows, you have to knit every stitches of every rows in the same way until the end. You can watch this video that we have prepared for you here, showing you every steps you need from the beginning to the end. Avoid side-rolling stitches such as stockinette stitch. Stockinette is achieved by knitting all the stitches on the right side of the work and purl all the stitches on the wrong side of the work.Even if you block your knitting or knit a few stitches in garter stitch on each side of the rows, nothing can be done: the stockinette stitch rolls and rolls and rolls...! If you really want to incorporate stockinette stitch into your scarf, you can do so by alternating with a garter stitch. You can obtain a very original result as shown in the picture here. Alternating stockinette stitch and garter stitch is also a very good exercise to learn how to knit and purl stitches. The result is charming: beauty is often found in simplicity ;)   2- Choose the right yarn This is the best and easiest part of knitting a scarf without a pattern: you can use any yarn you want without worrying about the yarn weight and the pattern.  To learn how to knit with joy, nothing better than to go with your favorite!  To this, we add two "warnings": Be aware that the finer the wool and the smaller the needle size, the longer the scarf will take to knit.  This is not a problem per se, but it is an aspect that should not be overlooked when learning to knit.  Some beginner knitters might get discouraged along the way and get bored of knitting the same project.  Psssst: If you ever find yourself in this position, bind-off your stitches and join the beginning and end of the scarf with a thin seam to transform your knitting into a neck warmer or an infinity collar!  You'll become a knitting star without anyone ever knowing you shortened your scarf! If you're one of those people who puts everything in the washer without reading the washing instructions, make sure you select a yarn that has been treated to be machine washable. Superwash means that the yarn has been chemically treated to prevent felting so that you can machine wash your clothes. In all cases, it is best to dry flat.   3- Calculate the number of stitches needed Once you have selected your stitch pattern, your yarn and you know how to knit your scarf, you need to determine the number of stitches to knit.   In the store, we are often asked what is the ideal width to knit a scarf.  There are as many answers to this question as there are people to wear them!  It's a matter of taste.  Here's a tip: choose a scarf you like in your wardrobe and measure the width.   We will use the information below to calculate the number of stitches to cast-on: A = Desired width, for example: 15 cm B = Suggested gauge on the yarn lable, for example: 18 stitches = 10 cm. Now we are going to use a mathematical formula: First step : multiply the number of stitches of the sample by the desired width: 18x15=270 Second step : divide the result obtained by the width of the sample: 270÷10=27 So you need 27 stitches to knit a 15 cm scarf!  Obviously, this result is approximate since it can vary depending on your tension (if you knit tight or loose) and the stitch pattern you chose (ribbing or cables tend to make the knitting narrower) but it's still a good way to start.  If you want to learn more about stitch patterns while knitting your scarf, you can get our free Underage wizard scarf pattern :) This knitting pattern is perfect for beginners.  You start by working an easy stitch pattern and then new stitches are added as you progress.  You will learn how to knit garter stitch, vertical ribbing, horizontal ribbing, an openwork pattern, cables, moss stitch, honeycomb stitch and how to knit stranded colorwork. Now that you know how to knit a scarf, grab to your needles and enjoy your knitting!