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Hello, Everyone! Today I'm sharing an answer to question that I get pretty frequently: how to decide which yarn to use when embroidering a knit sweater. This is a great question and I've got a quick answer!
If you need to find the original tutorial about how to embroider a knit sweater, you can find that here.
If you're able to...the best thing to do is walk through the yarn aisle at your local craft store and touch them all. No, I'm not kidding either! Choosing a yarn that you like is the first step.
Next, flip the yarn over and check out the back label and look for the yarn weight.
Basically, the yarn weight refers to how thick the yarn is (the circled number). These numbers range from 0-7. 0 is super fine, lace yarn with 6 being quite the opposite: super bulky. What you choose is definitely a personal preference! I usually recommend choosing a 5-6 weight. If you are working with a small scale item (think baby or toddler) consider a smaller weight yarn such as a 4 or 5.
A little tip: If your name is longer, opt for a thinner yarn. If you have a shorter name, a bulkier yarn will work!
If you are unable to shop in store, you can check the description of the yarn you are considering online. You may have to do a little digging, but the listing should have the yarn weight somewhere on it. This is a brand that I've purchased on Amazon and love (6-super bulk).
I have washed and dried my name sweaters many many times over the years with no issues. If you are concerned about the integrity of your stitches, you can consider flipping your sweater inside out and washing it on a gentle cycle or other delicate items.
About the Needles: Since we are using a heavier yarn for this project instead of embroidery floss, we need to think about our needles. We need something stronger with a bigger eye to accomodate the size of the yarn. This is a yarn darner needle set that has several different sizes and would work for different weights of yarn. You can also purchase this threading tool to make it even easier. This is one of my favorite gadgets to keep on hand!
If you have picked out your favorite yarn and are having a hard time fitting it through the eye of your needle, consider the tool I mentioned in the last paragraph! If it STILL won't fit throught the eye of the needle, notice that the yarn is much like embroidery floss: you can separate the strands. I like to separate the yarn and put smaller pieces through the eye. Yes, this takes a little more time, but is very effective!
I hope this helps! Let me know in the comment box which yarn brand and weight you decide to use for your sweater!
-Ashley
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