Knitting

Knitting is a method of creating a fabric by means of pulling rows of loops of yarn through other loops with straight needles. The fabric thus created is very elastic and well-suited to the creation of garments such as socks and hats which rely on elasticity to fit the wearer comfortably.

Tools

Knitting needles can be made of a variety of materials, including wood, metal, and plastic, and come in a variety of formats. Long needles with a point at one end and a stopper at the other are usually referred to as "straights", while those with a point at each end, used for knitting tubular fabrics, are called "double-pointeds" or "dpns". A special kind of needle consists of a flexible cable with a solid, pointed portion at each end; these are called "cable needles". Some types of knitting use needles with hooks at one end, much like crochet hooks.

Needles are sized by their diameter, which is important in determining the size of the stitches they will form. The size of the stitches, known as gauge or tension, is crucial to the size of the finished object, and needles are a vital part of determining gauge.

Aside from the needles, the only required tool is the yarn itself. While wool is probably the most popular fiber for knitting, many other materials are also used. Cotton, linen, silk, and many other synthetic and natural fibers are used for various purposes. Along with fiber content, yarn can also vary in weight, from bulky yarns that produce only a stitch or so to the inch to laceweight, which, on appropriate needles, produces 20 or more stitches per inch.