Browsing by Subject "neulonta"

The objective of my thesis was to develop knitting instruction that would guide the whole process from an idea to a ready product. The main focus of the instruction is to facilitate the design process with the techniques that I have developed using the theory of design thinking and studies of knitwear design. The method of the instruction is based on ready patterns and knitter's graph paper of the right gauge. With the use of the right graph paper is easy to see in which row to increase or decrease the stiches. The instruction includes base patterns for three most common types of sleeves in sweaters, each one in four different sizes. The adaptation of the patterns to user's own personal measures is explained in the methods among with the other techniques needed to design and execute a ready knit. The research task of my thesis is to develop comprehensible and usable instruction for designing and producing knit wear. The development process of this study was made in three parts. The first part was to obtain background information of existing instructions and literature of knitting. To deepen the knowledge I gathered user information to create criteria for a good knitting instruction. I used these criteria to develop a prototype of my own instructions. The second part of the study was to evaluate the prototype by its usability. With user experience I developed the first version of the instructions. The last part of the study was to make an expert evaluation, which I used to make a final product out of the prototype. Both the user and expert evaluation showed that the instruction made in this study was considered useful and motivational. The knitters chosen for the user evaluation commented the instruction from their personal point of views and the information revealed, which parts of the instruction were still unclear. The experts commented the instruction more than the knitters of user evaluation. Most of the comments concerned the structure and the terms used.

Goals. The aim of the thesis is to find out how knitting as a hobby effects on social and psychological well-being, as well as causes, why people join Facebook knitting communities. Thesis examines craftsmanship as a hobby, community in crafts, as well as social media online communities. Previous studies have shown that with engaging in crafts has positive effects on well-being. Handicrafts making has been found to have a positive impact on mood, reducing stress as well as improving concentration. Social media has been found to offer its users a place for networking, showcase their crafts as well as the opportunity to share and gain information. Methods. The study was carried out using both qualitative and quantitative means of analysis. However, the study places an emphasis on qualitative analysis. The research target set is made up by knitting enthusiasts, who are members of the Facebook knitting themed group. The data was collected using an online survey and an online survey link with the cover text was divided into three Facebook knitting groups. The number of respondents to the survey was 889 copies. The data was analyzed using the means of content analysis as well as quantitative data using statistical methods of analysis. Results and conclusions. Based on the results of the studies can be noted that knitting has positive effects for the social and psychological well-being of the individual. The results of this thesis show, that knitting brings like-minded people together, helps to relax, as well as acting as a topic of discussion in difficult social situations. Reasons for being in social media knitting communities included ideas, tips and obtaining help and information.

A swatch has an important role to make knitting process successful. You have to con-trol a yarn tension well to shape a knitting density and keep it stay as stable as possible throughout a whole knitting process. Basically, in a yarn band they have informing a good knitting density to the yarn and the needles which are suitable to it. But is it possible to get knitting density staying just the same like every time? This is a trouble of this study, and in supporting of study is formed a question: In which ways the yarn tension and knitting density changes will influence to differences of loop tension and course tension, and how these differences will be diverging the information of knitting density of the yarn band? The purpose of this study was to research to two the most important measuring parameters: the yarn tension and knitting density. This study was carried out as a quasi-experimental study. The material of this study has included 240 swatches, which have knitted by a researcher herself. Swatches were knitted from different yarn ma-terials and thickness of yarns varied. The sizes of needles were primally chosen ac-cording to recommended for yarn bands. But there were some cases too when the choice didn't follow recommended needle sizes. A colour code meter was built for this study and it included eight different colour codes. Via swatches, the effects of yarn tension in the formation of knitting density were analysed, and the results were also closely compared with the yarn bands. On the grounds of results on this study you can not to control yarn tension perfectly. Because there are lots of different variable factors, which will influence more or less to the knitting process, yarn tension will change every time. Also, the different knitting sur-faces affect the fact that the knitting density of the swatch is different from that of the yarn band’s knitting density. For this reason, the model swatch is very important to knit to make sure of the correct knitting density and to achieve what will aiming through knit-ting.

Objectives. In this research it is described how motivational factors are emphasized as go in for knitting. Motivation has been under investigation for a long time and a lot of theories have arisen. Motivation is intrinsic (originating from individual) or extrinsic (originating as consequence of external rewards and punishments) motivation. Motivation serves as the source of energy and steers the activity. The intensity, permanence and selection of tasks of motivated activity lead to sterling execution. The perspectives of motivation theories can accentuate either mechanistic (passive individual) or organismic (active individual) approaches. The action of individual can be task- or ego-oriented. In task-oriented activity it is pivotal to learn new issues and advance. Still, the division can be executed another way by distinguishing occasion motivation and general motivation of which the latter is more enduring. In the background of individual`s motives and motivation the basic needs and emotions are impacting. Autonomy, relatedness and competence constitute the three basic psychic needs. In self-determination theory the extrinsic motivation can turn into intrinsic motivation. The basic emotions appear in three different way: as physiological changes, readinesses of action and subjective experiences – emotions move individual and his/her ability to regulate them is central for well-being. The character of interest is situation bounded or personal interest. The challenges of learning can undermine motivation and flow experiences can fortify it. As going in for increases it means that one pledges to activity and puts more effort into it. Doing by oneself and especially handcrafts have long traditions in Finland and furthermore they still have significant status in our society. Methods. Both qualitative and quantitative methods were used. Material was acquired by questionnaire which was published in internet in Facebook on the wall of Neulonta-group. At the time of publishing there were 23 558 members in the group. The questionnaire was open 8.2–1.3.2017 and it gathered 336 responses. There were 170 responses along in the analysis of material. The participants were 18–72 years old women mainly working and living in two person`s households and they were interested in exercise, reading and animals. In addition to knitting crochet and sewing were the most commonly used techniques that the answerers regularly went in for. Basics, the basics of knitting hobby, open questions and the theme based questions were inquired from answerers. Part of the questions were structured. At the beginning of the analysis the means were calculated from the quantitative material along with the overall time of knitting to each answerer separately which was later used, as computational measure, to indicate the answerer`s amount of going in for. The material was dissected with theme classification which was based in theory of 4C`s of motivation where those themes were challenge, curiosity, control and context. To be able to generalize the material was coded and quantified. After that the basic methods of qualitative analysis themes and types were used. Results and conclusions. Answerers had started knitting at the age of 6–10 years, they had gone in for knitting 3 months – 60 years and the mean time for weekly knitting was 10 hours, fluctuation was considerable 30 minutes – 60 hours. Calculated overall time of knitting varied between 69–132 600 hours. Answerers were basically satisfied with the current time of knitting they went in for. Knitting was the most beloved handcraft technique and mainly the answerers knitted because the joy of it. Knitting is most of all perceived as psychic and the answerers praised the experiences of peace and winding down. It was said that the process mattered more than the product. Flow experiences had had 52,4 % of the answerers. The theory based themes appeared in the material as follows: challenge 15,2 %, curiosity 22,5 %, control 21,6 % and context 32,6 %. The themes arisen from the material were time 1,2 %, money 0,5 % and other motivation factors 6,4 %. 14 different types was formed as it comes to motivation factors being emphasized as go in for knitting where different motivation themes were differently divided. The greatest type had 56 answerers in which the main theme was context and the smallest theme was challenge. Conclusion is that the knitting is motivating in itself and it gives both meaning and time to persons own life outside working life and domestic work – in other words it works as a counterbalance in ordinary days in life. With the results it is possible to trigger, develop and maintain the going in for knitting. Motivation is at its best as an internal flame by which the restricted resources can be allocated in wanted and reasonable way so that the making gives more than it requires. In that case the hobby can bring appropriate increase in one’s life and make it possible to relax, to apprise ones self-actualization and develop both self-esteem and the sense of autonomy.

Tiivistelmä - Referat – Abstract Käsityön merkitys osana kulttuuria on ilmeinen. Käsitöiden avulla voimme tehdä havaintoja ihmiskunnan historian eri vaiheista sekä kulttuureille tärkeistä piirteistä. Käsityön merkitys on vahvasti kiinnittynyt aikakauden ilmiöihin, mahdollistaen välillä hengissä pysymisen ja toisinaan taas ajanvietteen. Jokainen historian vaihe on antanut käsityölle oman leimansa ja käsityön merkitys kulttuurin jatkumon välineenä on säilynyt tähän päivään saakka. Tutkielmassa keskityttiin tarkastelemaan, millaisia neulemalleja esiintyy suomalaisissa ja saksalaisissa käsityölehdissä, ja mitä kulttuurin piirteitä neulemalleissa on havaittavissa. Tutkielman hypoteesina oli, että suomalaisten ja saksalaisten käsityölehtien neulemallien välillä on eroja, ja esiintyvissä neuletekniikoissa on havaittavissa kulttuurin piirteitä. Tutkielma toteutettiin kvantitatiivisena tutkimuksena kvalitatiivista tulkintaa hyödyntäen. Kulttuurisia piirteitä tarkasteltiin unilateraalista näkökulmasta vertaamalla saksalaisia neulemalleja suomalaisiin neulemalleihin. Analysointimenetelmänä käytettiin kuvan sisällön analyysia sekä semioottista kuva-analyysia. Aineisto koostui tammikuussa 2023 ilmestyneistä neljästä suomalaisesta ja kolmesta saksalaisesta käsityölehdestä, joista oli analysoitavana yhteensä 146 neulemallia. Aineiston rajaamisen kriteereinä käytettiin tekniikkaa (neulonta), tuotetta (naisten neulevaatteet), vuodenaikaa (tammikuu), maantieteellistä kulttuurialuetta (Suomi ja Saksa). Aineiston arviointia varten rakennettiin seitsemästä muuttujan arvosta koostuva asteikko. Neulemallit analysoitiin ensin kummankin maan lehtien osalta erikseen ja seuraavaksi maiden neulemallien välisiä kulttuuripiirteitä vertaillen. Tutkimustulokset osoittivat hypoteesin oikeaksi. Suomalaisten ja saksalaisten neulemallien suurimmaksi eroksi nousivat kirjoneule- sekä pitsineuletekniikan käyttö. Kirjoneuletekniikka oli aineiston osalta huomattavasti yleisemmin käytössä suomalaisissa neulemalleissa, joissa hyödynnettiin pääasiassa ympäri neuleen kiertäviä kuvioita. Saksalaisissa neulemalleissa pitsineuletekniikkaa käytettiin suomalaisia neulemalleja yleisemmin. Pitsineuletekniikkaa yhdistettiin muihin tekniikoihin ja sitä käytettiin pinta-alallisesti laajemmin kuin suomalaisissa neuleissa. Johtopäätöksenä voidaan todeta, että molempien maiden neulemalleissa oli painotuseroja tekniikan osalta, joiden käytölle on löydettävissä kulttuurihistoriallisia perusteita.

The purpose of the present work was to study knitting as a hobby: to find connections with the traditions, to sort out the present situation and anticipate possible future developments. The study attempted to shed light on the factors related to the commencement of the hobby, on the different forms of the hobby and on the significance of knitting for those who go in for it. According to the theoretical framework, knitting was studied as a hobby, as a part of the handicraft trade and as a learned skill. In addition, the significance of knitting was approached on by analysing the related values and attitudes. The collection of the data was done with a questionnaire which means that the basic methodology was quantitative. This was supplemented by the use of a qualitative approach in the interpretation of the results. The questionnaire had, in addition to multiple choice questions and statements, an open question meant for a wider inquiry on the significance of the hobby. The objective was to get as wide a picture as possible on knitting as a hobby in Finland. Helsingin Villakehräämö (Helsinki Wool-Spinning Mill) and Novita Neuleet-magazine agreed to co-operate in the study. With their assistance it was possible to reach knitters all around Finland. The questionnaire was mailed to the subscribers of the Novita Neuleet-magazine and to an equal number of assumed knitters. The size of the sample was 603 persons of whom 325 returned the questionnaire by the deadline. The return percentage was thus 54%. The analysis of the data made use of the SPSS-statistics programme with which it was possible to present frequencies and percentages on the sample as well as the necessary parameters. The differences between the groups were tested with cross-tabulations and statistical tests. The statements related to the significance and appreciation of knitting were subjected to a factor analysis so as to facilitate a possible classification of knitters into different types. The significance of knitting was also studied with content analysis and by applying essence type analysis. On the basis of the results the commencement of knitting as a hobby seemed to be closely related to the significance of the family and traditions, to needs and school experiences. 99 per cent of the respondents reported making at least one piece of knitwear a year, which means that people do a lot of knitting. The most common piece of knitwear was a sweater (82%). Statistically the subscribers of the Novita Neuleet-magazine knitted more than the control group. Useful pastime, recreation, creativity and self-expression were emphasised as factors related to the significance of knitting. Finishing a piece of knitwear was reported to give pleasure which was manifested in the joy of giving, overcoming challenges and the experiences of success. To describe knitting two groups of knitter types were formed: those for whom knitting is a way of life and those who do knitting because of a need. The members of the ‘way of life’-group always had a work in progress whereas the ‘need’-group started working when they needed a piece of knitwear or something to do with their hands. Woolen sweaters can be a thread of life because knitting was felt to bring meaningful content into the lives of the knitters. Knitting was also seen as a useful handicraft skill which the knitters wanted to retain for future generations.