Monday, March 28, 2011

Knitting And Crochet Blog Week 2011 Day 1

Day One: 28th March. A Tale of Two Yarns.
Part of any fibre enthusiast’s hobby is an appreciation of yarn. Choose two yarns that you have either used, are in your stash or which you yearn after and capture what it is you love or loathe about them.

Yarn Love
This is actually pretty difficult - I'm sure most of the other bloggers will agree that there are many, many yarns that they like to work with.  I have come across a TON of yarns that I really enjoy - and I don't have any problem spending money in a yarn store........  So I will be picking one that I don't think other people may have tried.  It's not a "specialty" yarn - in fact it's one of my "go-to's" when I have a Joann Fabric's coupon.  Yep, you can buy it at Joann's.  It is Debbie Stoller's Stitch Nation Alpaca Love.  Now all three of the Debbie Stoller Yarns are nice to work with - Bamboo Ewe and Full 'o' Sheep are the other two.  Alpaca love is a worsted weight yarn.  It is a pleasure to knit with because it is soft, and the fabric it creates is super cushy and just plain lovely.

Alpaca Love™ is a plush blend of wool with a touch of soft alpaca that is available in a rich range of  hues. It feels and looks wonderful, adding a bit of luxury to everything from hats and scarves to sweaters.
80% Wool, 20% Alpaca
131 yd (121 m) per 3 oz (85 g)
Gauge: 4" = 16 stitches/21 rows on size 8 needles
Suggested Crochet Hook: I-9
Hand wash gently in cold water. Lay flat to dry. Do not bleach. Do not iron. May be dry cleaned.This yarn will felt if machine washed.
3920 Ruby

  3650 Lotus

3580 Dusk

 3620 Fern


 3810 Lake


                      3520 Peacock Feather

                 3350 Espresso Bean

                    3420 Cobblestone
There are plenty of yarn snobs out there - and I find myself turning into one whenever a skein of 100% acrylic is near.......but GIVE THIS ONE A TRY!  Not every sweater you make has to cost $100000 dollars.  I love that this yarn is kid friendly and comes in a ton of lovely colors too.  I am currently working on some really cool boots (suede sole) for my cousin, Heide, and am using their Lotus, Dusk, Fern and Cobblestone colorways.  Pictures to follow.



Yarn Hate
Now this was tougher.  As stated above, I kinda like the stuff.  (Severe, severe addiction, possibly leading to financial difficulties might be a better definition).  Nonetheless, there was ONE yarn that I really didn't dig - at all.  It was given to me by a friend who was giving up knitting for Neurosurgery.  (Thanks, Carolyn!)  And I knit a cute scarf project for another friend.  I actually have fond memories of the knitting because I did it during my last class of medical school (Preparing for Internship) and a bunch of my other friends were also knitting - good times.

Not to be a hater - but this yarn DROVE ME UP THE WALL.  It was super difficult to work with because my needles always got stuck in it.  It had no give, so it was hard to slip it from needle to needle.  I did a simple pattern of garter stitch and drop stitch to make a scarf - the end result was actually gorgeous - and the receiver loved it.  But the struggle of knitting with this yarn made me want to never try this again.  This one gets a big thumbs down from me.
Weight Category: 6 -   Super Bulky: Bulky, Roving Yarn
1.75 oz./50 g (110 yd/100 m)
100% nylon

Gauge:
Knit: 10 stitches x 16 rows = 4" (10cm) on size 15 (10mm) needles
Crochet: 8 sc and 10 rows = 4" (10cm) with size P-15 (10mm) hook

 
Product Care Instructions: Items made from this yarn may be laundered through the use of water, detergent or soap and gentle hand manipulation. A machine dryer may not be used.

Incredible<SUP>® </SUP>

4 comments:

  1. I love the colours that top yarn comes in, I can see why its a favourite :D

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  2. I've tried knitting with a ribbon yarn before and hated it. I couldn't even finish the scarf I started. The color of that one you have posted is awesome, though!

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  3. Abi, I have been tempted to purchase a skein or two of the Debbie Stoller's Stitch Nation yarns because I truly love the colors!! I must say that the HATE yarn, Incredible yarn looks like it would be very difficult to knit with! It was so funny because when I bought a couple of knitting needles and brought them out and started knitting in front of Bob he said, "Hold on! Why do you have two crochet hooks...wait a second YOUR KNITTING!" He couldn't believe that I was learning and I think he remembered your knitting sessions and it clicked in his head. It was funny!

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  4. I know nothing about knitting, but that didn't look like fun when she was trying to knit with the ribbon yarn.

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