fourth edition - the blog formerly known as bookish

How To Choose A Yarn

This is one of my favourite topics: how to choose the right yarn for your project. I'll try to be brief!

Bells recently wrote about knitting a cardigan in laceweight yarn and how disappointed she was when it quickly began looking worse for wear. Is it possible to knit a durable garment in laceweight, she wondered? My reply:

I think it is not so much the weight of yarn as the fibre content.. I’d be wary of knitting a garment in Malabrigo Lace, Sock AND Worsted, simply because of the way their merino yarns are constructed (maybe the sock less so but def the lace & the worsted). You’d want a relatively tightly spun lace and preferably in longer fibres than merino.

In other words, when you plan a project you need to take several things into consideration when you choose your yarn in order to avoid disappointment or a garment falling to bits. These should be your main considerations:

• Weight (lace, 4ply/sock, sport, double knitting etc)
• Construction (single ply, 2-plied, chained etc)
• Fibre (cotton, alpaca, merino, blue-face leicester, bamboo etc)
• Care/Maintenance (machine-washable? dry-clean? hand-wash? defuzzer?)
• Price

Two examples:

1. Baby Cardigan. The pattern will tell you a gauge which indicates which Weight you should use. Typically this would be a fine weight like 4ply or double knitting/light worsted. Then think about Fibre: you'll be wanting something soft, so merino would be a great choice (as would blue-face leicester). However, Care/Maintenance tells you that while that Malabrigo Worsted might be the softest thing on earth, it is hand-wash only which isn't a great choice for something that will get drooled on 24/7. It will also start to pill very quickly (it's basically a 2-ply disguised as a 1-ply - that's Construction) and new mums will not have the time to defuzz that baby cardigan before they leave the hospital. You should probably opt for something sturdier, but still soft. Price? That will determine whether you'll end up with a soft acrylic or a soft merino-blend. The choice is yours, but whatever you choose, you will end up with a great baby cardigan.
2. 4-ply Lace Cardigan. You have already been told by the pattern which Weight to use. You should also look at the recommended Fibre as it will tell you whether the cardigan is designed to be drapey (i.e. silk, alpaca, cotton) or to keep its shape (wool, linen to some degree). If you want to turn a 4-ply cotton cardigan into something you could wear during the winter, you would look for an alpaca 4-ply, for instance. If you will be using the cardigan a lot, you'd want a fairly sturdy yarn (high twist, maybe even cabled - again, use your knowledge of Construction) in a robust fibre (something like a Shetland or an Icelandic 4-ply - or a woolblend) whereas a statement piece could be done in a more delicate yarn (silk, pure merino). Here Care/Maintenance is also important as a soft, delicate yarn invariably will pill more than a rustic yarn. Price is naturally also important.

Designers can generally be trusted to make most of the decisions for you when they write their pattern, but sometimes even they make a poor decision and opt for a pretty yarn which may not suit your purposes (i.e. the pattern is written for delicate cashmere, but the actual garment is a practical cardigan). This is a pitfall for many very experienced knitters.

Notice how I haven't even spoken about colours or how the fibre feels against your skin? That is because I believe you need to have narrowed down your yarn shortlist before you start looking at those pretty, pretty colours or before you start stroking those soft hanks. Most knitters start with a colour before they start thinking about more technical stuff, but, really, would you buy a car just because you liked the colour? Be smart about your purchases, dear readers.

Finally, I know that you might not feel you're "smart enough" to walk into a LYS and find the right yarn based upon the criteria outlined above. This is why LYS employees are suddenly your best friends. They (should) know their yarns and be able to assist you in an honest, friendly and knowledgable way. Explain exactly what you are making, have your pattern's gauge/needle-size on hand, point out who you are making it for (this is more important than you might think) and what your price range is. It'll help them help you.

I don't know if I have been brief here, but I hope this has been helpful. Any comments or queries?

Making It Real

Like most knitters I can get obsessed by certain patterns. I have designers whose work I really admire,  I have specific project types I tend to do over and over again, and I am drawn towards a particular aesthetic.

Long-time favourite patterns of mine include Arisaig, Shirley, Flyte, Icarus and Aeolian. I have the yarn to make Flyte (mmm, Felted Tweed) and I have enough 4ply in various colours and qualities to make Arisaig about five times. My laceweight problem is well-documented, so obviously I have plenty, plenty, of yarns to choose between for Icarus and Aeolian. So, if the yarn requirements are not the problem - why am I not making these much-desired projects?

Last night I finally cast on for the Aeolian shawl. I was fed up waiting for "the perfect yarn" and "the perfect moment". I printed off the charts (mmm, charts) and located an old skein of 100purewool merino lace (i.e. non-branded Malabrigo lace) which I overdyed about two years ago.

And you know what? Even though this is not "the perfect wool" and "the perfect moment" I am really enjoying how it is working up.

The colour is ridiculously bright, but I'm reserving judgement before I start pondering another dyeing session. So far the acid green/lime yarn actually work with the pattern rather than against it. It looks fun and playful instead of all heirloom-ish. I like that. It was not how I had pictured the shawl (my imagined Aeolian shawl was rather vague but somehow super-dignified) but I'm happy to finally be knitting the darn thing.

And I can always knit it again in a more staid colour.

Also, my cardigan is now hitting the slow-growth stage (i.e. no more fun charts; a walk in the stocking stitch desert to follow) which may explain why I'm suddenly throwing myself at a complicated lace project. I'm woefully predictable sometimes.

Finally, a good friend of mine is participating in the Race for Life this Sunday. She has a blog contest in which sponsors can win some ace prizes including a generous Old Maiden Aunt gift voucher, Rowan yarn, an Ishbel shawlette knitted in Malabrigo sock (I saw this with my own eyes tonight - it is beautiful) among other things. Go forth and see for yourself.

Everything You Made by Hand

Last night I sat up finishing this little girly thing - a corsage made in Rowan Kidsilk Haze and adorned by red beads. I first tried combining old vintage white buttons and red beads, but it did not look quite right. I did like the effect of the vintage buttons in the centre of the corsage and may well use the buttons when I make another corsage. The pattern I used came from Rowan Magazine 47 and I really liked how easy it came together.

I have a few other Rowan corsage patterns kicking about and will try them out too, but this pattern can be endlessly modified, adorned and, if made slightly bigger, be turned into a fascinator. Friends have begun talking about weddings, and I really fancy making my own fascinator (because I'm slightly mad and/or refuse paying good money for something I can make myself).

(This reminds me of the recent discussion on Cargo Cult Craft about the Homemade Vs the Handmade look, by the way. How are out aesthetic tastes shaped by Ready-To-Wear goods? I remember seeing some haute couture dresses in an exhibition and being fascinated by handstitched hems. Would my imaginary handmade fascinator with its handstitched adornments look out of place at a wedding? I do not think so - and not only because my social circle in Scotland consists predominately of crafters, artists and makers)

Everything that you made by hand
Everything that you know by heart

I am about to cast on for Harmony for the third time. First time I cast on during Doctor Who which was a huge mistake, because Doctor Who is incredibly awesome at the moment. Second time I cast on whilst at knitting group which is presumably why I cast on for the size two sizes up from me. Third time lucky, I hope.

(song lyrics by guesswho - YT link)

FO: Millbrook

Ever had an idea for a garment that you really, really wanted and you cast on for it hoping that it would turn out exactly how it looked in your head?

I'm happy to say that Millbrook turned out exactly the way I wanted. It is wearable, feminine (not girly) and has a strong vintage-vibe.

Of course I do not have the same body as I have in my head - I have a peasant-girl body with wide hips, short torso and big bust instead - but I still think Millbrook looks awesome on me (the buttonband does not actually gape). That is a very good thing, she says thinking of body-image issues and self-criticism.

Pattern: 115-25 Jacket with Lace Pattern by Drops Design (it is free!)
Yarn: JC Rennie Supersoft in "Olive Grove". Coned and oiled for machine knitting. Used doubled.
Needles: 5mm

Modifications: As previously mentioned, I did not like the original pattern as styled and presented by Drops design. So I altered a few things: I did not do YOs but M1L+M1R for the raglan increases; I shorted the sleeves to just-below-elbow-length; I crocheted loops around the neckline instead of on all edges (the neckline was too bare if I had omitted the crocheted edge entirely) and used the same yarn as for the rest of the cardigan.

The yarn is stunning. I bought it last year thanks to a tip-off from Swesser (and a huge thank you to her!). I was not too impressed whilst I was knitting as it was a coned, oiled yarn intended for machine-knitting - but once washed I just could not believe how tactile the Rennie yarn becomes. Very soft, beautifully heathered and the handle is phenomenal. I promptly ordered another cone (in an unusual colour for me) despite my best stashdown intentions. I cannot praise Rennie enough - particularly as my cardigan feels so very lightweight despite the 4ply being doubled-up.

If I were to criticise the pattern just a tiny bit, it would be the neckline. I started the garterstitch buttonband several rounds before the pattern said I should - otherwise you would end up with an odd stocking stitch section around the fronts. I have also added a few rounds of single crochets before the crochet loops and the neckline still feels a bit bare. Some might want to consider an actual collar or to start with a size smaller for the neckline to avoid the bareness.

My next project is likely to be another cardigan with a vintage feel - Harmony from Rowan 47. I like the Organic Cotton, but the shades wash me out, so I decided on Fine Milk Cotton in Water Bomb, a nice duck's-egg-blue. I'm planning on tiny red buttons and for the corsage to be teal/cream with red accents. Now to find my 2.75mm circs ..

PS. The Glasgow World Wide Knitting in Public Day has just been announced but, alas, I am working. Anyone up for a Sunday WWKIP?