Spring is trying to take hold in the Northeast, and succeeding about 2/3 of the time. Since it was 65 degrees and sunny just a couple of days ago, and will be again in a day or two, I've been digging through the wardrobe looking for appropriate clothes for the season. Not so successfully.
Like any good knitter, it's time to go off to the LYS. Bulkier yarns in cotton, silk and linen seemed like the order of the day. Luna by Cascade Yarns, in cotton, is one of the few I saw that color for color matches up with the Pantone Spring Color Report. It's a light worsted, but traps a lot of air because of its slight texture. Plus, it comes at a very workable price, and is frequently featured on sale. I was delighted, as I want to knit something that works with my current wardrobe but also steps "fashion forward" a little bit. It's a yarn that could make pretty spring things, or transitional pieces that would work from Spring into Fall and Fall into Spring. It knits up beautifully, washes like a dream, and in two years of wear in one garment, hasn't pilled or changed shape. Cool. Put some in the basket. Maybe make one of these...
A yarn with dreamy texture and good hand at a moderate price point is Katydid, by Classic Elite's Verde line. It's a cotton "tape" yarn that is impressively soft for its amazing durability. It hold is color well, is easy to knit, and creates a slightly textured fabric. That's very on trend. It scores very well on every critic's review, and yet is often found on BIG sale. It can be worked as a heavy worsted up to a bulky. This yarn also comes in lovely colors on the Pantone chart as well as closely related colors. A little texture in every piece is huge for spring and fall 2012. Toss 'em in the basket.
Flying in the face of "trendy" is the incredibly classic "Provence" from Classic Elite. If you're looking for that perfect New England twin set yarn that feals like a liquid breeze, look no farther. It's a solid DK weight, and it's mercerized cotton, so minimal shrinkage! You can easily find every color in the 2012 palette, but you can find all your classic favorites, too. This is especially helpful when your intended recipient isn't an edgy fashionista. If you have a classic or retro wardrobe, you'll find what you need here, and you'll adore working with and wearing it. Yep, I'll take 10.
Last but not least, Karabella Lace Merino Silk. Lovely, whisper soft colors, a gorgeous hand, and strong. If you're going to take the time to knit lace, you want it to stand up to the little inevitable pulls and snags. The twist is high enough for durability but loose enough for just a little bit of halo. And the merino adds some nice warmth to a very lightweight yarn.
I hope these musings help you in your spring shopping. Knit well and quickly. Spring is close!
Showing posts with label Verde. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Verde. Show all posts
Monday, March 12, 2012
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
A Surprising New Favorite
Fall 2011 and all of 2012 fashion highlight all-over texture in every garment. Gorgeous stuff if you're a knitter, to be sure. But how? Boucle yarns? Complex pattern stitches? I can be kind of predictable in my yarn preferences. I wouldn't say that I'm in a rut; I'm more diverse than that! But I don't usually go for a textured yarn, or a particularly chunky yarn. Usually.
Then, over the weekend, I started playing with Katydid, a fully organic-cotton tape yarn (conventionally dyed) from Classic Elite's Verde Collection. I had some mixed feelings at first: as beautiful as the colorways are, and as soft yet strong the yarn is, I was out of practice with tape yarns. Would I find this tape yarn, technically a bulky (though extremely light) awkward? The long and short of it is, NO! I was pleasantly surprised to see that Katydid is as easy to knit with as any simple worsted. Really! Much of the credit goes to its easy drape and smooth hand. If you haven't worked with tape yarns before, this is an ideal first choice.
Tape yarns can create rich and beautiful textures without the need for lots of fancy stitching. Soft yarns often pill and shed, but tape yarns don't, due to the way they're woven. Katydid has the best of both worlds. In the swatch below, I worked stockinette, knit-purl alternating, reverse stockinette, yarn overs, and then bobbles. None of these are difficult stitches, though I understand they may seem complex if you knit them in such close succession. The question was this: the texture is great on stockinette, but does it enhance other basic stitch work? My answer is definitely YES!
Tape yarn tips:
1. Use the recommended needle size, or larger. Smaller needles will remove the textured affect.
2. Use a dowel to hold your yarn. Like your paper towels, tape yarns are much easier to use if you work the skein from the outside with the ball on a dowel. Take a spare knitting needle and stick it into a block of styrofoam. This will keep the ball from rolling around, which can lead to excessive twisting of the yarn.
3. If you twist the yarn as you work (though the dowel thing makes this unlikely), untwist frequently. Twisted tape yarns look like standard yarns if they are very twisted during the knitting process.
4. Tape yarns are not ideal for garments with negative ease, as they tend to be much less elastic than standard yarns. If you are making a garment designed to have negative ease, consider sizing up to ensure a good fit.
5. If it isn't listed in the pattern, consider doing a cable bind off. It's a little stretchier, and will make your seams and edges behave like the rest of your garment.
I encourage you to go get some. Play with it. It's delightful. If you're unable to get your hands on Katydid locally, ask your LYS to order some. Don't want to wait? It's available online at WEBS, Yarn Barn, and many other shops. Enjoy!
Then, over the weekend, I started playing with Katydid, a fully organic-cotton tape yarn (conventionally dyed) from Classic Elite's Verde Collection. I had some mixed feelings at first: as beautiful as the colorways are, and as soft yet strong the yarn is, I was out of practice with tape yarns. Would I find this tape yarn, technically a bulky (though extremely light) awkward? The long and short of it is, NO! I was pleasantly surprised to see that Katydid is as easy to knit with as any simple worsted. Really! Much of the credit goes to its easy drape and smooth hand. If you haven't worked with tape yarns before, this is an ideal first choice.
Tape yarns can create rich and beautiful textures without the need for lots of fancy stitching. Soft yarns often pill and shed, but tape yarns don't, due to the way they're woven. Katydid has the best of both worlds. In the swatch below, I worked stockinette, knit-purl alternating, reverse stockinette, yarn overs, and then bobbles. None of these are difficult stitches, though I understand they may seem complex if you knit them in such close succession. The question was this: the texture is great on stockinette, but does it enhance other basic stitch work? My answer is definitely YES!
Tape yarn tips:
1. Use the recommended needle size, or larger. Smaller needles will remove the textured affect.
2. Use a dowel to hold your yarn. Like your paper towels, tape yarns are much easier to use if you work the skein from the outside with the ball on a dowel. Take a spare knitting needle and stick it into a block of styrofoam. This will keep the ball from rolling around, which can lead to excessive twisting of the yarn.
3. If you twist the yarn as you work (though the dowel thing makes this unlikely), untwist frequently. Twisted tape yarns look like standard yarns if they are very twisted during the knitting process.
4. Tape yarns are not ideal for garments with negative ease, as they tend to be much less elastic than standard yarns. If you are making a garment designed to have negative ease, consider sizing up to ensure a good fit.
5. If it isn't listed in the pattern, consider doing a cable bind off. It's a little stretchier, and will make your seams and edges behave like the rest of your garment.
I encourage you to go get some. Play with it. It's delightful. If you're unable to get your hands on Katydid locally, ask your LYS to order some. Don't want to wait? It's available online at WEBS, Yarn Barn, and many other shops. Enjoy!
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