Sourcing the right yarn to get the impact you want for that special project can be tricky. Inevitably the yarn used to make up the pattern you just bought is either 1) not available in your LYS, 2) far too expensive for your budget or 3) no longer manufactured. It is at this point the wringing of hands and gnashing of teeth begins because any knitter worth their knitting needles knows the yarn is what makes the pattern special. So a search begins.
Yarns comes in several different weights from lace (very tiny) to bulky/roving (quite thick). The differences between these includes the width of the yarn or put another way how many strands are twisted together to form the yarn. The proper weight of yarn is essential to getting the proper results. Making an adult-sized sweater with sock yarn instead of medium weight yarn may mean you end up with a child's sweater instead. Here's the kind of chart a knitter uses to be sure the proper yarn is purchased. It can be rather intimidating for a new knitter because there are so many factors to consider.
Then there is getting the right colour, shimmer/or lack thereof or proper feel. Itchy wool is off putting and can be expensive, the colour you might see on your computer screen (if you're purchasing online) can be vastly different from what arrives in the mail, and that shimmer you saw in the photo online could merely be a reflection from something else, not the yarn. Many of us prefer to see and feel yarn before we purchase making online purchases particularly difficult.
I've already discussed the potential pitfalls with variegated yarn and pooling of its colours. You might have to use two strands instead of one to get the proper weight or effect OR as I've done with much of my food knitting, separate four-stranded medium weight yarn and convert it into two-strands. Yes a messy process, but it yields the proper sized food when using tiny needles.
Then there's making sure one buys the right amount of yarn in the initial purchase. Yarn comes in dye lots, and these lots are numbered. If the dye lot numbers match you've found yarn that will look right when mixed together. If the dye lots of different, there a good chance there will be a significant difference in the colour of the yarn. So one does need to purchase the right amount at the start. I have learned how difficult it can be to find something that will work even if you have exactly the same brand and just a slight variation in the dye lot number. There's an abandoned sleeveless woman's blouse I made where the yarn ran out about 30 yards before the work was complete. I did find another skein just like it, but the colours were not close enough; the new yarn definitely did stick out. Thus it is among my yet-to-be-completed pile. It will probably be best to rip the entire project out and use the yarn for something else. Urrrgh!
No wonder I tend to buy yarn without a particular purpose in mind and hope I come upon some pattern that will work with the amount of yarn I purchased. This knitting stuff can be complicated, and online shopping of yarn is even more complicated. It seems I'm not alone in these concerns. Check out this link to review some comments from others regarding this phenomenon. Many knitters much prefer going somewhere to see the yarn in person.
So next time you go yarn shopping with me (and I wouldn't necessarily recommend it) you'll better understand why it takes such a long time to make a purchase. Behind that blank and solemn look on my face is a lot of calculating and sizing up of pattern to yarn or vice versa! All that touching and feeling of yarn is research to make a good selection; there's little enjoyment in the process. OK probably some to a great deal, but it is serious business.
Speaking of serious business, I am staying true to my promise of finishing those abandon projects. Here's my blue boy's sweater knit several years ago. When I started sewing it up I noticed a problem with the sleeves not fitting into the holes left for them and stopped. At this point I've taken off the sleeves, with the intention of ripping them apart. I have a plan to use a different technique to set them in place that will hopefully cover up my mistakes. Again, a finished product should show up in the not too distant future, I hope.
Yarns comes in several different weights from lace (very tiny) to bulky/roving (quite thick). The differences between these includes the width of the yarn or put another way how many strands are twisted together to form the yarn. The proper weight of yarn is essential to getting the proper results. Making an adult-sized sweater with sock yarn instead of medium weight yarn may mean you end up with a child's sweater instead. Here's the kind of chart a knitter uses to be sure the proper yarn is purchased. It can be rather intimidating for a new knitter because there are so many factors to consider.
Then there is getting the right colour, shimmer/or lack thereof or proper feel. Itchy wool is off putting and can be expensive, the colour you might see on your computer screen (if you're purchasing online) can be vastly different from what arrives in the mail, and that shimmer you saw in the photo online could merely be a reflection from something else, not the yarn. Many of us prefer to see and feel yarn before we purchase making online purchases particularly difficult.
I've already discussed the potential pitfalls with variegated yarn and pooling of its colours. You might have to use two strands instead of one to get the proper weight or effect OR as I've done with much of my food knitting, separate four-stranded medium weight yarn and convert it into two-strands. Yes a messy process, but it yields the proper sized food when using tiny needles.
Then there's making sure one buys the right amount of yarn in the initial purchase. Yarn comes in dye lots, and these lots are numbered. If the dye lot numbers match you've found yarn that will look right when mixed together. If the dye lots of different, there a good chance there will be a significant difference in the colour of the yarn. So one does need to purchase the right amount at the start. I have learned how difficult it can be to find something that will work even if you have exactly the same brand and just a slight variation in the dye lot number. There's an abandoned sleeveless woman's blouse I made where the yarn ran out about 30 yards before the work was complete. I did find another skein just like it, but the colours were not close enough; the new yarn definitely did stick out. Thus it is among my yet-to-be-completed pile. It will probably be best to rip the entire project out and use the yarn for something else. Urrrgh!
No wonder I tend to buy yarn without a particular purpose in mind and hope I come upon some pattern that will work with the amount of yarn I purchased. This knitting stuff can be complicated, and online shopping of yarn is even more complicated. It seems I'm not alone in these concerns. Check out this link to review some comments from others regarding this phenomenon. Many knitters much prefer going somewhere to see the yarn in person.
So next time you go yarn shopping with me (and I wouldn't necessarily recommend it) you'll better understand why it takes such a long time to make a purchase. Behind that blank and solemn look on my face is a lot of calculating and sizing up of pattern to yarn or vice versa! All that touching and feeling of yarn is research to make a good selection; there's little enjoyment in the process. OK probably some to a great deal, but it is serious business.
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| Pattern unknown so I'll call it a blue boy's sweater; love the buttons! |
Speaking of serious business, I am staying true to my promise of finishing those abandon projects. Here's my blue boy's sweater knit several years ago. When I started sewing it up I noticed a problem with the sleeves not fitting into the holes left for them and stopped. At this point I've taken off the sleeves, with the intention of ripping them apart. I have a plan to use a different technique to set them in place that will hopefully cover up my mistakes. Again, a finished product should show up in the not too distant future, I hope.
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