i knit with this.

Llama

2013-06-03T10:00:00.000-05:00

Remember that little post about the difference (or lack thereof) between alpacas & llamas? This is the second part of the moment that was in preparation for. The first one was here.

Also. A joke: What do you call a very fast llama? A llamagini!

Llamas are double-coated animals (much like my beloved pug, Layla), which means they have coarser guard hairs at the surface of their coats and a soft and silky undercoat. The guard hairs are removed from the fiber and only the undercoat is used to make yarn.

Cool Llama Facts:

The llama could be considered a relative of camels, alpacas, vicunas, and guanacos. Apparently, these little guys get around.

They are natives of South America, and were brought to North America as zoo novelties. They later became packing and companion animals.

Llama fiber is clean, odorless, lightweight provides remarkable warmth with outstanding insulating capabilities without bulk and is lanolin-free.

Llama fiber also shrinks very little during washing or processing and is hypoallergenic.

My Llama Yarn:

This is Mirasol Miski in Black Beauty. It is soft and squishy and made some of the loveliest and simple mittens I have ever seen.

Texture: I think I've used the words "soft" and "squishy" a million times in this post. There's a reason for that. Holy cow! It's amazing. 5 Yarngasms.
Durability: It started as a fiber to make blankets for herders in South America. I think it can handle a little wear and tear. You know, be reasonable. Don't wear them around the cheese grater or anything. But normal winter wear should be a-ok. 3.5 Yarngasms.
Frogability: After too much fussing, the twist starts to unravel. Try to frog it as little as possible if you want to maintain the integrity of the yarn. 1.5 Yarngasms.
Drape: This stuff is pretty springy. There's enough drape for a slouchy hat, but not enough for any sort of open-work garment. Llama yarn laughs in the face of gravity. 1 Yarngasm.

I've also knit with Elsebeth Lavold

My Project:

This one’s from way back when. Around Christmas to be exact, during the mad gift knitting dash.

I knit the Basic Cuff-Up Mittens by Patti Pierce Stone (Ravelry link). I was looking for a simple, no-nonsense mitten pattern; mostly because I wasn't entirely sure how well the sqishable, dark yarn would be able to highlight any stitch pattern. What I ended up with was a delightful and practical little knit.

Brickyard Pottery

2013-05-27T10:00:00.000-05:00

As promised, here's a little peek at one set of GORGEOUS Brickyard Pottery buttons I purchased last weekend at Shepherd's Harvest Sheep & Wool Festival.

This project pattern is Candy Sprinkles (Ravelry link).

Now, up close and personal...

Yeah. I'll just leave you with that. Because honestly, I can't follow those little beauties up.

Yarn Shout Out!

2013-05-20T10:00:00.000-05:00

I knit with a lot of yarns. Obviously. I've seen my share of the good, the bad, and the sheddy. This blog and my quest to know all I can about fibers had made me a bit of a one hit wonder when it comes to brands/producers/spinners/dyers/etc. What all this boils down to is that it takes a pretty spectacular yarn to keep me coming back for more. Want to know about what might be my biggest singular knitting addiction? Here we go...

I am obsessed with The Plucky Knitter yarn. I feel like you could go so far as to call me a devotee. I've made over two dozen projects with her yarn and purchased just as many skeins. I can't help myself. The yarn is high quality, soft, lustrous, and springy as all get out. But what really turns my crank is the color! OH MY SWEET MERCIFUL HEAVENS, THE COLORS! They have to be seen to be believed.

You can find The Plucky Knitter on Ravelry, Facebook, Flickr, and Etsy. Make sure to sign up for her mailing list- the shop/store updates are sporadic (and she sells out every time) and that's the best way to be in the know. Whatever you do, just find her. And buy yourself a skein of something wonderful. You can thank me later.

Shepherd's Harvest Sheep & Wool Festival

2013-05-13T12:33:00.000-05:00

Last weekend, I made my annual trek to the Washington County Fairgrounds in Lake Elmo, MN for the Shepherd's Harvest Sheep & Wool Festival with my knitting enabler, Jennifer. As someone who doesn't make it to a ton of knitting events, this is basically the highlight of my knitting year.

While I didn't make as many purchases as I have in years past, I think I am far more excited about what I did come home with:

100% Pygora Goat yarn (undyed) from Amity Creek Pygora Goat Farm. I can't wait to tell you all about this one. Wow. Just, wow.

Cultivated Silk Hankies Hand-Dyed from Goldfish Love Fibers. I've never worked with silk hankies before, but, you know me, I'll try anything once.

100% Alpaca from Little Gidding Farm in Bachelor Button. So soft and lovely.

I also came home with some smells-so-good-I-could-eat-it Almond Oatmeal hand lotion from All Things Herbal and some adorable ceramic buttons from Brickyard Pottery (I'll have to get some photos for you guys- they must be seen to be believed).

A trip to Shepherd's Harvest is never complete without some fried food for breakfast (GIANT egg roll) and a lamb burger. YUM! I usually come home with pounds and pounds of fudge from LARK Toys. Unfortunately, this year I forgot to swing by until we were already on the road home. It made my heart and stomach very, very sad. Pretty much the tragedy of Shepherd's Harvest 2013.

Plus! Animal barn!

I almost came home with this bunny. This little Lionhead is 6 weeks old and snuggly as can be. It took all my willpower to walk away.

What a great Mother's Day! I topped it off with margaritas and a showing of The Great Gatsby. FTW!

Milk

2013-05-13T11:39:00.001-05:00

This next yarn is pretty much made of magic. And science. So, it’s doubly cool. Milk yarn is made by first taking dehydrating milk. Then, the dehydrated milk is skimmed and the milk proteins are extracted. These proteins are mixed with chemicals to make a solid that is extruded and spun into yarn. Sounds totally easy and like something you could do in your kitchen, right? Maybe not…

It’s a crazy complex process. If you want more information about how exactly it all goes from milk to mittens, here are some stellar articles I found:

Cool Milk Facts:

It takes about 100 pounds of skim milk to make 3 pounds of milk fiber.
The amino acids present in the fiber make it antibacterial and antifungal.
Easy to dye: good color fastness, can dye under normal temperature.
It absorbs moisture very well.

My Milk Yarn:

This was one of those random internet finds (in the days before milk yarn was widely available). I was drawn to it because of the fiber, but couldn't resist the purchase because of the color. This is Kollage Yarns Creamy in Curacao Blue.

Texture: It lives in this weird corn/cashmere/cotton world. It's delightful. Soft and shiny. It feels great in your fingers. 4.5 Yarngasms.

Durability: I've worn my garment a TON and it holds up like a dream. 4 Yarngasms.

Frogability: I frogged it a time or two, but I would be hesitant of any more than that. After a couple rounds of being knit and unknit, the twist was opening up and it felt like I was flirting with irreparably damaging the yarn. 2.5 Yarngasms.

Drape: It's so light, one might think that getting a milk garment to drape would be a lesson in futility (*cough* corn yarn *cough*), but that's not the case at all. This yarn drapes in all the right ways; it opens up stitch patterns, but isn't heavy.. 5 Yarngasms.

My Project:

I knit Urban by Veera Välimäki (Ravelry Link). I was looking for a project that was light and summery since this yarn is perfect for a summer garment. This pattern is fab on its own, but in the milk, fuhgeddaboudit. I would make a million of these and wear them all the time.

This was such a fun yarn to work (not to mention the amazeballs colors that milk yarn comes in) with and it came with the added bonus of a shirt that I wear a lot, I mean A LOT, in the summer. Try it. I hope you like it as much as I do.

The Final Countdown!

2012-08-13T11:57:00.000-05:00

The Knitting Olympics are finally over. Whew! At final count, I knit 11 hats in 16 days. Not too shabby. The modified NFL beanies got me in a stash busting mood, so the last three are all plain ol' striped stockinette hats with a ribbed brim.

#9:

#10:

#11:

These were all made with lots of odds and ends from my stash, so it's not worth it to mention yarns because it would be a laundry list of random yarn brands. When putting my colors together, I started with a variegated yarn and then chose other ends that matched that yarn to help create a unified color palette. I tried not to pick more than 5 colors because I carried them up instead of cutting the yarn at the end of every 2 row stripe. Because I'm lazy and let's face it, we ALL hate weaving in ends.

Now, to relax my poor joints for a day or two. Next week, I'm talking about llama! Stay tuned!

So many hats it hurts

2012-08-10T08:05:00.001-05:00

It's official. I've become obsessed with stash-busting hats. I finished two more modified NFL Breast Cancer Awareness Beanie by Hermione J. Schwartz. #6 in Cascade 220 (White & Tutu) and SameKnitDifferentDye's Gaia Organic Worsted in Thankful:

And #7 in Knit Picks Swish DK (Marble Heather), Wool of the Andes (Avocado) and SeeJayneKnitYarns Handpainted Superwash Merino Worsted in Blue Agate Beauty:

Hat #8 barely counts, but I'll take it. It's a simple stockinette baby hat with garter stitch brim knit with My Friend London London's Handspun in Gracie. A special shout-out to anatomyofaskirt for my model; he is by far my favorite knitting tool carrier. So cute!

#9 in on the needles. I should have it completed by tomorrow. I can't believe this hatsanity will be over in a few days!

Hatathon, Part Deux

2012-08-07T14:54:00.001-05:00

I've finished hats #4 & #5! Only 5 more days until Closing Ceremony, and I'm really hoping to finish 3 more hats by then.

Hat #4:

Regina by Carina Spencer knit with Malabrigo Yarn Merino Worsted in Stonechat and Pearl Ten. This hat knit up very quickly, but if I were to knit it again, I think I would do so with a lighter weight yarn. The pattern is so refined that the chunkiness of the Malabrigo seems off somehow.

Hat #5:

This is a modified version of the NFL Breast Cancer Awareness Beanie by Hermione J. Schwartz knit with a ton of leftover Cascade 220 I had sitting about (White, Tutu, Flamingo, and Magenta). I love the look of this hat! And I love that I can do a little stash busting when I knit it. I'm planning at least one more of these during the next 5 days.

Happy Knitting and my the purls be ever in your favor!

Hatathon!

2012-08-04T12:22:00.002-05:00

I finished my third hat this morning and I just couldn't wait to share it!

Indian Summer by Kalurah (Ravelry Link) made with Blue Ridge Yarns Alpaca Delight Mini in Night Light. I love this pattern, it's so lovely and light and delicate. Not to mention it knits up SUPER fast!

I also cast on for hat #4! It's by one of my favoritest designers of all time, Carina Spencer!

Happy Knitting!

In my heart it will always be the Knitting Olympics

2012-08-02T10:33:00.000-05:00

This is a busy time for knitters. Whether you call it the Knitting Olympics, Ravelympics, or the newly christened Ravellenic Games, it's all the same; we knitters try to push the boundaries of our craft and our skill over the course of two weeks (coinciding with The Olympics). Of course, like any good competition, there are rules (thanks to Simply Stavish for summing this up):

1. Choose a project that will challenge your knitting skills in one of the 32 events and join a team.
2. Cast on during opening ceremonies.
3. Knit like crazy during the games.
4. Attempt to cast off before or during the closing ceremonies, earning your team points and hopefully a medal.

While I didn't join a team (it's been a crazy summer, y'all), I decided to compete in an event on my own. I am competing in a hatathon, where I will knit all the hats I can in the two weeks of the London 2012 Olympics. I've not been as productive as I hoped, but here are a couple of hats I have been able to finish in the last 6 days.

Alaina Beanie by Jen Eastin (Ravelry Link) made with Malabrigo Yarn Merino Worsted in Buscando Azul

Here and There by Veera Välimäki (Ravelry Link) made with Ella Rae Latte in 02 & 07

I'll keep you posted as I finish projects in the next 8 days. Until then, Happy Knitting Olympics to you!

Mink

2012-07-16T10:54:00.003-05:00

This is one I’ve been excited about for a LONG time. Holy Cow! Mink!

Cool Mink Facts:

There are two main species of mink; the American mink and the European mink. American mink is the one sought after for its fur.
In all the research I’ve done, it’s pretty clear to me that minks are not to be tamed and kept as pets. Crazy like foxes they are.

My Mink Yarn:

As soon as I saw this on Purl Soho’s website I knew I had to be mine. Yes, it’s a little spendy, but Jade Sapphire’s Make Mine Mink is totally worth it just for the experience of knitting with mink. This particular yarn made by combing minks* and then spinning the fiber. In my mind, combing minks is a completely relaxing and desirous job; like I just sit on my couch, watching tv, and combing minks. In reality, it’s probably like trying to catch a greased up watermelon in a public pool, but my fantasies don’t need to be bothered by pesky things like reality.

Texture: It’s like shoving your hand in a cloud filled with flowers and puppies and chocolate *drool*. 5 Yarngasms

Durability: Delicate. So, so delicate even in a tight knit. 1 Yarngasm.

Frogability: Don’t do it. This yarn sheds like crazy and will break if you’re not careful. .5 Yarngasms.

Drape: It’s got lovely drape, but I don’t know that I would ever use it for anything that requires drape. 3.5 Yarngasms.

My Project:

I knit Monique Gascon’s Woven Cowl (Ravelry link). It’s a great pattern that showcased the texture of the mink. It was a quick little knit and I didn’t end up with any leftover mink. Hooray on both counts!

I had so much fun knitting with mink that the yumminess of the yarn made up for the fact that every time I knit with it I ended up looking like a pack of minks shed all over me. I can’t state this strongly enough: this yarn will shed all over you. It will shed half its weight on you if you let it. You will need to wear specific mink knitting clothes when you use it.

But it’s worth it. So worth it.

*Mink or minks are acceptable plural forms of mink. In case you were wondering.

Camel

2012-07-10T10:59:00.000-05:00

A new blog post! About yarn! Camel yarn to be exact! Must be your lucky day! Or mine!

Cool Camel Facts:

A camel can produce up to 5 pounds of hair a year

Camel hair is collected from the two-humped Bactrian camel; Mongolia, Iran, Afghanistan, Russia, China, and Australia are the largest suppliers of camel hair worldwide

While camel hair is usually left undyed, it can take dye as well as many other animal fibers

Camel hair can insulate in cold conditions and keep cool in warm weather

My Camel Yarn:

I was sweating myself silly wandering around Uptown one fine June afternoon and stumbled across the Uptown Farmers’ Market. It was there I found the booth of Whisker Knits. She had only a few skeins out, but they were all of your semi-exotic fiber variety. I was telling Megan (Ms. Whisker Knits herself) about my affinity for strange fibers when she confided that she had some milk ready to spin up. I was in love! The Whisker Knits camel was chunky and soft with great texture – I couldn’t resist.

Texture: It was soft, yet hearty and full of tactile interest. 4 Yarngasms.

Durability: My knit wasn’t too open and yet not too tight, but it seems to stand up to general wear and tear pretty well. 3 Yarngasms.

Frogability: The pattern was simple enough that I didn’t have to frog it, but I did manage a couple of cast ons before my tail was just right and it held up nicely. 3.5 Yarngasms.

Drape: Because camel hair provides a lot of warmth without a lot of weight, there is very little body to this type of yarn. 1.5 Yarngasms.

My Project:

Knowing that I had very little yardage (138 yards to be exact), I knew I needed to make every inch count. I chose the Sparkles Cowl because I could knit until I was out of yarn and then sew it up. This pattern is less visually interesting without a sparkly yarn, but texture and natural color of the camel made a simple and elegant cowl.

I had fun with my camel yarn. Although I would probably steer clear of it for larger projects, I will definitely keep it in mind when I’m working on smaller, luxury knits.

New York, NY

2012-06-12T12:30:00.001-05:00

I was in New York a couple of weeks back and stopped by Purl Soho. I had been turned on them by a crafty co-worker some time ago and was told I HAD to stop by if I was in town. For those of you who, like me, don’t live in the NY area, Purl Soho has a lovely and comprehensive website where I have purchased several items (Mink yarn! More on that later!).

Purl Soho is a stylish yarn boutique without that museum feel many of très chic yarneries tend to have. I was immediately taken with the great natural lighting, stylish décor, and colorful yarn stacks. The staff is friendly and knowledgeable. In addition to yarn and yarn accessories, they also have fabric, thread, buttons, and lots more for the crafty consumer. Purl Soho carries amazing selection of high end yarns, but of course, I opted for the local fare. I had a choice between Jared Flood’s Shelter yarn line and a little something from Habu Textiles. I picked up four skeins of (I believe discontinued) Habu linen ramie tape in dark brown. No idea what I’ll do with it, but it’s delightful.

I had a great time fondling the yarn and drooling over the fabric bundles. Next time you are in New York, add a visit to Purl Soho to your itinerary.

Mohair

2011-12-12T15:50:00.000-06:00

Sweet baby Jesus. I wrote a post way back in April and the next thing I know, it's mid-December and I haven't written anything in between. Bad, Natalie...

Since my last (let's be honest) filler post about knitting. I've been doing a lot of, well, knitting. Especially in the last two month. Tis the season and all. I got my hands on llama, yak, cashmere and qiviut. And hopefully, I'll be writing about those things in the coming weeks/months.

Let's leave the past in the past and get down to the nitty gritty. Mohair.

Mohair is made from the hair of angora goats. Mohair is soft and lovely. The little flyaway hairs in mohair don't bug me as much as llama or alpaca.

Cool Mohair Facts:

It is one of the oldest textile fibers known to man
It takes dye very well
It's diameter grows with the age of the goat; young goats produce fine hairs while order goat produce thicker hairs
It is a great insulator

My Mohair Yarn:
I picked up this skein of 100% mohair at the Colorfield Farm booth at last year's Shepherd's Harvest Sheep & Wool Festival. My favorite thing in the whole wide world about this yarn is that it came in sport weight. I usually only see it in the lace/sock/fingering variety and as much as I love knitting sewing thread on toothpicks, I like this just *thismuch* more.

Texture: It's smooth and soft and It feel a little bit like if corn and alpaca had a yarn baby. Which is a good thing. 3.5 Yarngasms.
Durability: The actual fibers are very durable. In fact, mohair is know for its durability. The yarn itself, not so much. See Frogability. 2.5 Yarngasms.
Frogability: I wouldn't unless you had to. With the lack of twist in my specific yarn, it started to get very unattractive and unworkable very easily after frogging and ripping. .5 Yarngasms.
Drape: There's not a lot of body to this fiber even in a sport weight. 2 Yarngasms.

My Project:
I had barely enough to make the Hermione Hearts Ron hat (Ravelry link), but I made it work. The hat is a quick little knit for any HP geek. Myself included. I love that the yarn ended up self-striping although that was not my original intention.

Photo courtesy of Justin D. Gallo Photography

Sadly for mohair, I think it's one of those fibers I could probably live without. I didn't especially have any issues with it and it didn't drive me any particular brand of crazy, but I also wasn't incredibly impressed with it. It's soft and shiny, but that can be said about a lot of things. It could be used for just about any garment that didn't require a great deal of weight, but again, that can be said about quite a few fibers. While I really like the end result, overall, it was a fairly meh experience.

So THAT'S what I write about...

2011-04-21T09:55:00.001-05:00

Paper

2011-04-15T16:13:00.002-05:00

Paper yarn feels a lot like a use dryer sheet that got stuck in a pair of pants and has been carried around for half a day before falling out. In fact, my looks a lot like a dryer sheet that had a sewing machine taken to it. It's soft and super squishy. It feels great as it's knit up; in fact, I found it very nostalgic and comforting in a way I can't quite put my finger on.

My Paper Yarn:
Universal Yarns Papier (colorway: Iron Teapot) is a blend of 75% Paper and 25% Nylon. My bet is the nylon is the stitching that holds the whole yarn together.

Texture: It's soft and delightful. The stitching adds a shine and depth not seen in other yarns. 5 Yarngasms.
Durability: Yikes, this is a delicate yarn. Between the delicate dryer sheet body and stitching, I don't know how much this yarn will hold up against normal wear and tear. 1.5 Yarngasms.
Frogability: Just don't. I unfortunately had to frog this yarn several times in the course of trying to find the right project and what started off smooth and beautiful very quickly because ragged and snared. The yarn is still very tacitly pleasing, but less aesthetically pleasing. 0 Yarngasms.
Drape: Paper is a dense fiber, but is incredibly light. I feel like it's very middle of the road; not too drapey, but not too springy. 3 Yarngasms.

My Project:
This yarn started as the Sidewinder Hat (Ravelry link) which is one of my favorite hats. Warning: don't try cables with this yarn. It just doesn't look right. I was getting a weird stitched to non-stitched yarn side ratio and I wasn't happy with how anything looked. So I took it apart. Then, I tried another hat because I couldn't for the life of me find an adult pattern that called for 136 yards. Eventually, I settled on a the Rag Bag (another Ravelry link).

My yarn is a little worse for wear because of all the knitting and frogging, but I am so pleased with how the final project turned out. It's a simple little bag and paired with a snazzy Fabric Flower it looks really adorable.

Austin, TX

2011-02-02T16:08:00.002-06:00

When I travel, I make it a habit to check out a local yarn store. In my humble opinion, you can tell a lot about the knitters in a region by looking at the kinds of stores they have at their disposal and what fibers/brands are readily available. The proprietors of these stores probably think I'm crazy because the first two questions out of my mouth are, "What do you have that's locally raised/spun/dyed?" and "What's the weirdest fiber here?". Once I explain what I do on ye olde blog the crazy seems to make sense. The latest in a long line of those subjected to my own personal brand of knitting crazy was Stacy at The Knitting Nest in Austin, TX.

The Knitting Nest is my kind of yarnery; lots of natural light, plenty of space in between shelves for browsing, enough stock that the space looks full, but not so much that you feel like your head might explode with choices, several comfy seating options for those who want to hang out and most importantly, fantastically knowledgeable and ridiculously friendly staff. I want to clone the Nest and bring it to MN. If you ever have the opportunity to visit Austin, a trip to The Knitting Nest is a must!

I may have lost all control and self-restraint while I was there (What, me, never...). I left with the following:

2 skeins of Kollage Riveting in dusk denim (a semi-weird fiber)
3 skeins of Elsebeth Lavold's Baby Llama in juice, flaming red and pine (a fiber I haven't worked with yet)
2 skeins of Instant Gratification Superwash Sock Yarn in a colorway that can only be described as Valentine's Day (Texas made)
1 skein of Noro Kureyon Sock Yarn in deep blue (for a commissioned piece)
2 skeins of Queensland Collection Rustic Wool in charcoal (because it was on super sale)
1 skein of Spinning Colors Worsted in amethyst (also Texas made)
1 pack of notecards and 1 pack of tags from Knitterella (because who could resist...)

Seriously. That's a full load of goodies.

With all that awesomeness abounding, it's no wonder that local knitters love The Knitting Nest. It's won some awards and generally has some pretty cool people hanging about.

And... there's giant knitting needles. GIANT. As in, probably made for. See:

I can't possible top those bad boys, so I'll leave it at that. The Knitting Nest . 5 Yarngasms. Word.

Sugar Cane

2011-01-26T15:57:00.004-06:00

OMG. Sugar cane yarn is the softest, smoothest, shiniest yarn in the whole wide world! I can't find any manufacturing information on the interwebs, which only strengthens my initial feeling that it must be made with rainbows and fairies and unicorns and happiness.

My Sugar Cane Yarn:
My silver Araucania Ruca looks metallic. But it's not. It's 100% sugar cane.

*This is the Periwinkle, not the Silver, but it's a good illustrator of the Shiny.

Texture: It's the softer, splittier cousin of cotton/seaweed/corn yarn baby. 5 Yarngasms.
Durability: It's holding up after several wears. I am a little worried about the snagging; catch it on anything and it shreds like cotton candy. 3.5 Yarngasms.
Frogability: It's so pretty and delicate and lacking a lot of twist - it's not going to hold up to repeated froggings. 1.5 Yarngasms.
Drape: It shows off openwork like seaweed, but just a little lighter to wear. It would be a really nice summer project yarn. 4.5 Yarngasms.

My Project:
The Ruca is a perfect yarn for a dressier project because of the Shiny. I decided I needed a snazzy little cardi and found The Betty Minisweater. I had never done a Roman Stripe stitch. It was fun and the tiniest bit challenging. The stitch looks very similar to a crochet stitch, which means I get a lot of people asking about how I crocheted my sweater. They are amazed when I explain that I did it with two pointy sticks.

Alpaca

2011-01-26T11:17:00.001-06:00

Remember that little post about the difference (or lack thereof) between alpacas & llamas? It was all in preparation for this moment. This one, right here. And another one, later on. Quick recap: alpacas are roughly the size of an adult human and have soft, floofy, fleecy goodness.

Ask not what you can do for Alpaca, but what Alpaca can do for you:
Alpaca fleece is hypoallergenic, water repellent and difficult to ignite. Cool, no?

My Alpaca Yarn:
I was at the Shepard's Harvest Sheep & Wool Festival last spring when I eye-spied this lovely yarn from EnchantedMeadows Alpacas and Goats. They are super nice people who sell an amazing amount of yarn for a v. reasonable price. I highly recommend picking up a hank or two (or three or ten) if you see them out and about.

Texture: It's soft and fuzzy and cozy. 3.5 Yarngasms.

Durability: The fuzzy becomes frizzy when frogged too much, worn a lot or mishandled in the washing process. Alpaca is a fragile fiber, I tell ya. 2.5 Yarngasms.

Frogability: I wouldn't frog it if you paid me. See above. 2 Yarngasms.

Drape: Alpaca is in that weird in-between place where it's not like making something with chain mail, but it's also not quite heavy enough to really show off openwork. 3 Yarngasms.

My Alpaca Project:
I made the Double V Cardigan by Melissa Wehrle from Interweave Knits, Spring 2010 (Ravelry link). I love all of Melissa's designs. You should too. She rocks.

So. Alpaca. I've knit a few things with the fiber. And I've loved all of them. I've loved them so much that they more closely resemble a big piece of lint. Like the Double V Cardi, I'm constantly picking fuzzballs the size of TX off my clothes after I wear it. What is a girl to do then? I want to keep knitting with alpaca because it's soft and warm and pretty inexpensive, but I need something that can withstand my not-so-delicate lifestyle. I guess the best I can say is knit at your own risk and know yourself or the person for whom you are knitting the piece.

Speaking of TX, I'll be in Austin this weekend. I think a trip to the Knitting Nest is in order!

Acrylic

2010-11-29T16:54:00.000-06:00

Warning: I am a yarn snob. And also an acrylic hater. In my humble opinion, there are only 3 good reasons to knit with acrylic:

1. It's for a baby. I don't want to put a ton of money into a knit piece that will inevitably end up covered in spit and god knows what else. I also don't want aforementioned baby's parents to hate me because I made something that got covered in unmentionables and can't be machine washed.
2. I'm broke. The one major awesome factor of acrylic is that it comes in large and inexpensive skeins. I can knit whole sweaters for $5. Okay. Maybe not $5. But definitely $10.
3. It's for someone who doesn't realize that their washing machine has cold and delicate settings. We all know those people. The ones who wash everything on hot. The ones who felt all the beautiful woolen gifts you give them. Even though you took the time to print a care tag and remind them that it's wool and will felt if washed with hot water. Yep. Them. I'm looking at YOU, Grandma!

But for the sake of science and this blog, I broke down and knit with acrylic for none of the reasons listed above.

My Acrylic Yarn:
I picked up some Caron Simply Soft from my local craft emporium (read: Joann's). It didn't make me want to cut my hands off while I knit, so that's something.

Texture: If I close my eyes real tight and sit on my hands until they fall asleep before I start knitting, I can almost imagine that I'm knitting with wool and not plastic. 1.5 Yarngasms.
Durability: It can survive babies and the washing machine illiterate. It's the cockroach of yarn. 4 Yarngasms.
Frogability: It can be frogged and frogged without breaking, but after a time or two it turns into a scary, frizzy muppet. 2 Yarngasms.
Drape: It can get a bit heavy, but if you accommodate for that, it's not too bad. 3 Yarngasms.

My Project:
Christmas Tree Skirt by Ann V. Gallentine (Ravelry link). It's my go-to Christmas pattern. I've made it for 3 people in varying sizes. It's easy, but looks like you spent some time on it.

It's acrylic. What more can I say?

I Fail: A Confession

2010-11-19T13:50:00.000-06:00

You know that scene in Pinocchio where the little puppet boy and his father sail the turbulent seas only to be swallowed by a whale? That was my life. The whale kept me from blogging. Well, you know, the metaphorical whale. Not a real whale. We don't have whales in Minnesota. Many lakes. No whales.

Now, I'm mostly all better. Which means I can get back to the business at hand. Mainly yarn made from cool stuff.

Super awesome things to look forward to in the coming weeks: SUGAR YARN! PAPER YARN!

And decidedly less exciting things to look forward to in the coming weeks: WOOL YARN! COTTON YARN! ACRYLIC YARN!

Stay tuned.

Alpaca vs. Llama. Like Alien vs. Predator, but different.

2010-10-26T15:13:00.002-05:00

If you're anything like me, you occasionally walk into petting zoo to look at a furry, four legged, long-necked animal only to wonder if it's a llama or an alpaca. In order to combat my alpaca ignorance, my llama cluelessness; I present Alpaca vs. Llama:

ALPACA:

Scientific Name: Vicugna pacos

Continent of Origin: South America

Height: up to 3 feet from feet to shoulders

Weight: 100-175 lbs.

Life span: 20-25 years

Fiber production: 5-8 lbs. annually

LLAMA:

Scientific Name: Lama glama

Continent of Origin: South America

Height: up to 4 feet from feet to shoulders

Weight: 250-450 lbs.

Life span: 15-25 years

Fiber production: 5-10 lbs. annually, but guard hair must be removed for spinning.

That wasn't nearly as helpful as I was hoping it would be. They look very similar. They come from the same place. They are both related to camels. They are both raised for fiber or livestock. The only real differences are size and fiber quality. So. If you walk into a petting zoo and see a very large, furry, four legged, long-necked animal, chances are it's a llama. If you see a much smaller furry, four legged, long-necked animal, chances are it's an alpaca (or a baby llama). Upon closer inspection, if you see guard hairs mixed in with the fleece, it's a llama. But if there is only soft, fleecy goodness, it's an alpaca.

Clear as mud? I thought so.

Seaweed

2010-10-13T14:24:00.004-05:00

Sorry for the delay kids, I was crazy busy and then I got sick and it snowballed into my post being late. No good, I know. But without further ado, I present: SEAWEED! I'll admit, the post is sans-project pictures, but they're coming. Pinky promise.

Seaweed/Seacell®:
In 1997, a study was conducted to see what, if any, marine plant fiber might be suitable for spinning, weaving, dying and washing. Seacell® was released on the market in 2001. Seacell® is a variant of lyocell. It's made by combining cellulose with seaweed. But let's call it seaweed. It's so much more fun!

Cool Seaweed Facts:

It stimulates skin cell regeneration, supports skin blood flow and exhibits anti-inflammatory properties
It's hypoallergenic
Some claim it allows for an exchange of minerals and vitamins between fiber and skin and reduces stress

My Seaweed Yarn:
For my project, I used Fibra Natura Sea Song. It's 80% cotton and 20% seacell®. It has a similar texture to cotton, but drapes a lot more nicely. Where I wouldn't necessarily use lightweight cotton for an openwork piece, I would absolutely use the cotton/seaweed combo.

Texture: V. similar to cotton. 3 Yarngasms.
Durability: It's very splitty, but the individual strands don't break too easily. 3.5 Yarngasms.
Frogability: I frogged this yarn 4 times before I found a project I liked. I would try not to do it more than that, but the yarn held up for my 4 attempts and 1 finished product. 4.5 Yarngasms.
Drape: It has a great drape. I love the way openwork looks with this yarn. 4 Yarngasms.

My Project:
After several failed attempts (bad yarn/project combo, not enough yarn, decided halfway through I didn't like the pattern, etc.), I used the seaweed yarn to knit the February Lady Sweater. I love this sweater (psst! It knits up real quick-like!). I love this yarn. I love them together.

If you haven't knit with seaweed, you should.

EDIT: See! I promised pictures and there they are. Success!

Hemp

2010-09-30T12:52:00.002-05:00

Hemp:
Hemp is a fiber cultivated from cannabis plants. It's been around for at least the last 12,000 years. It's used in textiles, paper, plastics, food and building materials. It is a crazy, cool substance. Don't believe me? Check out the cool hemp facts!

Cool Hemp Facts:

More hemp is exported to the United States than to any other country.
Hemp seeds are jam packed with essential amino and fatty acids.
Hemp contains less than 0.3% THC, where marijuana can contain 6%-20%.
More amazing hemp facts can be found here. Seriously. These facts are awesome.

My Hemp Yarn:
I'm going to let you in on a little secret... I picked this yarn out before The Quest was even a sparkle in my eye.

The color! Do you see the color?

Now do you see what I'm talking about? It's LanaKnits Designs Hemp for Knitting allhemp6 in Midori and it's super saturated and full of grass green goodness.

Texture: 3 Yarngasms. It's very similar to the coarse 100% silk I used. It's hearty, but smooth. It's not soft and luscious, but it's also not like fondling steel wool.
Durability: 3.5 Yarngasms. They make hemp ropes for cryin' out loud. This stuff is strong when twisted, but if it's undertwisted or starts to untwist - beware.
Frogability: 1 Yarngasm. As soon as you start frogging, you'll lose twist. This causes major splitting and breaking of the individual strands. The color also flakes off the more you mess with the yarn. Try not to do it if at all possible.
Drape: 4 Yarngasms. Hemp yarn is very heavy and drapes like a dream, but doesn't overdrape. You're not going to get an overstretched garment from hemp like you can with bamboo.

My Project:
The moment that I saw the Lacy Skirt with Bows on the cover of Greetings from the Knit Cafe, I was in love. It just so happens that hemp drapes for days, so it's perfect for a skirt. This is yet another example of the yarn and the pattern working together to create something truly beautiful.

Corn

2010-09-20T16:41:00.003-05:00

Corn, you know, the kind you eat:
I am told the Native Americans shared the secret of corn with the Pilgrims. How long was the corn growing in the new world before the Mayflower? Who knows. Ok. An archaeologist or historian somewhere knows, but I am neither and so I claim "who knows". Let's get real here for a moment; you eat corn, I eat corn, I think we're all aware of what corn is and how it's grown. Yes? Yes. Moving right along...

Corn, you know, the kind you knit:
Corn yarn is a relatively new product. Our little kerneled friends were just waiting in the wings for a chemist to come along and help them reach their full potential. That's right my friends, put out of your mind the image of a gentle, grandma-type lady at her spinning wheel diligently twisting and pulling corn silk. This bad boy begins in a laboratory. *maniacal laughter* Ok. That's not entirely true. It begins on a farm and then migrates to the laboratory. *more maniacal laughter*

Corn is full of starch. These starches are broken down into sugars, then fermented and broken down even further on the molecular chain. Think of it as a gooey, sugary, play-doh. This play-doh is shoved through an extruder to create thin, delicate strands. The strands are cut, carded, combed and spun into yarn.

Cool Corn Yarn Facts:

It's compostable.
It's hypoallergenic.
It's UV & wrinkle resistant.
It has low flammability.

My Corn:
For my first foray into knitting with corn, I chose Kollage Corntastic Yarn. If a hank of cotton yarn and a ball of bamboo yarn had a little yarn baby, it would be corn yarn.

Texture: 4 Yarngasms. omgthisyarnissoridiculouslysoftanddelicious! *puddle*

Durability: 2.5 Yarngasms. While corn yarn has similar properties to bamboo and cotton, it is definitely the most delicate of the three.

Frogability: 1 Yarngasm. Don't do it. Don't even think about it. This yarn it very splitty to begin with, frogging only makes it worse.

Drape: 1 Yarngasm. Yeah. There's none.

My Project:
Prepare yourselves for a saga of epic proportions. I bought this yarn with the express purpose of using it for the Corset-Bodice Nightgown from Knitting Lingerie Style: More Than 30 Basic and Lingerie-Inspired Designs. Silky, delicious yarn for a sexy nightgown, what could possible go wrong? I'll tell you what went wrong. I finished the project, blocked it and then realized that it didn't look anything like I wanted it to. Or anything like the picture. The yarn may be soft and smooth and totally yummy, but it's so lightweight it can't drape to save its life. And so, the Corset-Bodice Nightgown was frogged and the Kollage Corntastic sat unused and unloved. Until one day, I decided it was time to move past my disappointment and turn this knitting frown upside down. Armed with the knowledge that I couldn't use any pattern that included openwork, I went with a pattern I'd been itching to knit; the Button-Up Sweater from Doggy Knits: Over 20 Coat Designs for Handsome Hounds And Perfect Pooches. And so, this* was born:

*the sweater, not the dog

And there was much rejoicing.

This may sound like I don't like this yarn. That is SO not the case. In fact, this yarn is the perfect example of why I started this Quest in the first place. Every fiber has positives and negatives, the key is to pick projects that accentuate the positives and eliminate the negatives (as they say...) of the fiber you're working with. The fiber is the basis of this craft and each project should work for the fiber content in your yarn and not the other way around. It just so happened that the first pattern I picked didn't work with the fiber. The second pattern I looked at had all the right elements to showcase the corn yarn. The lesson here: Know Thy Yarn.