Blogging meme 26 Dec
Dec. 26th, 2013 10:56 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
issenllotroisroyaumes suggested "knitting and your favourite yarns".I came across knitting from a book - I'm of a solitary nature and one of those people that believe you can learn to do anything from reading books: cooking, sewing, jewellery making, drawing with varying levels of sucess - that I got from the library. I can't remember the title now, but it was focused on making shawls and scarves using either novelty yarns like eyelash yarns or popcorn yarns, or expensive yarn like silk. Later I found the Stitch n' Bitch Book which explained some things very well - like how to actually cast on and what was a knit stitch and what was a purl stitch - and some things very confusedly, like what d'you mean, bring the yarn forward. With the help of other books, I eventually figured it out and made a number of scarves, like any beginner.
I live in the tropics, so there isn't much use for scarves. You could make sweaters and cardigans, to ward off chilly air-conditioning, but buying the huge amount of yarn needed for one (at least 10 balls, depending on type) is a big decision so instead I did the somewhat penny wise, pound foolish thing of buying just one or two balls of a yarn that I liked, and either making gloves or or a shawl out of it. I got to enjoy the yarn that I liked without spending too much, though it does mean I end up with too many balls of yarn bought on impulse!
On the other hand, I'm sort of fortunate in that at the yarn shop I frequent, since it has some rather pricey yarn (more a matter of forex rates and limited distributorship rather than actual price), the merchandise moves slooowly. I can, and have proceeded to buy one or two balls of my favourite yarn in the colour I like every other month (or months), and am in the process of accumulating enough for a sweater (before you ask, yes, all of the same batch too).
Like many knitters I find that there's something relaxing about knitting, though it's frustrating too when it's too fiddly, like the start of a circular shawl. I'm too impatient about finishing something, then overcompensate because I know I'm impatient: the end product is usually two or three rounds longer than it should be. I knit a lot of lace, though it's annoying to keep referring to a chart, which is the way I prefer my knitting patterns. One of the things I particularly enjoy about knitting is that you can get magazines! On knitting! I'd never bought a magazine that wasn't TV Digest (or equivalent) before. And that you could get Japanese and Chinese knitting books/mags.
I have two favourite yarns, and they all have to do with my being a fibre snob. The first has unfortunately gone out of production: Rowan's Pure Silk DK yarn, which combines two of my favourite things about yarn: one, that it is silk, and two, that it is DK yarn. I've made a Niebling shawl that's on my Ravelry page (username = lloll4 ) and then half-designed, half-adapted a doily design to make two circular shawls from this yarn. (In doing so, used up my stash of this yarn. The yarn shop doesn't have any more left in stock. *sob*) It's lovely yarn: pretty, soft and with nice colours - and it sheds. A bit at the beginning, the more as you wear that shawl more and more.
My other favourite yarn is Sidar's Sublime, also a DK yarn (though it has fingering options) which combines cashmere, merino, silk (silk!) because it's not too expensive and functional. I have made about three pairs of gloves with this yarn. It's just squeeingly soft.
The internet does offer opportunities to buy nice yarn, but it's always a risk: I can't touch it, and touch is nearly the most important thing I look for in a yarn outside of fibre content. (Colour is another.) I like Colorsong's offerings, though it's not cheap and I have heard lots of rave reviews about Sundara's yarns (especially its silk yarns) whose prices are, frankly, insane. Ah, well, maybe when a pot of money falls from the sky.
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Flogging the Blogging meme:
Feel free to suggest a topic for other days! Comment either at DW or at LJ, either is fine.
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Date: 2013-12-26 07:52 pm (UTC)Also, wow, you've knitted a Niebling shawl! I need to go take a look at your Ravelry page. *_*
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Date: 2013-12-27 02:35 pm (UTC)it was almost larger than me.ETA: I exaggerate: I knitted it until it was big enough to drape over my shoulders. By then it was quite a huge bundle already. :pI love the drape of silk, the way it feels.
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Date: 2013-12-27 07:06 pm (UTC)(I occasionally think about learning to knit, just so I have an excuse to buy gorgeous yarn. The urge passes eventually; I don't actually care about learning to knit, I just feel acquisitive about beautiful yarn.)
I don't know if you've tried this to help with the shedding of the lovely yarn shawl, but I have heard about techniques to "wash"/finish knitted items after you are done, so it doesn't shed so much. This is just one example: http://knitting.about.com/od/troubleshooting/f/Stop-Yarn-Shedding.htm Of course, you probably already know this, but the reason I say so is because I think something exists out there that "fixes" yarn in place (not a regular detergent, something special).
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Date: 2013-12-29 01:32 pm (UTC)The attraction of beautiful yarn is huge.
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Date: 2013-12-29 07:49 pm (UTC)*sheepish* You got me there. That pretty much is my thought process!