When I was on vacation I did not knit. That is not to say I did not buy yarn however. Before I left for the lovely city of Seattle, I went on line and purchased at obscenely low prices, two cones of lace weight yarn. The Pink is a 2 ply Cashmere and the White is a 60/40 blend of Cashmere and Silk. You can see scale on the dimes (left pink/right white). They are quite nice though you can't really see the character of the yarn until you wash off the "oil" they use on it to make it easier for their Mill's to handle. These again are "Mill Ends" and I think they are not a bad alternative to more expensive lace weight yarns . Most especially for a lace knitting freak like me! They also sell other weights of yarn for knitting or for weaving. ( http://stores.ebay.com/ColourMartUK) . I will put this link in my side-bar because I really like it for bargain yarn. They are very nice, deliver in a timely fashion and the goods are as advertised. Be aware however, you must really study the information that describes the yarns so you have a good idea as to how fine the yarn is, how many plys if any, and if it is for knitting or was originally manufactured for weaving. The yarns for weaving are more tightly spun so will twist more. This may not be a big issue for those who are making shawls using the tightly spun cobweb weight yarns and are accustomed to the over-twist issue. The merino yarn I purchased while visiting my friend, Jerry on Bainbridge Island. I got this instead of the "Kid Silk Haze" that was beside it because I liked the color. And also, see a shot of the wheels my sister and I have at home. I'm posting these because poor Jason had to search my other site to see them. As often happens, knitters become spinners and visa versa. Jason has it bad for spinning right now. He will soon learn, as have all of us, that it only feeds the knitting addiction :)
Now I must be knitting!
3 comments:
Oh Jane, I don't mind if I can knit with the yarn I spin. The question is IF I will be able to create knit-able yarn. :-) We'll see.
How do you wash the yarn that you got on cones?
Dear jason,
You know, spinners spend alot of time trying to make thin, even singles. Then they have to un-learn it to make novelty yarn. Go figure. Just enjoy your spinning! All yarn is knit-able to the right knitter!
Dear Jason,
Forgot to say anything about washing. It was advised on the site I purchased the yarn from that I knit the item first, then wash it after as Mill Ends may not hold up all that well to washing without the structure of the knitting, when wet. In the past I have washed out my regular shawls with...wait for it...shampoo. It's my stuff, I can do what I want. However, with the shawls I make that are gossamer weight, I have to say I will buy some type of liquid soap designed to wash wool by hand gently. I have not yet decided which one. I could, of course, use Synthrapol which would definately take anything that is there, out. For anything less than gossamer weight yarn, it's the shampoo. If it's good enough for me and my sister's heads, it's good enough for a shawl darn it!
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