Knitting and yarn in Project Zomboid

Yes. Knitting is new in Build 42 and did not exist in Build 41, where yarn was not a craftable material. The game files list nine knitting recipes under the Tailoring category. Each one takes one Yarn and a set of Knitting Needles, which are kept after crafting. The recipes are marked as "must be learned", so not every character can use them from the start.

Knitted items are ordinary clothing once made. They can be worn, layered, and patched like other garments, which is covered on the tailoring and clothing pages. This page sticks to the knitting side: materials, recipes and what the results are worth.

Yarn (item ID Base.Yarn) weighs 0.3. You can loot it, forage it, or spin it from raw wool.

• Fabric stores hold most of it. One item database puts fabric stores at about 72% of yarn spawns and homes at about 28% (one source).
• Homes: check closets, bedrooms and craft corners while looting.
• Foraging: yarn is in the junk category in forests, farmland, trailer parks, towns and along roads, so a high foraging level turns up the odd ball.
• Garbage bags and survivor safehouses can also contain it.

Opinion A single fabric store usually gives more yarn than a week of house searches. Mark the ones on your route and clear them early, before you need warm clothes.

Build 42 added farm animals, including sheep, which can be sheared for Raw Wool (Base.WoolRaw, weight 0.1). Raw wool does not appear in any loot table, so sheep are the only way to get it. See animals and ranching for keeping a flock.

Raw wool has two spinning recipes, both in the Farming category with a time of 300:

• Spin Yarn From Wool: 1 Raw Wool makes 1 Yarn.
• Spin Thread From Wool: 1 Raw Wool makes 1 Thread.

One database lists a spinning wheel as the required station (one source); another lists no tool. Raw wool is also used to stuff crafted pillows, teddy bears and hide sleeping bags, so decide what each batch is for before spinning it.

Opinion A few sheep make knitting renewable. Once yarn stops being a looting job, you can replace worn hats and socks every season.

Any of three needle types works in every recipe:

• Knitting Needles (metal, Base.KnittingNeedles, weight 0.3). Loot share is roughly homes 46%, fabric stores 44%, houseware stores 5% (one source). They also turn up in junk foraging and garbage bags.
• Knitting Needles - Wood and Knitting Needles - Bone, made with the Carve Knitting Needles recipe. It needs Carving level 3, a sharp knife, and one of Long Sharp Bone, Tree Branch, Wooden Rod, Medium Handle or a broken long handle. It gives 30 Carving XP and must be learned.

Needles are not used up, so one pair lasts the whole game.

All nine recipes take 1 Yarn plus needles and have a time of 200, about three and a half minutes of game time. The level shown is the minimum Tailoring level.

There is no full long-sleeved sweater recipe in the current list. The sweater vest is the only knitted torso piece.

Learning the recipes. One recipe database says knitting recipes come with the Tailor occupation and the Sewer trait (one source). A magazine titled Woolly Yarns appears in wiki listings, but we could not confirm which recipes it teaches. See traits and occupations and magazines.

Insulation and wind resistance decide how much a garment helps in the cold. Values below come from one item database reading the game files.

All three figures are (one source). The scarf values look very high for a small item, so treat them with care until checked in game. We could not confirm values for the wool hat, legwarmers, sweater vest or balaclavas.

Opinion Heavy socks and a scarf are the best first knits for winter. They fill slots that looted clothing often leaves empty, they weigh almost nothing, and both are unlocked by Tailoring 2. The doily is decoration and has no survival use.

Each knit gives between 9 and 30 Tailoring XP for one yarn. That is a steady, quiet way to train Tailoring indoors, with no noise and no risk. Higher Tailoring matters later because it improves clothing patches. See skill leveling and skills for how XP adds up.

Opinion Knit the highest recipe your level allows, since XP per yarn rises with the level. Spare knits can be ripped up for patching material like other clothing, so little is wasted. For what to wear in each slot, the best clothing page compares knits with looted gear.