So what important criteria do you consider when buying (or spinning) yarn? Is softness more important? Cost? Colour or multi-colours? Fibre content? Popularity with other knitters? Thickness: fine or heavy? Twist and ply: crisp, loose, single, fancy? I ask this question because I’ve seen some yarns lately that, although beautiful and soft, looked like they wouldn’t hold up worth a darn (hah! punny!) in a project that actually got worn and used. So what is the point of using a yarn that has absolutely no durability in a project that takes as long to make as something hand-knitted or crocheted? What a waste of time!
Durability is actually a combination of factors that all combine to help a yarn survive abrasion, snagging, washing and the like. The fibre content, length and thickness of individual fibres, preparation (parallel or more jumbled), thickness, amount of twist, number of plies etc. all are important. Of course some items see less of those than others: consider socks vs. a shawl. One is in your hot footwear being rubbed between your skin and the inside of your boots and the other is delicately slung around your shoulders. Socks need frequent laundering whereas a shawl may only get washed and re-blocked once a year, if that. A softly spun yarn made from short delicate fibres won’t hold up to hard wear in socks but may be just what you want in a shawl. Though I have discovered that lace shawls in particular are prone to snagging on things if you aren’t careful. Unless you keep your knitwear permanently in a mothproof storage bag in a dark closet, something is going to happen to it eventually! It’s inevitable.
However, creating your own garments or what-have-you means that you can choose carefully which yarn you will use, taking into consideration at least some of the nasty things they will be subjected to. That will at least reduce the chance of a short life for them, if not eliminating their eventual demise. For instance, I refuse to knit socks in pure merino wool. Pretty-squishy-yummy hand-dyed yarns of that type are available by the dozens but I won’t even consider anything without at least 25% nylon content or something similar to counteract the merino wool’s lack of durability. I don’t care if it means the yarn is not as soft as pure merino. My feet are more sensitive to bumpy stitches than to fibre content. (I knit tightly to compensate.) Add to that the criterion that sock yarn should be superwash too just to avoid accidentally creating socks for children out of adult ones after felting in the laundry. Commercial sock yarn with superwash wool and nylon either 70/30 or 75/25 lasts quite well both in wear and laundry. And it dyes really well too if I want the “handpaint” look. Why should I spend all my sock-knitting time on something that doesn’t hold up? Twenty years ago I used to knit socks from my handspun yarn but I don’t do that anymore just for that very reason. They were lovely socks but most of them wore out so quickly I couldn’t keep them repaired. I’m not especially hard on socks really but I walk a lot. And now that I knit them for other people too, I absolutely want them to last as well as they can. Or I’ll never be able to rest! Too many feet; not enough knitting. Yeah, I know I won’t stop anyway if only because I enjoy knitting them and my own sock drawer is full.
Another beef I have with yarns is the ones that are lovely in the skein but soon after knitting them up they pill like crazy. Berroco's Peruvia and the Malabrigo yarns are some of the ones I'd be particularly concerned about. (Though I hear Malabrigo is beginning to overcome the misfortune of the recent fire in their mill! Good on them.) These are all very softly spun singles. They don’t have the plying to help protect the fibres from being drawn out of the yarn. Those wisps ball up from abrasion which is what causes a pill. Some pills are pretty inevitable on any sweater but there is a limit to how much you (or the garment) can tolerate. You can pull them off or use one of those sweater stones or shavers, but eventually it either gets too bad to bother or too much fibre is removed and holes develop. Not good.
There are some really trendy yarns that I’m not tempted to buy. This is mostly because they remind me too much of handspun and for that I have the fibre, tools and ability to make my own. Noro in particular always surprises me with both it’s cost and popularity because it’s so crappy! Pretty colours and fibres but lousy quality. I certainly wouldn’t leave bits of sticks in my yarn when I’m spinning it anyhow, though some vm in a minimally processed fibre is inevitable. I also find some of their yarns harsh feeling but, since I’ve never used it, I suppose it’s possible that it softens enough after washing to be more acceptable. I guess I prefer to buy yarns that I can’t or won’t spin myself. I already have fibres and dyes in the stash.
While I’m on this rant, I’d like to reiterate my constant complaint about yardage in the ball. Most fingering/sock yarns and laceweights have considerable yardage because of their fineness. Recently I’ve noticed that most manufacturers have gone up to 100g balls, enough for a pair of medium-sized socks, from 50g, where you need two for anything more than small child size. But heavier yarns are dismally scrimpy in the ball, particularly bulky yarns. (Not that I use them hardly ever, rarely venturing much above sport weight.) If a pattern for a sweater calls for more than, say, 8 or 10 balls for a medium size, then the yarn should really be put up in larger skeins. I know the argument is that knitters just want to buy the exact amount for a sweater and not have leftovers but, come on — who wouldn’t rather have half a large skein left over than try to find eleventeen balls on the shelf with the same dyelot? Or another single ball months later when you run out on the collar or the last sleeve cuff? And who wants that many joins in a large sweater knit in the round when you can’t hide them in the side seams because there aren’t any? Perhaps I’m just used to the large skeins I get from my spinning wheel or the cones of yarn that I can buy for weaving. A mere 60 yards per ball the way some commercial yarns come just seems wrong. It wasn’t manufactured in short lengths — they had to cut it all up. Sacrilege!
Or is it just me and my skewed perspective?
So I’ve cast on a new pair of socks for Milord Son-in-Law even though I haven’t finished the A-Maizing ones yet. Naughty Damselfly. But I had to have something more mindless to work on at the guild meeting last night and on our little 4-day camping trip that we’re leaving on tomorrow. We’re meeting up with our kids at Lightning Lake in Manning Park. Unfortunately Nana decided not to come with us in the VW Westphalia after just having returned from a tour of the Maritimes. I think it’s the jetlag talking but they kept her pretty busy while she was away and, at 80 years and counting, she probably is pretty exhausted. She even met previously unknown-to-her relatives in Gander, Newfoundland! A trip of a lifetime for her. We’ll try to have fun dancing with the mosquitoes without her this time. Wish us well with the weather. You never know what can happen in the mountains.
Showing posts with label yarns. Show all posts
Showing posts with label yarns. Show all posts
Friday, June 20, 2008
Monday, April 28, 2008
Damp Day
I really shouldn’t have complained about the weather because after an extra-lovely Saturday we’re now back to rain. At least it’s warmer than it has been! We took advantage of the nice day though and went for a very long walk downtown over the Granville Street bridge and home again over the Cambie Bridge. T-Man wanted some jeans that were on sale at Sears and since he never buys clothes if he can help it, we zipped in and did a quick purchase of 2 pairs and then ran out again. I hate it that you can’t get into a department store without going through the “stinkies” section with all the perfumes and cosmetics. I can taste it afterwards even when I hold my breath or when I can’t hold my breath any longer, breathe through my mouth. Bleh.
There weren’t any new magazines available so we didn’t buy anything else except lunch (sushi!) and two 2GB SD cards for my camera and his Palm. They were only $40 for the pair which is so much cheaper than the last single 1GB that I bought for $50! That’s 1/5th the cost per GB. Prices keep coming down as equipment needs more memory. SD cards are pretty little so you have to be careful not to lose them somewhere! That would be a tragedy especially if it was full of photos or something. I have a little case that holds one card but even it is pretty small.
Yesterday we went to the garden shop and bought a few little things, like sea soil and potting soil and a couple of wicker trellis screens for the clematis. I also got some more seed starter mix because, yes, I need to start some more seeds. Several of the ones I did already are not doing well because of the cold weather even though their pots were in the greenhouse. I need to start over with broccoli and lettuce and some other things.
Then I went Raveling and we had quite a group! There were 9 of us plus baby boy and we took up one whole corner of the back room. Very fun chatting and show-and-telling. It’s a very eclectic and amiable bunch. Pleases me no end to admit that most of us met first online. (Though there are a couple of my old spinning students represented too.) If we get much larger we’ll have to rent a hall or something! Actually, depending on whether there’s students studying or not, there’s usually plenty of room for a good-sized gathering in The Grind’s back room. The drawback is that it’s somewhat dark and stuffy with no windows back there. We’ve started planning for a field trip to Richmond’s little village of Steveston to check out Wool & Wicker’s new expanded shop. At least now more than 4 of us may be able to fit in at the same time. Fish & chips may also be on the agenda. Can’t hardly wait until June.
So after the Ravelry meet-up we did our usual pilgrimage to Three Bags Full. A skein of Louet’s Euroflax linen jumped into my hand and wouldn’t go back on the shelf. I had to buy it or be accused of stealing. Heh. The colour is called Gypsy Bronze and although there is no brown in it, it optically blends to brown from a little distance. There’s one ply each of gold, red and 2 dark greys: one slightly greenish and one purplish. This photo is fairly accurate:
I want to make a skinny lace scarf out of it. It will go nicely with my Hepburn Cardi which is now past the armhole decreases on the fronts and heading for the neckline decreases. These are the last pieces to complete and then it’s on to blocking, assembly and borders to pick up and knit — the finishing process. This uses all my dressmaking skills to get the seams smooth and as invisible as possible. A good job makes a garment look professional so it’s worth doing right. So many knitters get stuck at this stage because they don’t like to sew. And that’s probably why seamless sweaters are so popular when there’s no making up to do. I would have done the back and fronts in one large piece myself but that would be too many stitches on my circular needle and too heavy for me to manage easily. This lace and cables pattern is quite dense and complex which may be the reason it has taken me since last July to get this far! I knit very slowly. The only reason I get so much done is persistence not speed.
I’m partway through the lace edging on the last ruffle of the Unmentionables. Nearly there! A comment was made by a friend about the sense in knitting such a time-consuming (and expensive) item for a little girl who may not even wear it. I hear ya. All I can say is that I’m a doting grandmother. What else are we for except to spoil our grandkids? I’m pretty sure she’ll love it though. After all it’s peeeennnnkkkk! And all princesses need their bloomers on under their elegant skirts, no? Otherwise it would be difficult to run around and play outdoors and be warm and comfortable! They work on their own for warmer weather too. Much more girly than shorts. She might need some convincing to leave off the skirt though. That’s the garment du jour and other clothing items are just tolerated under or over.
I wanted to show the carpet replacement that happened on Friday. When I think about how long the old one lasted, I’m pretty impressed. The new one is only guaranteed for 10 years but we lived with the old one for nearly 30 and it wasn’t new when we moved in. I always thought we would replace it sooner but never got around to it. Just another example of my “use it until it’s absolutely unsightly or completely broken” philosophy! Apart from vacuuming, I don’t think I did anything else to it all those years except scrub off the occasional stain. Out with the old:
And in with the new:
This carpet is very thick in comparison and is good quality polyester. It really muffles the sounds of walking up and down. But it felt awkwardly poofy and bouncy for awhile until I started to get used to it underfoot. It’s already been slept on by Ms Julie cat who has decided she likes how soft and warm the spot at the top of the landing is. As long as she keeps her 24 claws sheathed she can indulge herself all she wants. I really like the soft green Willow Tree colour which blends better with our décor, such as it is. Totally worth the nearly $900 it cost, a good chunk of that for the Turkish guys’ labour. Another thing checked off the “House List”. Next up is the bathroom. Mould isn’t such a nice colour for ceilings.
There weren’t any new magazines available so we didn’t buy anything else except lunch (sushi!) and two 2GB SD cards for my camera and his Palm. They were only $40 for the pair which is so much cheaper than the last single 1GB that I bought for $50! That’s 1/5th the cost per GB. Prices keep coming down as equipment needs more memory. SD cards are pretty little so you have to be careful not to lose them somewhere! That would be a tragedy especially if it was full of photos or something. I have a little case that holds one card but even it is pretty small.
Yesterday we went to the garden shop and bought a few little things, like sea soil and potting soil and a couple of wicker trellis screens for the clematis. I also got some more seed starter mix because, yes, I need to start some more seeds. Several of the ones I did already are not doing well because of the cold weather even though their pots were in the greenhouse. I need to start over with broccoli and lettuce and some other things.
Then I went Raveling and we had quite a group! There were 9 of us plus baby boy and we took up one whole corner of the back room. Very fun chatting and show-and-telling. It’s a very eclectic and amiable bunch. Pleases me no end to admit that most of us met first online. (Though there are a couple of my old spinning students represented too.) If we get much larger we’ll have to rent a hall or something! Actually, depending on whether there’s students studying or not, there’s usually plenty of room for a good-sized gathering in The Grind’s back room. The drawback is that it’s somewhat dark and stuffy with no windows back there. We’ve started planning for a field trip to Richmond’s little village of Steveston to check out Wool & Wicker’s new expanded shop. At least now more than 4 of us may be able to fit in at the same time. Fish & chips may also be on the agenda. Can’t hardly wait until June.
So after the Ravelry meet-up we did our usual pilgrimage to Three Bags Full. A skein of Louet’s Euroflax linen jumped into my hand and wouldn’t go back on the shelf. I had to buy it or be accused of stealing. Heh. The colour is called Gypsy Bronze and although there is no brown in it, it optically blends to brown from a little distance. There’s one ply each of gold, red and 2 dark greys: one slightly greenish and one purplish. This photo is fairly accurate:
I want to make a skinny lace scarf out of it. It will go nicely with my Hepburn Cardi which is now past the armhole decreases on the fronts and heading for the neckline decreases. These are the last pieces to complete and then it’s on to blocking, assembly and borders to pick up and knit — the finishing process. This uses all my dressmaking skills to get the seams smooth and as invisible as possible. A good job makes a garment look professional so it’s worth doing right. So many knitters get stuck at this stage because they don’t like to sew. And that’s probably why seamless sweaters are so popular when there’s no making up to do. I would have done the back and fronts in one large piece myself but that would be too many stitches on my circular needle and too heavy for me to manage easily. This lace and cables pattern is quite dense and complex which may be the reason it has taken me since last July to get this far! I knit very slowly. The only reason I get so much done is persistence not speed.
I’m partway through the lace edging on the last ruffle of the Unmentionables. Nearly there! A comment was made by a friend about the sense in knitting such a time-consuming (and expensive) item for a little girl who may not even wear it. I hear ya. All I can say is that I’m a doting grandmother. What else are we for except to spoil our grandkids? I’m pretty sure she’ll love it though. After all it’s peeeennnnkkkk! And all princesses need their bloomers on under their elegant skirts, no? Otherwise it would be difficult to run around and play outdoors and be warm and comfortable! They work on their own for warmer weather too. Much more girly than shorts. She might need some convincing to leave off the skirt though. That’s the garment du jour and other clothing items are just tolerated under or over.
I wanted to show the carpet replacement that happened on Friday. When I think about how long the old one lasted, I’m pretty impressed. The new one is only guaranteed for 10 years but we lived with the old one for nearly 30 and it wasn’t new when we moved in. I always thought we would replace it sooner but never got around to it. Just another example of my “use it until it’s absolutely unsightly or completely broken” philosophy! Apart from vacuuming, I don’t think I did anything else to it all those years except scrub off the occasional stain. Out with the old:
And in with the new:
This carpet is very thick in comparison and is good quality polyester. It really muffles the sounds of walking up and down. But it felt awkwardly poofy and bouncy for awhile until I started to get used to it underfoot. It’s already been slept on by Ms Julie cat who has decided she likes how soft and warm the spot at the top of the landing is. As long as she keeps her 24 claws sheathed she can indulge herself all she wants. I really like the soft green Willow Tree colour which blends better with our décor, such as it is. Totally worth the nearly $900 it cost, a good chunk of that for the Turkish guys’ labour. Another thing checked off the “House List”. Next up is the bathroom. Mould isn’t such a nice colour for ceilings.
Monday, March 31, 2008
Earth Hour
We participated on Saturday night, if you could call it that when all our lights were out but we were still watching a DVD on T-Man’s computer! It had to go back to Blockbuster the next day so we had to finish watching “I Am Legend” which was pretty good as these things go if you don’t look too carefully for the holes in the plot. But then I love Will Smith. He so reminds me of my son, though he is a lot more athletic than The Ninja! (Ninjas apparently don’t move unless they absolutely have to.) But cute, silly and a good dad are all traits they both share. Will also shares a birthday with T-Man. Your trivia for the day.
It was a gorgeous day yesterday if still somewhat cold in the shade. I went along to our Ravelry meet-up and had a lovely time visiting as usual. We had a new member show up this time with some of her wares, Kirsten of Yummy Yarn. She has some very pretty handspun yarns and hand-dyed rovings in Corriedale and Blue-Faced Leicester. After the meet we walked up to Three Bags Full because Kirsten was bringing in some of her wool to the shop and I was still looking for something for the Unmentionables. I finally found some lovely soft Sublime organic cotton DK in a pale rose pink that struck me as a much better choice for underwear than superwash wool.
I’ll use the 8 balls of Smart on something else for Princess KiKi, perhaps a cardigan sweater. So far I’ve knit about half of one leg of the bloomers and it’s coming out pretty close to gauge.
I decided to make the largest size (5/6) even though the intended recipient isn’t even 4 yet. The waistband eyelets can carry elastic and/or a tie so if it’s a bit big it can be cinched in until she grows into them. I hope she’ll want to get as much wear out of these for as long as possible because the yarn was pretty expensive at 7 balls for $7.99 each. Not a throwaway garment this one. The cotton isn’t bad to knit with because it’s a very soft construction: 3 Z-twist singles plied S and then 4 of those S-plied again to make the final yarn. Not only is the cotton organic but the dye method is reported to be low-impact though not naturally dyed. The colours are very soft and muted so not much dye is used. Generally I’m liking this yarn a lot so far. Haven’t tried washing it yet though the label says “machine wash, dry flat, reshape whilst wet”. Yes it really says whilst. British, you know. Spun in
I also got another skein of Louet Gems superfine/fingering merino. But I needed to take it back and trade since I really needed pure white and I got cream. I want it to dye with another skein I have left and they don’t match. I don’t care which it is but I need two skeins the same if I want to make something like socks. That’ll teach me to check first. Or not. I needed to take some guild bookmarks over anyway and it was another lovely day for a walk. Happily Sivia was in the shop and we had a lovely chat while she stocked shelves with lovely hand-dyed yarns.
Now I had better get something useful done for the rest of the day!
Wednesday, September 05, 2007
The Story So Far
Yesterday I spent several hours babysitting the grandkids while my son, daughter-in-law and husband all worked on fixing up and cleaning the townhouse for sale. I managed to mostly stay off my foot (though they have a zillion stairs!) and had a good time playing with the baby and having my granddaughter show me photos, mostly with her in them. She likes the ones when they were in England visiting a real castle. It figures because her favourite things are princesses and mermaids. She showed me a photo of her wearing her fairy wings and told me “just like Tinkerbell”. Cute if somewhat scary. At 3 she’s totally Disneyfied, poor thing! She even has Barbies with mermaid tails. Heh! I know — I probably would have given my eye teeth for those when I was little. I had my own Barbie with a blond ponytail and her friend Ken with a crew cut. That Barbie chick is really an old lady! They just keep giving her makeovers.
Today I’m still trying to rest the sore foot before I have to go teach my last spinning class this evening. It’s getting better slowly and I’m not limping as much but I don’t want to stress it too much. I know won’t be able to help running around the class and standing the whole two hours. So meanwhile I wound the yarn my daughter dyed for herself on Sunday into balls and am starting on her socks.
I know, I know. I shouldn’t be starting yet another project. This is just so I can have a plain knitting project to work on because I’m getting way behind on my email reading! I won’t yet start the daughter-sized Tulip Socks that I was going to make for her birthday so she will have these ones first. While I’m at it, here’s the yarn I dyed for the next pair of T-Man socks.
I was a bit annoyed because one skein got really dark spots on the relatively light denim colour with hints of green and purple. If both skeins had got spotted, at least they would coordinate but it’s only on one. Boo-hoo. But T says he doesn’t really mind. If it looks too horrible I can always overdye the finished socks in a dark colour but that would mean losing the lovely soft colours that I have now. Obviously I didn’t pay enough attention to what I was doing. The dye stock probably didn’t get stirred up enough. That was the only thing I got done Sunday for myself because I was too busy helping everybody else. And gimping around on my taped-up foot.
Now I’m up to the heel turns on the Crosshatch Socks. They aren’t going to make it for my daughter-in-law’s birthday which is this Saturday, but likely I won’t be seeing her until we babysit for them while they go to a wedding on the 16th. That gives me an extra week to finish up. Maybe.
So I’ve still got a skein and a half left to spin for the Icelandic Lace Shawl project. As usual I’m running behind on the KAL which started in earnest on Monday. Oh well. What can you do? It’s the process that counts and it’s not a race, is it? I hope to work on the spinning a bit this afternoon. Luckily my sore foot is the left one and not the one I usually treadle with. Tori works ok with only my right foot instead of both. Weaving on the Circus Blanket is out right now however. I press the treadles exactly where it hurts on my foot. Maybe that’s part of how I overused it, not just walking a gazillion miles? But who knows? I’ve had this problem several times since I was a teenager which was a very long time ago now. (And funny thing — the first time happened after walking a gazillion miles too!) There’s obviously a weakness there anyhow. How does one engineer better feet? I only wear sensible shoes with good support. And I do exercises and get massages for them, plus keep my nails trimmed and rough skin removed. (No nail polish though. I don't do nail polish.) My feets are totally spoiled and yet they betray me. How dare they! Ungrateful wretches.
Today I’m still trying to rest the sore foot before I have to go teach my last spinning class this evening. It’s getting better slowly and I’m not limping as much but I don’t want to stress it too much. I know won’t be able to help running around the class and standing the whole two hours. So meanwhile I wound the yarn my daughter dyed for herself on Sunday into balls and am starting on her socks.
I know, I know. I shouldn’t be starting yet another project. This is just so I can have a plain knitting project to work on because I’m getting way behind on my email reading! I won’t yet start the daughter-sized Tulip Socks that I was going to make for her birthday so she will have these ones first. While I’m at it, here’s the yarn I dyed for the next pair of T-Man socks.
I was a bit annoyed because one skein got really dark spots on the relatively light denim colour with hints of green and purple. If both skeins had got spotted, at least they would coordinate but it’s only on one. Boo-hoo. But T says he doesn’t really mind. If it looks too horrible I can always overdye the finished socks in a dark colour but that would mean losing the lovely soft colours that I have now. Obviously I didn’t pay enough attention to what I was doing. The dye stock probably didn’t get stirred up enough. That was the only thing I got done Sunday for myself because I was too busy helping everybody else. And gimping around on my taped-up foot.
Now I’m up to the heel turns on the Crosshatch Socks. They aren’t going to make it for my daughter-in-law’s birthday which is this Saturday, but likely I won’t be seeing her until we babysit for them while they go to a wedding on the 16th. That gives me an extra week to finish up. Maybe.
So I’ve still got a skein and a half left to spin for the Icelandic Lace Shawl project. As usual I’m running behind on the KAL which started in earnest on Monday. Oh well. What can you do? It’s the process that counts and it’s not a race, is it? I hope to work on the spinning a bit this afternoon. Luckily my sore foot is the left one and not the one I usually treadle with. Tori works ok with only my right foot instead of both. Weaving on the Circus Blanket is out right now however. I press the treadles exactly where it hurts on my foot. Maybe that’s part of how I overused it, not just walking a gazillion miles? But who knows? I’ve had this problem several times since I was a teenager which was a very long time ago now. (And funny thing — the first time happened after walking a gazillion miles too!) There’s obviously a weakness there anyhow. How does one engineer better feet? I only wear sensible shoes with good support. And I do exercises and get massages for them, plus keep my nails trimmed and rough skin removed. (No nail polish though. I don't do nail polish.) My feets are totally spoiled and yet they betray me. How dare they! Ungrateful wretches.
Saturday, March 03, 2007
Mindless VS Mindful
As I’ve been whining about for the past week’s worth of posts, I don’t enjoy having to concentrate when knitting socks. For some reason it doesn’t bother me when I’m knitting other things like lace shawls or sweaters. Perhaps I should just suck it up and knit with my mind fully engaged on the process. After all, I profess to be an experienced knitter. I’ve been knitting for over 50 years. I’ve taught knitting workshops. I’ve written magazine articles about my knitting. (Don’t go looking for them. It was a very long time ago and at least one of the magazines is long-ago defunct.) I ought to know what I’m doing with the sticks and string by about now, doncha think? And if I’m not enjoying it, then why the heck am I doing it? OK, I’m sucking it up. No more whining. I’m going to finish the Pomatomus Socks quietly and courteously. And then cast on somethingelsequick.
While I’ve been knitting scaly socks, my mind has been wandering around in interesting places, including thinking about yarn. I have lots of opinions about yarn, both commercial and handspun. Somebody mentioned recently that they couldn’t knit a certain yarn without starting to sniffle and itch, but it was ok after the finished article is washed and blocked. It never occurred to them that they could skein up the yarn and wash it before they knit with it! To me, a long-time spinner, that approach is a no-brainer. Almost all my handspun yarns get washed before I use them. They’re dusty, dirty, greasy and/or have carding oil or anti-static spray on them. Maybe even animal secretions and soil. Why wouldn’t you wash them? Store-bought yarns have much of the same stuff plus the addition of many grubby hands handling them all the way from the manufacturers to the shop you bought them in. Ewww…Doesn’t it make you want to wash every yarn before you use it? I don’t usually bother though unless I’m dyeing it, in which case it gets a wash before and a rinse after dyeing and then yet another bath after it becomes an FO. Or is that “a” FO?
Now if you had a dust allergy, it might make the difference between having to avoid a certain yarn or being able to knit with it. Or perhaps there is a spinning oil or dye chemical that isn’t completely washed out of the yarn and you’re sensitive to it. If you have physical problems with a yarn, it may not necessarily be the fibre itself but something in the processing or handling instead. That’s not to say that you can’t be allergic to wool or other animal fibre. I just don’t believe in jumping to that conclusion before you’ve tried eliminating all the other components that might be in there first.
I also have a few thoughts on the best way to block your socks. There’s a tutorial for making your own sock blockers from plastic coated metal coat hangers here. There are plastic ones, Sintra ones (whatever that is!), fancy wooden ones, and even some fabulous painted ones (I’d mount these on the wall as art because they’re gorgeous). But I don’t really like sock blockers. I think they stretch all the life out of your socks. My sock blocking method, if you could call it that, is to wash the finished socks in hand-hot water with a small spritz of shampoo (you could substitute your favourite wool wash here), rinse, roll them in a towel and stomp on it to get out the excess water, and then pat them out into shape on my ugly but very useful Arborite bathroom counter. (Browns and golds. Guess the era.) Let the socks dry naturally, flipping occasionally to help them dry faster and there you have ’em — nice flat smooth socks suitable for gift giving. Of course if they were for me or T-Man, after that first gentle blocking, I wash them in the washing machine and hang them up on the clothesline with clothespins on their toes so they never again get such special treatment! They seem to survive ok, but remember these are made from superwash wool and nylon sock yarns, not delicate handspun or 100% non-superwash wool or anything. If that were the case I’d continue with a more gentle wash. Not to mention never wear them for fear of them wearing out instantly! Been there; done that; not worth the effort.
And just to clarify for the commenters on my last post, the washcloths/dishcloths can be used for either kitchen or bath. They can be knitted or crocheted. Just try doing a search and you’ll find patterns for a zillion-and-one varieties. And no, Sharon, he doesn’t leave them in sticky balls! He hangs them up on the rail on the back of the bathroom door very neatly. We’ve been married for over 36 years so he’s well “negotiated” by now! (I won’t say “trained”. Heh.) But your place must be less humid than my tiny old bathroom without a fan. Or maybe your washcloths aren’t as thick or the yarn isn’t as absorbent as the one I had? Or maybe you keep it warmer inside. Right about now my house is about 16 C.
While I’ve been knitting scaly socks, my mind has been wandering around in interesting places, including thinking about yarn. I have lots of opinions about yarn, both commercial and handspun. Somebody mentioned recently that they couldn’t knit a certain yarn without starting to sniffle and itch, but it was ok after the finished article is washed and blocked. It never occurred to them that they could skein up the yarn and wash it before they knit with it! To me, a long-time spinner, that approach is a no-brainer. Almost all my handspun yarns get washed before I use them. They’re dusty, dirty, greasy and/or have carding oil or anti-static spray on them. Maybe even animal secretions and soil. Why wouldn’t you wash them? Store-bought yarns have much of the same stuff plus the addition of many grubby hands handling them all the way from the manufacturers to the shop you bought them in. Ewww…Doesn’t it make you want to wash every yarn before you use it? I don’t usually bother though unless I’m dyeing it, in which case it gets a wash before and a rinse after dyeing and then yet another bath after it becomes an FO. Or is that “a” FO?
Now if you had a dust allergy, it might make the difference between having to avoid a certain yarn or being able to knit with it. Or perhaps there is a spinning oil or dye chemical that isn’t completely washed out of the yarn and you’re sensitive to it. If you have physical problems with a yarn, it may not necessarily be the fibre itself but something in the processing or handling instead. That’s not to say that you can’t be allergic to wool or other animal fibre. I just don’t believe in jumping to that conclusion before you’ve tried eliminating all the other components that might be in there first.
I also have a few thoughts on the best way to block your socks. There’s a tutorial for making your own sock blockers from plastic coated metal coat hangers here. There are plastic ones, Sintra ones (whatever that is!), fancy wooden ones, and even some fabulous painted ones (I’d mount these on the wall as art because they’re gorgeous). But I don’t really like sock blockers. I think they stretch all the life out of your socks. My sock blocking method, if you could call it that, is to wash the finished socks in hand-hot water with a small spritz of shampoo (you could substitute your favourite wool wash here), rinse, roll them in a towel and stomp on it to get out the excess water, and then pat them out into shape on my ugly but very useful Arborite bathroom counter. (Browns and golds. Guess the era.) Let the socks dry naturally, flipping occasionally to help them dry faster and there you have ’em — nice flat smooth socks suitable for gift giving. Of course if they were for me or T-Man, after that first gentle blocking, I wash them in the washing machine and hang them up on the clothesline with clothespins on their toes so they never again get such special treatment! They seem to survive ok, but remember these are made from superwash wool and nylon sock yarns, not delicate handspun or 100% non-superwash wool or anything. If that were the case I’d continue with a more gentle wash. Not to mention never wear them for fear of them wearing out instantly! Been there; done that; not worth the effort.
And just to clarify for the commenters on my last post, the washcloths/dishcloths can be used for either kitchen or bath. They can be knitted or crocheted. Just try doing a search and you’ll find patterns for a zillion-and-one varieties. And no, Sharon, he doesn’t leave them in sticky balls! He hangs them up on the rail on the back of the bathroom door very neatly. We’ve been married for over 36 years so he’s well “negotiated” by now! (I won’t say “trained”. Heh.) But your place must be less humid than my tiny old bathroom without a fan. Or maybe your washcloths aren’t as thick or the yarn isn’t as absorbent as the one I had? Or maybe you keep it warmer inside. Right about now my house is about 16 C.
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