Decisions Decisions....

Ok, I'm getting confused. So I got home from work and read the pattern for the legwarmers. Here is what she said about the yarn choices:

"YARN: Use any worsted wool you want, but I am totally sold on Berroco Ultra Alpaca for these. (No association or connection with the company). My reasons -- it has such great bounce-back when knitted up. I also find this yarn to be warm but not hot when inside. I'm somewhat wool sensitive, and it's not one bit itchy, though I definitely thought it would be when I felt it in the skein and when I just had a couple of rows knitted. In fabric form it's sooo soft and squishy and yummy. It's a joy to work with, not at all splitty. It comes in 38 colors and Berroco uses very good quality fibers. Finally, dollarwise it's a great value in terms of quality and amount for the price. So those are all my reasons for such a plug on using this particular yarn for these. As a bonus, with 215 yards per skein and only approx. 120 yds. per color needed for the legwarmers, that leaves me enough yarn left over for a pair of Maine Morning Mitts (free pattern on Ravelry) in each color, or for another item. I bought mine at Yarn and Fiber Company in Derry, NH which has a ton of colors in stock, reasonable pricing and as far as I know, they often don't even charge shipping (but do check if you call them or order from their website). Though Cascade Lana d'Oro worsted has the same 50/50 alpaca/wool content and appears interchangeable, having knitted a pair of mitts out of it, it's no substitute IMHO for a ribbed project that needs bounce back. It's a looser ply, somewhat splitty to work with and it just does not knit up with anywhere near the same heft or memory."

Now, here is an Alpaca site that contradicts what the above says:

1.Alpaca fiber is harder to spin than sheep's wool. TRUE or FALSE?
2.Alpaca fiber has no "memory" so it has to be blended with sheep's wool to make a woolen yarn. TRUE or FALSE?
3.Alpaca fiber needs to be washed before it can be spun. TRUE or FALSE?
4.Alpaca fiber has no crimp. TRUE or FALSE?
5.Alpaca fiber and Llama fiber are very similar or the same. TRUE or FALSE?
6.Alpaca fiber is 3 to 5 times warmer by weight than sheep's wool. TRUE or FALSE?


BOUNCE OR NO BOUNCE
All of the above statements are false except for the last one. Number 6 is true. There are an awful lot of mis-conceptions out there about alpaca fiber. I often hear other hand spinners say in a knowing voice, "Alpaca fiber has no crimp. You HAVE to mix it with sheep's wool if you want the garment to have memory or bounce." Memory and bounce are two knitter's expressions that both mean that the knitted garment is able to retain its shape after it is worn and washed. If a fiber or wool has no crimp, or very little crimp, it also will not have good bounce or memory.
Let's first be clear on the fact that I am talking about Huacaya alpaca. Many spinners and most of the general public in this country are unaware of the rarer type of Suri alpaca and the specifics of Suri fiber, which I do not plan to discuss in this article. The Huacaya alpaca fiber is the more common variety. But why do so many spinners think that alpaca does not have crimp? Because they buy alpaca fiber from Peru where it is over-processed and often not top quality to begin with. How do I know this? I have bought alpaca fiber in roving form from a spinning store here in the US and spun up this roving. The owner of the store told me it was "1st quality" alpaca. The fiber in the roving was flat. It had no shine, no bounce, and was also coarse. I spun it up into a yarn, which, not surprisingly, turned out coarse with no bounce or shine.

You have taken the True or False quiz and, hopefully, read the article. Don't take my word for any of this! Try some USA-grown, 100% natural colored, chemically-free alpaca fiber from a farm near you. Spin it, knit it, and/or wear it and see if you don't give up your belief in the 5 alpaca myths.

I called the 3 yarn shops in my area and none had The Berroco Ultra Alpaca. One had the Cascade Lana D'Oro. But then I thought about the alpaca I have in my stash. It's not black like I want, it's gray. I do not think it's heavily processed either. I do not know how much bounce it has. But...it will save me a trip and I was thinking of buying the Cascade one that she said was inferior. But then, maybe I could try using my alpaca. I did pay $26.00 for it. The alpaca were born and sheared in Wisconsin the tag says. The pattern calls for 240 yards and I have 250 yards! I want to use it on something. What do you think I should do? Help! I'm turning into Hannah, I can't make a decision!

Yarn dilemma

Yesterday I said I was going to buy the Knit Picks yarn but the person who designed the legwarmers I am going to knit really encourages a 50/50 wool alpaca yarn for bounce and spring back. So I am going to hold off buying anything till tomorrow when I can go to a yarn store in Brookfield to look at some wool/alpaca yarn. This store has at least one if not two kinds. The cost is probably triple per skein than the Knit Picks yarn but if she insists so much maybe it's worth investing.

I am concerned that the alpaca will stretch out. But the wool is there to keep it in line I guess. I do have a skein of 100% alpaca in my stash but I'm afraid that would really stretch. The problem is no one has made these legwarmers other than the designer so i can't see what others have iused and how they turned out. Ravelry is great but there are so many patterns going up every day that some patterns don't get knit by others right away. I may be the first! I will keep you posted.

From Mittens to Legwarmers

Yesterday I was sitting in church freezing and I thought, "I need to knit myself some legwarmers". I have 2 ankle length skirts so no one would see I am wearing them. I figured black would be good since one of my skirts is black. I found a pattern that says they could even be used as support hose, that's how snug they can be. That is exactly what I want since I don't want them to be bulky or slip down my legs.

I went to Knitch today to look at yarn and thought I found what I wanted. It was wool that was $5 for a 50 gram ball. Good price, but then I got home and went to Knit Picks because I knew they had cheap wool. Well, I can get 4 balls of wool at Knitch for $20. But at Knit Picks I can get the same amount for $14.95 and that includes shipping! I have the money so I just have to order the yarn. I figure I should have it either late this week or early next week.

I'm anxious to finish these mittens so I can start on the legwarmers. I feel bad because I have a hat for Joel to remake and a shawl to finish for Grace that seems to be turning into a black hole. There is just so much I want to knit for myself. I also really want to make myself a pair of socks in worsted weight so bad so I have some thick warm socks or bed or for wearing with my boots. To much knitting and no time!

Second mitten progress

I am past the thumb opening on the second mitten. This one seems to be looking better but it's still far from perfect. I still love this yarn! I wish I could knit everything in it. I've given a lot of thought as to what to do with the first mitten. I decided last night I am not going to rip it out and start over. I am quickly getting tired of knitting mittens. I decided that I am going to rip out the thumb and try to widen it. With the second mitten, the pattern says to put 12 stitches on a holder. 12 is not enough, it is to snug. So I put 15 on a holder. Much better. I am also going to lenghten the thumb a row or two. But other than that I will not rip anything out. I will cover up the holes and weak spots. When these mittens are finished I will go outside and rough them up in the snow and get them wet trying to get them to felt. I want to wear these mittens more than I want then to look pretty. They are work mittens.

My mitten...sigh

Well, here are pictures of my mitten. It is turned right side out. As you can see there are unseemly seams

Picture #1 is a full shot of the mitten side one
Picture #2 is shot of mitten side two
Picture #3 is a bettter shot of the seams and lines

As you can see it is not perfect. I am disapointed. I was hoping this would look better. I haven't sewed the cuff yet. Basically what I did was knit the cuff on straight needles then I transfered the stitches onto 2 circular needles and followed the pattern. I just don't know why my knitting is so sloppy. I am working on the second mitten. I can't tell yet how it's looking but the cuff looks totally different on this mitten than the first. Sigh...

Progress

Here is the mitten with about an inch of ribbing.



Here is it with the ribbing done and I am working on the hand. The wrist is not seamed up since I did it on straight needles. Then I put a lifeline in (the green yarn) and put the stitches on 2 circular needles. I was worried I would have to buy 2pairs of size 5 circular needles but I found 2 in Joel's hat. I am going to rip out the hat again and start over. I am thinking this mitten will be a bit tight. I wish I would have increased the stitches by 2-4. The ribbing will really need to stretch to fit aropund my wrist. Maybe I can increase the wrist by at least 4. Progress is quick so if I do decide to rip it out and increase the stitches I should be able to do that. The weather is supposed to be good and only possible flurries on Thursday.

I can do ribbing!!!!!!!!!!!

I figured out I can do ribbing but it seems only on straight needles. it's looking good! I am relieved because I was starting to be convinced I couldn't do it. I don't know why I can't do ribbing on circular needles. It's looks awful! I forgot to say a couple of things in my last post about the yarn. It has a rustic look and feel to it. I asked Hannah to smell the yarn adn she said it smelled like animals. I can't smell it. But lots of people who knit with this yarn love the sheepy smell to it. I think it fades after you wash it. The yarn is also undyed, so it comes right off the sheep with a minimum of processing. The color is a creamy light beige. It's quite nice. I am glad I was able to buy some. I think I will love my mittens.

I have been going through a knitting slump because I have so many projects going and nothing is getting finished. I hope these mittens will give me the motivation I need to keep tackling my projects. I love this yarn. Ok, back to ribbing, I have at least 3 inches to do.

Oh, if you would like to read a review on this yarn click on the link.

http://www.knittersreview.com/article_yarn.asp?article=/review/product/080911_a.asp

Needless to say I am in love with this yarn and dreaming of a sweater in it...after I figure out how to get $16.00 x 8-10 balls or more of the stuff!