Kay's Korner - A Knitters Notes

As we begin the new year, yarn companies are already showing their spring/summer offerings. Cotton is the favorite and comes in every weight and composition. It is being blended with nearly every fiber imaginable, my favorites being viscose and elastic. I also adore the linen yarns, especially a linen blend ribbon. Silk remains the king of warm weather luxury fibers for so many reasons. It is versatile, strong, takes color well, has a delightful hand, and makes gorgeous garments. Bamboo is back, as are many other "green" yarns, such as corn and seacell. Many of our favorite yarns are returning next season in new high fashion colors.

Again, the trend for warm weather knitting is even more smooth yarns over the many novelty yarns offered over the past years. For those of you not familiar with the term, a novelty yarn is any yarn that is produced to have a unique effect when knit or crocheted. It may contain slubs, flags, or variations in color and may be composed of two or more stands combined Some incorporate strands of metallic fiber or ribbon. Examples of novelty yarns are eyelash, railroad ribbon, and tufted varieties. These yarns were in part responsible for the huge increase in knitters during the turn of the century. Novelty yarns allowed a beginning knitter to whip up impressive scarves using only garter stitch, with many of the usual early mistakes well hidden in the froufrou. I still recommend them for a satisfying first project.

But even with the huge variety of novelty yarns, using them came with a price. They were usually relatively short on yardage, which made them expensive to use exclusively in a garment. More importantly, as the new knitter progressed and added stitch patterns to her repertoire, these yarns gave poor stitch definition. The detail of a twisted rib or even a seed stitch would get lost in the tufts and flags of fibers.

Even if knitters, as resourceful as they are, had been happy using novelty yarns forever, designers of hand knit patterns were ready to nurture the boom of new knitters on to bigger and better things. The trend in yarns for hand knitting shifted to smooth yarns and designers challenged us to show off our skills. The abundant variety of fibers, weights, colors, and compositions have inspired designers to new heights. Knitters who know only the basic cast on, knit, and purl stitches are able to create lovely projects with texture, using only smooth yarns. For more experienced knitters, books and knitting magazines are filled with tempting patterns incorporating cables and knitted lace. Sock knitting still rules and self patterning yarns are plentiful, mimicking stripes and fair isle.

In these first days of the new year, I hope you will resolve to challenge yourself and learn new techniques. Find a pattern you love and some yarn you just can't do without, then create a garment showcasing your new skill, a "resolution project." The holidays are over and now we can settle down to some serious selfish knitting.

Kay's needles are having trouble deciding what to work on next! After so many gift projects and with a pile of UFOs staring at me, I so want to start something new and fabulous for myself, my own resolution project. Time for some inspiration at my own local yarn shop, Rare Purls.

Copyright 2008 Karen Mather