Yarn Suggestions?
I have a problem. I "owe" someone a sweater (more about that when I finish it; I'm getting the better end of the deal). That someone has identified a cabled pullover pattern that he likes. Because the pattern (Snorri) was in the Best of Lopi book, he even chose a harn he liked (medium brown tweed, an excellent choice).
All was well. I was searching the internet for the best prices. Then I remembered this man's wife commenting that he never wore anything she knit for him because it itched. DANGER WIL ROBINSON. I e-mailed him and received confirmation that he wanted the sweater made of something soft, something that wouldn't require him to wear a turtleneck under it.
Knitfriends, I have been searching to no avail. Do you have suggestions for yarn I could use that fits these qualifications:
All was well. I was searching the internet for the best prices. Then I remembered this man's wife commenting that he never wore anything she knit for him because it itched. DANGER WIL ROBINSON. I e-mailed him and received confirmation that he wanted the sweater made of something soft, something that wouldn't require him to wear a turtleneck under it.
Knitfriends, I have been searching to no avail. Do you have suggestions for yarn I could use that fits these qualifications:
- Bulky (3.5 sts/in)
- Tweedy
- Soft (cotton or cotton blend preferred, though perhaps a merino could work?)
- Good stitch definition for cables
I plan on taking this list to my favorite LYS for consultation, too, but I'm limited there by what they stock (e.g. no Lopi). I'd appreciate any suggestions you have for substitutions. Oh -- and because this will be my first outing with cables, I'm not comfortable resizing the repeats and patterns to accomodate smaller-gauge yarn (which would open up my options greatly, I realize).
Labels: knitting
posted by doulicia at 8:46 AM
3 Comments:
Hi! Have you considered switching over to an alpaca blend? Alpaca is the working man's cashmere and when mixed with merino wool is very soft and can hold a cable very nicely. You may have some trouble finding it in a tweed but tweed can make cables seem busy so you might want to make some sort of compromise. That sweater is gorgeous! I can't wait to see a photo of it when it's finished.
Jo Sharp Silkroad Aran Tweed? It isn't bulky, but you could perhaps double it? It doesn't say merino, but it is very soft. (and I'm completely with him that I wouldn't wear most tweeds against my skin - even alpaca is soft on the hands and prickly on the neck) Elspeth Lavold Silky wool is also soft and tweedy, but more of a DK weight, so you'd need an unworkable number of strands. Both of these also cost about an arm and a leg.
I hope you post whatever you end up using. I would love to learn if there's something that fills this niche.
-C
I agree with the Alpaca suggestion. There are some nice alpaca blends over at KnitPicks that are bulky.
Bulky cotton is going to be a pain in the buttocks to knit with. The only thought I had was to use Rowan Calmer, but I don't know if that comes in a bulky weight. Double stranding wouldn't work well with the cables either.
Post a Comment
<< Home