Linen is naturally resistant to fungus and bacteria - and that is why it is used in medicine. For example, if we want to get a bit scientific, the flax cell is highly compatible with the human cell, and because of its compatibility, the human body can completely dissolve the flax cell making it suitable for the purpose of being used as natural internal sutures during surgery. These strings gradually dissolve within the organism.
It is also used in bandage dressings. According to Japanese medical research studies, bed-ridden patients do not develop bedsores when linen bed sheets are used. Pure linen also resists bad odours. For example, linen insoles absorb surpluses of moisture in the internal surfaces of footwear, a feature that serves to suppress harmful micro-organisms, bacteria and fungi, which, if allowed to develop, would produce unpleasant odours. No doubt you have noticed how your wash cloth or dishcloth starts to develop a nasty smell after a day or two? This is simply due to a build-up of bacteria. I used to knit cotton face cloths, and these invariably started to smell unpleasant as they dried. I have now replaced them with 100% linen wash cloths. Not only is the linen a natural gentle exfoliant for the skin, but also I have noticed that they last a lot longer before developing any odour, and they dry out faster than cotton. For this application, linen is a much healthier option than cotton. I have just posted a new linen wash cloth pattern on our free pattern page. It features a dandelion flower stitch, which looks fabulous in linen. It is made with one of our DK multi-colour yarns, Pink Ice. Click here to see the Dandelion Linen Washcloth pattern. Click here to see the yarn.
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28/6/2015 0 Comments Knitted linen cowlLinen eyelet cowl patternHere is a pattern for a cowl made out of eco-stitch 100% linen DK/light worsted weight. It took just one 100g hank to make (Seaspray colour way) Finished circumference 74cm, height 19cm (measurements after washing). The finished result is lovely and soft. These instructions are for knitting backwards and forwards, not in the round. You can knit in the round if you prefer not to join the seam at the end. Cast on 129 stitches with size 3.75mm needles. Knit 3 rows. Purl row. Knit row. Purl row. Start Eyelet pattern (6 rows): 1)*k1, yo, sl1 k psso, k3, k2tog, yo,* Repeat between* along row until last stitch, k1 2)Purl. 3)k2, *yo, sl1 k psso, k1, k2tog, yo, k3* Repeat between * until last 7 stitches: yo, s1 k psso, k1, k2tog, yo, k2 4)Purl. 5)k3, *yo, sl1 k2tog psso, k5* Repeat between * until last 6 stitches: yo, sl1 k2tog psso, k3 6)Purl. Knit row. Purl row. Knit 4 rows (for ridge) Repeat 6 rows of Eyelet pattern. Knit row. Purl row. Knit 4 rows for ridge. Repeat eyelet pattern and ridge 2 more times. Cast off loosely. Sew seam together. Each pattern repeat is 8 stitches. If you don't want the cowl to be as long, you can drop a couple of pattern repeats of 8 stitches each, so casting on only 121, 113 or 105 stitches. But remember to make it big enough to get it over your head! Happy knitting...
22/6/2015 0 Comments Knitted linen topEco-stitch 100% linenThis simple top was made using 4 hanks of eco-stitch 100% linen DK weight. I knit from the bottom up starting with a mesh stitch as a border. Linen yarn lends itself very well to mesh stitches. It looks much better than standard ribbing. The front and back are a little shaped in towards the waist. I didn't really follow a pattern but there are plenty of patterns on ravelry, which you can adapt, for example, the Ombre Tank pattern. I had to place the colour blocks strategically so I wouldn't need more than the 4 hanks of yarn (2 in the plain blue, one of each of the mottled shades). The neck shaping on the front and the back is identical so the top is reversible. The colour blocks are in different places on each side, as you can see on the pictures below. The top can be worn either way round depending on which colour you prefer closer to your face. Our DK/light worsted yarn is a thicker yarn. When knitted on size 3.75mm needles it gives quite a compact stitch. If you prefer a more sheer, airy effect, you can knit with larger needles. This would give a lighter garment and use less yarn. Personally, I prefer the look and feel of the more compact stitch. The overall result is a lovely, soft top with a natural sheen and drape.
With linen you need to make your garments with a little positive ease, i.e. they need to be not too close fitting. This will show off the beautiful drape in the finished knitted fabric. 14/6/2015 0 Comments Knitted wash cloth patternKnitted wash cloth made out of DK 100% linenThis is the same pattern as our previous post but knitted in a slightly thicker DK weight. It knits up very quickly. The original pattern says to cast on 52 stitches. This one only requires 41 stitches (so 3 pattern repeats along a row) and 5 pattern repeats in height for a cloth measuring 20.5cm x 20.5cm (roughly 8 inches square), once washed and dried. This one was made with the Pistachio colour-way. One cloth takes up just under a third of a 100g skein, so you'd get 3 out of a skein.
6/6/2015 0 Comments Small beginnings....Hand-knitting with linen yarn.If you are new to knitting with linen yarn, why not try this pattern for a lacy linen wash cloth to help you get the feel of linen? This was made out of our 4-ply linen yarn. You will probably get 4 wash cloths out of one 100g hank. You should be able to find the pattern here. I used 3mm needles and the finished work measured 20.5cm x 20.5cm after washing. (6 pattern repeats). These would make great gifts. There are more ideas/patterns for wash cloths on our Pinterest page. Happy knitting! |
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