Saturday, January 20, 2007

A Question and Some Ramblings

Melanie had asked me a question about the yarn I used for my Irish Hiking Scarf. She said,"How did you like the Ella Rae yarn? I'm thinking of getting some for a sweater... "
I liked this yarn for it's price (it was around 6.99 a ball) and the yardage I got from it (219 yards). Anderson (the recipient of the scarf) had accompanied my to my LYS and she picked it out. So it was easy to get and I knew what I was getting.

What I don't like about it is it's a bit harsh. I probably wouldn't want to wear it next to my skin all the time (but I'm not a girl who likes to wear pure wool sweaters unlayered). I have seen it used in felted projects and they came out beautifully. I'm a fan of superwash yarns for sweaters that I'm making for myself. If I was looking to make a sweater in the similar gauge for a similar price I might go with one of the Cascade 220 superwash.

In other news, Becky and I have decided to run our Linneman Family Sock Knitting Race through the end of February (Becky's working on a sweater and I'll have baby gifts to knit, so that will give us more time). I'm still winning (insert gloating laughter here) but I know I'm going to need a huge lead through January to carry me through February (at least baby gifts are a fast knit).

I also figured out why my Jitterbug sock looks like it's made for Bigfoot. 1. I didn't swatch. 2. I was going by US needle sizes and not European. Third time will be a charm (maybe) I'm also going to switch over to the basic sock pattern in the Yarn Harlot's book. Maybe that will get my head on straight.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

From your sock contest cheerleader . . . Give me an L, give me an a, give me a u, give me an r, give me an a . . . what's that spell?!? LAURA!!! :-) (and yes, I'm a dork, but I'm a dork who reads your blog)