Some yarn on cones is produced specifically for industrial knitting machines. The yarn is treated so it will pass easily through the mechanisms of the machines.
For machine knitters, this means 2 things.
- You should ALWAYS dress your swatch. Wash and dry the swatch as you you will be caring for your finished garment. This will not only give you a true gauge, it will remove any finish that may have been applied to the yarn in the manufacturing process. (If your yarn requires dry cleaning, I suggest hand washing a swatch in cold water.)
- If you are working with cotton, linen or vintage (old) yarn, wax the working yarn as you knit. Many knitters find this helpful in working with diffficult yarns. At one time there were yarn sprays that also helped with static and dry yarn, but adding more chemicals to your environment is not the best choice.
 | Brother machines came with a ring of wax that fit around the post |
| A small bit of wax will transfer to the yarn and may make knitting easier. Don't use colored candles and you may want to wash your garment before steaming. Do you wax your yarn as you knit? Comment Below |  |
