Monday, January 07, 2013

Why it's worth buying decent yarn...

At last peops! I have finally completed a knitting project that hasn't been consigned to box 101 under my sewing table; but has in fact been worn several times already....

I decided to bite the bullet and invest in some decent yarn using some Hobbycraft vouchers I got for Christmas. Up until this point I've always used thrifted or "salvaged" yarn for practicing with. The theory being that if I messed it up (again!) then I would have lost little except my time (because that's not precious at all is it?!) It occured to me recently when casting on with some particularly nasty DK yarn, that if I didn't enjoy the feel of the yarn when I was knitting with it, then I certainly wouldn't enjoy wearing it. Obvious I know! Much like sewing with nasty fabric, the finished article never sees the light of day; and I'm done with making stuff and then never wearing it! (That sounds suspiciously like resolution, ooops!)
The creation above could not be simpler. It's made using Rowan Colourspun shade 271 (Pen-Y-Ghent), A DK/8 Ply wool/mohair mix. Just under 2 x 50g balls. I cast on 28 stitches and then just knit it in Stockinette Stitch until it was long enough to wrap around my neck twice with the ends overlapping at the front. Then some simple single row buttonholes (I was particularly pleased with myself when I mastered these!) and some vintage buttons from my stash, et voila!

So apart from learning the single row buttonhole technique; (great tute here) this make has taught me some valuable lessons.

1) You rarely pick up good quality wool in charity shops.
2) Decent yarn is delicious to knit/crochet with which means less swearing and more "aaaahhhh" moments
3) Although good quality yarn is more expensive, I'm less inclined to waste it on a crappy make. However cheap a yarn is it's still money down the drain if you're never going to wear it.


20 comments :

  1. Yes! So true. And time is money after all, right? The time you spent knitting something with yarn you hate and will never wear could be time you could have spent knitting with yarn you enjoy, making something you'll love. :) Beautiful cowl!

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    1. Absolutely! Sometimes I have to curb my thriftiness and allow myself to spend, nay, invest!
      Px

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  2. Your scarf is beautiful, and yes, buy the best you can afford and you will like it, wear it and appreciate it. I learned this some time ago when I would spend oodles of time making something, it would itch, pill and generally be unattractive and thus not worn. It does sound a little like a resolution, but that is OK!

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    1. Thanks Corrine :) I can't see myself settling for anything less than delicious when it comes to yarn in future!
      Px

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    2. You get a feel for it after a while, but its still possible to be mistaken. I'm good at picking out silk scarves from man-made from the way they always catch on my fingernails. However, if its good enough to fool you, it might be one of the good man-made fibres and worth getting. Even Rowan use it sometimes...

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  3. I strongly agree with you, Miss P! Good, verging on painfully expensive, yarn is one of the best investments in knitting. But, of course, the huge challenge for anyone on a budget (or, actually, just anyone!) is that initial outlay and for beginner knitters, I totally understand why they want to be cautious in their spending. BUT. Knitting projects often take much longer than sewing projects. So the money you spend on wool is going to give you, say, 4/5 months' productivity, rather than a weekend or couple of weeks' work. My spending on knitting is actually way below my spending on sewing. I have only very recently converted myself into some luxe wool investments, and it has been an investment of joy every time. One of the issues is that we're used to cheap, acrylic knits - some of them very good actually! - in the high street or even high end shops, and we need to re-educate ourselves on what 'wool' actually is and why we should pay more for it.

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    1. I'm constantly surprised when I find High Street knitwear in Charity Shops, convinced my hands have alighted on merino or cashmere, only to look at the labels and find it's 100% synthetic!
      Px

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  4. I agree with Tasha - Time is definitely money! This is so lovely with those buttons added, and the color variations are stunning!

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    1. Aw cheers Meg. Time is precious indeed :)
      Px

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  5. That looks super warm and cozy! What a rad cowl!
    I am a convert to nice quality wool after making do with some bizarre acrylic and who knows what else blends when I was first learning. I am definitely no pro but I'm working on my first real project in the most delightful alpaca/merino blend and it is already looking like something I will be wearing a lot.Investment is a good thing, methinks!

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    1. I'm with you all the way Amanda :)

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  6. That looks like such a comfy scarf. In my stash I have a combo of nasty acrylic (from when I first started knitting and for practicing new techniques), soft acrylic (ok to wear and great for projects you want to be able to throw in the wash); a whole bunch of vintage wool I got from my partners grandmother and lush yarns that I covet and really should use. Whenever I catch myself looking at yarn I have to slap myself on the wrist and think to myself 'use what you have!'
    Thanks for sharing your 'Ding!' moment.

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    1. "Ding" moment....very good description of what occurred!
      Px

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  7. The colour wave in this wool is just gorgeous! You don't get these beautiful jewel colours in the cheapy wool at all...

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    1. Hey Judith
      That's what I loved about it too. The fine threads in the twist are almost neon in places. Set against the tweed green it looks so lovely.
      Px

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  8. Your scarf looks lovely and snuggly - the colors are very delicate. Well done to you!

    I am a total yarn snob (I am twotoast on Ravelry.com) and knit socks and shawls using merino, cashmere and silk. Lovely, lovely, lovely!

    There were some threads a while back about using expensive yarn to knit socks, but say I pay $30 for a skein (100gms), and they take 20 hours to knit, the cost is $1.50/hr - so that is the cost of the entertainment AND I get a pair of lovely smoochy socks!!

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    1. Your socks and shawls sound delicious! I love the way you worked out the investment as entertainment! I hadn't thought about it like that before....genius. It actually sounds like a total bargain when you say it like that!
      Px

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  9. So true, Miss P! We sell a glorious 80% alpaca, 20% wool mix yarn that is SOOO nice to work with, as is my favourite merino/silk/possum blend, it's just a smile on the face to touch and knit and wear. And it is so labour intensive, surely we want the resulting make to be something out of this world!
    I LOVE your snood/cowl/scarf btw - the buttons are such a lovely detail. OF course sitting here in the searing heat with the aircon on it really takes som will power to LOOK at a person in a scarf without expiring hehehe.

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    1. Wow Maryanne! Possum blend! At least they are good for something then ;)
      A bit of searing heat would go down well here right now!
      Px

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  10. And I say the same about fabric. Quality over quantity any day.

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