Date: Wed, 16 Aug 1995 16:48:45 -0500 (CDT)
From: L. Schweitzer <lschweit@blue.weeg.uiowa.edu>
To: Multiple recipients of list <knit@geom.umn.edu>
Subject: Re: KNIT-TECH: Biasing


A few of my random, and inexpensive thoughts on biasing.


On Tue, 15 Aug 1995, Esther Bozak wrote:

> 1. What is the root cause of biasing? We both feel that it has something
> to do with the way a yarn is spun or the amount of twist in it. 
> Additionally, I seem to remember somewhere reading/hearing about this
> problem when tightly spun single ply yarn is used. 

Yes. Spinners (veterans) can tell you when a yarn is "overspun"--that is, 
when the spin in the ply or plies are so tight they kink.  This is not 
just a problem with single-plied yarn--however, it is more likely to 
occur in a single ply yarn.  The reason is that when you ply you can 
spin the plies *opposite* from the original plies.


Biasing can also occur if, as a knitter, you *habitually* begin a round 
with a different tension than you finish.  I've found beginners will 
sometimes be much looser at the beginning of the purl round than on the 
knit round--this will give a diagonal shape ot the fabric.


> 2.  Can you tell that a yarn will result in biasing just by looking at 
> the way it twists/does not twist when you let it hang?

Another poster hit it right on the head--if the yarn kinks up behind you 
as knit it--or it has kinks when you hold it up--it can drift when you 
knit it. 


> 3.  What solutions are there?  Does using a pattern stitch help or 
> aggravate the problem? Does working with two strands of a "biaser" remedy 
> the situation?

I hang washed yarn over my shower pole with a *light* 
weight on it---do *NOT* overweight it, or you'll end up with yarn with no 
elasticity.

I'm not sure if a pattern stitch will help. If the yarn is overspun, it 
seems likely that if the knitting doesn't bias, it will stretch--the yarn 
will relax as you knit--making the final product hard to size properly.

> 
> 4a.  Is chenille yarn prone to biasing? 

I don't know about whether the yarn is prone to biasing, but my 
experiences with chenille suggests that if you do have looser tension at 
the beginning of the round, the chenille is going to show this *mercilessly*.


Hope this brings up the answers you seek.

Big hugs

lisa 

Lisa A. Schweitzer, System Administrator	University of Iowa
Lschweit@blue.weeg.uiowa.edu			Iowa City, IA 52242
Public Policy Center				319-335-6800
 
Well, we find, once again, that clowning and anarchy do not mix.---The Tick