Store Message
Thanks everyone for your support of our custom knits. We look forward to 2024 being a great year here at The Knit Tree. As Sharon Nani, owner, prepares for retirement, she is training her son, Ken to knit the items in the online store, plus the ones that were removed. Ken is going to take over The Knit Tree and its equipment so we can continue to offer these unique custom knits to our customers. Ken is not new to machine knitting - he earned his high school and college spending money by filling orders back in the 1990's, and has continued to help in maintaining the equipment. Ken is creative in his own rights with his "Custom Wood and Land Works" business where he falls the timber, prepares the lumber and creates unique wood items and projects: custom storage sheds, fences, decks ect. So we may add new catagories to this web site when the time arrives. SO LOOK FORWARD TO ADDING THE CAMO KNITS BACK INTO THE ONLINE STORE THIS YEAR.
"lycra© is that magical material that stretches, tangles, distorts, constricts, shrinks, elasticizes, and in fact, just reacts in interesting and exciting ways. It is teaching you to control the way this special fiber acts that is the challenge fo this book."
Several Tips are covered in this booklet along with patterns written for machine Knitting
- How to thread your home knitting machine
- Guidelines in the use of lycra
- Practical Uses in Waistbands (use it in a skirt pattern for an example)
- Prevent the 'saggy sock'. Several jacquard sock patterns using lycra
- Golfer's Delight: Golf covers that will stay put!
- Head bands
There is enough information to inspire you to experiment on your own and find lots of ways to use this Lycra by Dupont.
This book is written for Machine Knitters, but since Lycra has become available to the individual, several crafters have found the advantages of lycra in hand knitting, CSM knitting, crochet, and even fly tieing. So here are some tips for these people too:
Lycra© UPDATES
Lycra is the registered trademark of DuPont / Invista. I am a distributor of lycra© for small lot designers, cottage industries, knit shops, or individuals..
Lycra is Used by Circular Sock Machine Knitters for added Stability to their socks.
Lycra is used by machine knitters, hand knitters, craft people who crochet, fisherman who tie flys, and many more for a variety of uses: to add elasticity to their projects, polishing their cast onÌs and trims and to create tri dimensional artistic fabric.
Lycra© Hand Knitting Tips
1. Do not rewind together with the yarn you are knitting it with: Lycra and yarn have different properties. Therefore, it should be left on its tube, or container unto which you wind it. Hold Lycra in your hand together with the main knitting yarn, to keep loops from forming as you knit normally. If you want it to have more 'stretch' just hold more pressure on the Lycra as it slides through your fingers in the hand knitting process.
2. After knitting, Pass steam over (do not press steamer / iron on the knit) the knitting with Lycra in it until it stops shrinking. Steaming activates the properties and gives the Lycra the resilience.
3. I recommend you knit a swatch to determine the amount of shrinkage. See insert of picture of chenille rayon rib that was in the article I am posting on my web called 'Analyzing Garment and Fabric Construction for Different Media.' I got about 20% shrinkage after steam with the rayon chenille and Lycra on the knitting machine, not quite as much in my hand knitting. This article goes through the steps of converting machine to hand knitting instructions for a sideways knit sweater of Rayon Chenille and Shiny Chenille by Silk City. The Lace and Stripe Pattern for both hand and machine is in the yarn kits category of my web site.