Knitting with linen
Now that the weather is warming up for us in the Northern hemisphere, it’s time to start thinking of things to knit and wear during these warmer months. Linen is a particularly lovely fiber for those of us who are all-season knitters. When it gets too hot for a lap full of wool, just switch to knitting with linen.
Linen has a number of really amazing properties that make it the perfect choice for summertime garments. Linen yarn is:
soft
durable
moisture wicking
cooling
very easy to care for
anti-bacterial
non-pilling
Linen creates a fabric with unmatched drape, which makes it particularly lovely for garments for summertime. The tops you make with it will be flowy and keep you cool. One downside is that it tends to be a bit see-through. I like to layer my linen tops over a camisole or a linen dress.
Wyethia layered over a linen dress makes a beautiful and cool summer outfit.
Many people think that linen yarns are always rough. It depends entirely on the individual yarn. Some linen yarns are rough before washing them, but the ones I have worked with were soft while I was working with them. Wyethia uses Shibui Knits Reed, and Fountaingrove uses Quince & Co Kestrel. If you are fortunate enough to have a local yarn store, you can feel the linen yarns before buying them to choose a soft one. For those of us who buy online, it can be a bit trickier. As a general rule, the cheaper a linen yarn is, the rougher it will be. But don’t despair! Even a rough linen yarn will soften when you wash it.
Simple lace paired with a timeless shape will make Fountaingrove a summertime staple in your wardrobe.
Tips for knitting with linen
If you have never knit with linen before, it can seem rather intimidating. It is a different experience when compared to knitting with wool, and there are a few tips and tricks that can make your first foray into knitting with linen more enjoyable.
1. Pull from the outside
Linen is a slippery yarn, and a center pull ball will quickly turn into a tangled mess. Pull your ball or cake from the outside and do your best not to move it around much.
2. Use wooden needles
Once again, linen is a slippery yarn. If you are having trouble losing stitches on metal needles, try some wooden ones. Wooden needles have a little more grip and can help you control your yarn.
3. Use duplicate stitch
The fabric linen creates is airier than other fibers and will be a bit see-through. When joining a new ball or weaving in stitches, you need to be careful not to weave your ends in as you would with a wool yarn because you cannot hide your ends behind the stitches. When joining a new ball of yarn, hold both the old and new strands together and knit with them both for 20 stitches. Don’t bother weaving in the leftover ends. Just cut them off. When weaving in any ends, use the duplicate stitch so they will not show.
4. Change how you hold the yarn
The slipperiness of linen makes it harder to tension while knitting. The way you hold your yarn to tension it may need to adjust for this. I knit Continental style and normally wrap the yarn once around my pinky to tension it. With linen, I wrap the yarn twice around my pinky to get an appropriate tension.
5. Take breaks
The inelasticity of linen can make it hard on your hands. If you feel your hands getting tired when knitting with linen, just limit how long you knit with it during any particular day. When I was knitting Wyethia, I limited myself to one hour of knitting on it per day so that my hands would not get too sore. The chained structure of Kestrel gives it some elasticity so I could knit on Fountaingrove as much as I wanted without my hands complaining.
Linen and lace is a lovely combination.
Caring for linen
Linen is a very easy fiber to care for. It can be machine washed and dried. However, putting it into the dryer will leave it wrinkled. I recommend washing it on delicate cycle and then laying it flat to dry to keep the patterning crisp. It will be a little crunchy once it has dried just like any air-dried article of clothing. It will loosen up as you wear it, or you can toss it into the dryer for a few minutes to soften it back up.
Linen is a very strong fiber, and garments made from it will last for years. The time you spend knitting your linen top will be well worth it in the end. If you are looking for a linen design to knit up, check out Wyethia and Fountaingrove.
Wyethia is knit in fingering weight linen. Designed to fit loosely, it is perfect to layering over a dress if you choose the cropped length. Or you can knit it to the full length for the perfect breezy summer tee.
Fountaingrove is knit in a heavy worsted linen yarn. This makes it a very quick and satisfying knit. Toss it on with shorts and you will have the perfect relaxed yet sophisticated summer outfit.