Kay's Korner - A Knitters Notes

Whether you have come across yarn that you just cannot leave behind you in the shop or a pattern simply perfect for your style, pairing yarn to pattern cannot be left to chance. In a perfect world, we would love the yarn recommended by the designer and it would be found only steps away in our favorite color. Not only would it be readily available, but it would cost no more than we would want to spend. But realistically, all too often, that's just not the case. If the pattern is several years old, your chances begin to drop that the yarn is still available and colors are discontinued at even a faster clip than yarns. Also not all shops carry all yarns lines and even if they carry the line, they may not carry all yarns within the line. For example, at Rare Purls, we stock nearly every yarn in the Elsebeth Lavold line and in many colors, yet there are a few yarns we have yet to stock. Of course, most shops are happy to special order yarns in lines they regularly stock, but then there is a wait. In the U.S., most Noro yarns stay back ordered and it can take months to get in a specific color of yarn.

So, as I have discussed in earlier articles, we often find ourselves looking for a suitable substitute yarn. I am not going to rehash how to determine a good substitute yarn by weight. For that, check the Rare Purls archives January 22, 2008 and February 14, 2008. Even when you find a yarn that knits up to the recommended gauge on the suggested size needle, there are other issues to consider. For example, a summer shell is more comfortable in cotton, silk, ramie, or my personal favorites, linen or hemp. Plant fibers are known for being breathably cool. Although linen tends to be a bit pricey, I think it reigns supreme for a skirt with lovely drape, well worth the small investment. A fellow Noble Knitter from my Wednesday evening group completed a tiered skirt knit in Louet's Euroflax that was stunning. It had so much movement and the colors were exceptionally elegant, a real show stopper. Another plus, after multiple washings and even the heat from an iron, the fabric continued to soften and the colors remained true.

For cooler weather, most of us who appreciate fine yarns turn to wool. Wool yarns are available in every weight, a mind boggling array of colors, and in a a variety of styles and blends. Mohair, cashmere, angora and alpaca are also very popular for keeping warm. Alpaca is actually four times warmer than wool, due to its natural hollow core fiber. A sweater knit in sport weight alpaca will be warm without added bulk, something that as a pleasingly plump woman, I adore. These animal fibers can be smooth, thick and thin, boucle, brushed, plied, or woolen. It will not be difficult to find a substitute yarn when working within this most popular group.

But there are many considerations other than matching yarn to a season. I love the look of brushed mohair, but the halo of this fiber adds pounds to my appearance. My friend Kathie knit a sweater in mohair and her dear hubby commented that it looked like "mo' hair" than she needed! When knitting a super bulky pullover, cashmere yarn would be prohibitively expensive, for me at least, and far too warm for my Georgia winters. People who can wear wool without an itch or sneeze, may be miserable with a cloud of angora near their face and nose. There are also practical considerations. A baby blanket for every day use needs to be machine washable and preferably able to weather a dryer, where a woman's scarf is the perfect opportunity to use a luxury fiber, for example a silk or cashmere yarn. Large projects such as afghans need more affordable yarns, if your budget is anything like mine.

Durability is yet another factor to consider. Wool socks will last much longer if 10-25% nylon is blended into the fiber. Where acrylic yarns pill with wear, a plied worsted wool will look great for years to come. Even within the wide range of wool yarns, some, like merino, are better suited for next to the skin, where more coarse fleeces make excellent outerwear.

So, we find a yarn that suits our purpose and will work with our pattern. A final consideration is to pair the yarn with the stitch pattern. If you are working with cables or any stitch pattern that you want to be crisp and textural, a smooth, round yarn will work best. A fuzzy yarn such as chenille would waste the effort required for a fisherman knit sweater. Even a softly textured cotton yarn will change the impressive look of a double moss pattern stitch, where a smooth plied wool will make it pop. Silk is always a good choice to enhance stitch detail.

Although recognized pattern designers will have taken purpose into consideration when recommending a yarn, remember, we do not live in a perfect world. Although I haven't nearly covered every option for when pairing yarn with purpose, I do think you now have some good guidelines. Knit on my friend!!

Next week, I will explore the big wide world of novelty yarns. Don't want to miss it? Subscribe to Kay's Korner - A Knitter's Notes and never miss a featured article. As always, we love hearing from you. If you have a question regarding knitting or crochet or would like to suggest a topic, contact me at kmather@rarepurls.net.

On Kay's Needles - The lace bug has bitten me and even though I have created lovely lace with crochet, my lace knitting has been limited to mostly accents and trims. This week I became inspired and more ambitious and cast on a feather and fan lace stitch stole using Elsebeth Lavold's Silky Wool in color #14, a muted, soft green. Feather and fan is an easy lace stitch pattern using knit and purl stitches yarn over , and knit two together in only one row of the four row repeats, the other three being either all knit or purl. So easy I can knit it at my Wednesday evening knitting circle, where I talk, listen, and sip, without missing a stitch. I find the Silky Wool a very good choice for beautiful stitch definition. On size 4 US Addi turbos, I'm making excellent progress and enjoying every minute!

Copyright 2008 Karen Mather