Yarn Putups: Explained

What's the difference between a ball and a skein? What makes something center-pull? And what on earth is a hank, and why do some yarns come that way? The form in which a yarn is sold is called its putup. Yarn putups can vary wildly, and many times you use them in different ways. Let me explain the most common forms of yarn put-up. Click below to see the full post!

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The frugality of knitting (?)

I'm a knitter, which is not necessarily a cheap hobby - people are always aghast when I tell them it costs me upwards of $15 for the yarn to knit a pair of socks!

But I see it as a GREAT value - I get 20 hours or more of relaxing time that I really enjoy, and at the end of it, I get a pretty pair of socks that I can take pride in :) To me, I'm not paying $15 for a pair of socks. I'm paying dimes on the hour to entertain myself, and getting a free pair of socks out of it too!

When you really enjoy a hobby, the time you spend on it becomes valuable. Think about it - if you're willing to spend $10 at the cinema to get two hours' (or less!) worth of entertainment, wouldn't it be an even better value to spend $15 to get a whole pair of socks' worth of entertainment?

Many hobbies require tools and materials to be bought up-front, that provide for many hours of enjoyment afterwards. So, my yarn and needles can be thought of as an investment - The needles can be used for many projects to come, the yarn comes out to less than $1 for an hour of fun knitting time, and at the end I get a pair of perfectly-fitted, beautiful handknit socks that I would pay way more than $15 for in a store. After all, I knit them to exactly my own specifications!

~Joyuna

Tajik textiles - Clothing & Sewing

One of the first things I noticed, upon arriving in Tajikistan, was the colorful style of dress of the women – nearly every woman in Dushanbe wears a similar style of clothing, of a long dress (kurta) over a pair of loose, elastic-waisted pants sort of like pajama pants.

The population of Tajikistan is about 98% Muslim, so conservative dress is preferred. That explains the loose, flowing tops over long pants – shorts are out of the question. Sleeves can be either short or long, depending on the weather and the occasion. The necklines were sometimes surprisingly low.

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