Meet the Yarn: For Better or Worsted

Jill Wolcott
passion.fashion.knits

For Better or Worsted is so yummy to knit!  Again, we find that 10% cashmere, blended with 80% superwash Merino and 10% nylon.  This yarn is cushy and so soft a couple times I had to actually look at my hand to make sure I had the yarn tensioned in my fingers!

As I look at the yarns on my yarn shelf, there isn’t much in the way of worsted yarn.  I love DK, sport, fingering, lace.  I think of worsted as being best for hats, mittens, and other accessories. Because I like stitch patterns, worsted is sometimes just a touch too large for what I want to accomplish, but really, I have nothing against worsted; one of my favorite projects is done in a worsted weight!  When I make something out of worsted I wonder why I don’t use it more, but for me it is primarily best in accessories.  

For Better or Worsted is a 4-ply yarn, with a WPI of 11.  If you look at the other other yarns I’ve introduced here, the WPI is between 13 and 23, and this is the first 4-ply yarn.  It isn’t the first round yarn, but I don't believe it would be as round and cushy without that fourth ply. 

This got me really curious about plies.  It isn’t easy to find information on more than 3-ply yarn, so I appreciated the concise information I found here on Yarnsub.com:

Four-ply plus

The more plies in a yarn, the stronger, more durable and more rounded it becomes, giving good structure to textured stitches and cables. The more plies you add, the more dense the yarn becomes, as all available space within the column of yarn is used up.

I was also  curious about twist per inch.  I count 14 or 15 TPI in For Better or Worsted. Comparably, Cricket has 11 TPI and Lucero (washed) has 10 TPI.  Here’s some information on twist which is useful, even if it is related to thread/yarn for textiles:

Twist may be defined as the spiral disposition of the components of a thread which is usually the result of relative rotation of the two ends. Twist is generally expressed as the number of turns per unit length of yarn, e.g. turns per inch (tpi), turns per metre (tpm), etc.

What exactly does twist do a yarn?

1. The twist in a yarn binds the fibres together and helps to keep them in the respective positions. It thus gives coherence to yarn.

2. Twist gives sufficient strength to the yarn.

3. Twist is also used to bring about novel effects that are prominently visible when the yarn is converted to fabric. This is achieved primarily by having a combination of yarns with different twist levels and twist directions in the fabric.

As I finished my first swatch I grabbed my yarn tail and attempted to break the yarn as I always do (unless fiber content tells me it won’t).  That was not possible and I had to reach into my knitting box for scissors.  This is a strong yarn!

Here are the results from my exploration swatches and my project swatches.  I got curious about the garter stitch because there was so little row change.  I put my swatch up with a small amount of weight on the blocking wire and left it to hang for the weekend.  The Garter/Dressed numbers in the Blocked and Difference columns tell the result.  The difference is from Unblocked.

Garter Stitch Blocked vs. Unblocked

Garter Stitch Dressed

Stockinette Stitch Blocked vs. Unblocked

Seed Stitch Blocked vs. Unblocked

Double Seed Stitch with 1x1 Rib, Unblocked

Cross Stitch

I made my long-time favorite shawlette, Taos, in For Better or Worsted.  Taos in its original design is easy to wear as a flat small rectangular shawl or with the drawstring at the neckline pulled up.  I always wear it with it drawn up just enough to bring the ends to the front of my shoulders so I don’t have to worry about Taos staying in place.  While working on another design in worsted weight yarn I became enamored of making large buttonholes by increasing, so I did a version of Taos with that option, which will be added to the pattern soon.

Taos by Jill Wolcott

The problem with buttonholes in knits is 1) finding the perfect button, and 2) getting the buttonhole to the right size and having it do its job without gaping, pulling, or coming undone. The buttonhole can be used with a shawl pin too!  The buttonhole closure option gives a little different feel to how Taos is worn. 

Taos with buttonhole by Jill Wolcott

Notice how the roundness of the yarn works with the tonal coloration and what high relief there is in the garter, the eyelets, and the cross-stitch pattern.  Whatever you make in For Better or Worsted, these are things you can easily take advantage of in your knitting.

Keep up on all things Jill Wolcott:
Contact: jill@jillwolcottknits.com
Blog:  http://www.jillwolcottknits.com/category/blog/
Twitter: @jillwolcottknit
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Meet the Yarn: Cloud

Jill Wolcott
passion.fashion.knits

Cloud
80% Superwash Merino, 10% Cashmere, 10% Nylon
+/- 575 yd / 525 m
8.5-9 sts / in US #1

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Cloud in Nimbus.

I have chosen Cloud to redo three projects in my pattern catalog.  Things change, and although I loved the original yarn, it is time to re-make them in something that lots of people use and/or want to use.  My samples are in Black Cherry and Blush. 

Cloud is another example of an Anzula yarn where a small percentage of cashmere makes a huge difference.  This lovely heavy lace weight sells for about $34-36 skein.  The yardage is good at 575 yards (525m).  It is a simple 2-ply of 80% super wash Merino, 10% cashmere and 10% nylon in the unique tonal coloration we know and love in Anzula Luxury Fibers.  Cloud almost reminds me of a Suri alpaca.  It has a halo, but not a hard-to frog one (trust me, I always do some ripping!).  Want to know more about Cashmere?  Check out this blog where I took a look at Cricket.  This is a yarn that looks different after a wet blocking! 

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I did my first swatch on US size 3(3.25mm) needles, thinking of it in terms of making a garment, and it does a nice garter and stockinette, a lovely seed stitch, and a slightly loose rib.  I then swatched in in a seed stitch, purl cable, and 3x3 rib for Snow Farm.  I love Snow Farm and its sister pattern Roundhill for their slightly girly look, in fairly tailored yarn and stitch patterns.  The texture shines in this smooth yarn with the tiniest halo to it.  I also worked it up in Remarkables.  This tiered shawlette is a favorite for mine.  Again, a somewhat flamboyant piece that remains slightly tailored in Cloud.  This is a look I really like. 

I’ve been thinking about Cloud for a while, and I’ve been looking at projects on Ravelry (1543) as well as the stashes (1919).  Cloud has been used to make everything from complex lace to rib socks.  From baby hats to color work.  It has been made into garments, hand accessories, and lots of shawls.  There are quilts of many colors, stranded color work, cables, stockinette, lots of laces and eyelets, garter stitch, brioche.  There are many familiar patterns, and others I’m glad I took the time to look at.  Lots of Perfect Fit Socks.  I loved this pair with red toes and heels.  There was double knitting, and I loved this pullover.  There are also lots and lots of Pioneer Cuffs, and this project for a man’s sweater.  One of my other favorite garments is this. There are adorable baby sweaters.  I saw a few of A Hint of Summer, but I loved this one in particular.  A few knitters have mentioned that the yarn can be a little slippery.

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I wanted to challenge myself by making a man’s scarf in two colors with the leftovers of Blush & Black Cherry .  It is hard for me to design masculine; I’ve been observing what scarves men are wearing when I’m out walking.  I’m using a very simple stitch pattern, and I’m working on size US size 2 (2.75mm) using two longer Brittany dpns because I’m looking for some efficiency. 

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My unblocked gauge numbers in this stitch pattern are  31 stitches and 46 rows to 4” OR 7.75 sts and 11.5 rows to 1”.  After wet and steam blocking in my stitch pattern the gauge changes to 45 stitches and 43 rows to 4” OR 11.25 sts and 10.75 rows to 1”.  Take a look at my blog on January 17 for the final outcome and the pattern. 

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Let’s take a look at my gauge numbers from my exploration swatches to help you plan your Cloud projects!  I used a US size 3(3.25mm)

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I like to know where I’m going to end up, which can be quite different from what I see when I’m knitting. isn’t always what the end result will be.  Remember this to help you when choosing stitch patterns:

• More stitches per inch when blocked = narrower piece [garter, seed, 1x1 rib above]
• Fewer stitches per inch when blocked = wider piece
• More rows per inch when blocked = shorter piece [1x1 rib above]
• Fewer rows per inch when blocked = longer piece [garter, seed above]
• There was no change in the gauge in Stockinette, although my Stockinette always looks smoother and more even after blocking.

Keep up on all things Jill Wolcott:
Contact: jill@jillwolcottknits.com
Blog:  http://www.jillwolcottknits.com/category/blog/
Twitter: @jillwolcottknit
Instagram: @jillwolcottknits
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www.JillWolcottKnits.com

Meet the Yarn: Cricket

Jill Wolcott
passion.fashion.knits

Cricket
80% Superwash Merino, 10% Cashmere, 10% Nylon
+/- 250 yd / 228 m
5 sts / in US #6

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I love good food and I love luxury fiber yarn.  The commonality of those two things is that whatever I am eating/using is what I favor right then.  This has allowed me to enjoy all the wonderful Anzula Luxury Yarns I’ve written about.  Another commonality?  I think it is not a luxury if the result you get is pleasurable and gives a great result.  My motto is always “buy the best you can afford” and then make things that are useful to you and fit your way of life.  See justifications below.

Cricket is a soft, springy 3-ply DK weight yarn.  Cricket is 250 yards of 80% super wash merino, 10% cashmere, 10% nylon.  In Stockinette Cricket yields about 20 stitches and 28 rows to 4 inches. It has nice stitch definition and does a smooth and even Stockinette, but also makes a wonderfully textured seed stitch.  In other words, it fits into the Anzula Luxury Fibers line up perfectly.  

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Let’s talk price.  I always compare the prices of yarns when I am looking at using them because I need to think about your spending habits.  Cricket is about $35/skein.  This seems high to many knitters, but I want you to think about price differently.      

Recently a friend was admiring a pair of boots I had purchased.  Although not inexpensive, I did get them 20% off.  She still felt the price tag ($165 with tax) was high.  I countered by telling her that I expected I would still be wearing them 12 to 15 years from now.  My experience is I either wear things out because I over-use them, or I wear them for a very long time.  For clothing/shoes I tend to look at days used, times worn, and pleasure in owning and wearing, rather than the price paid at the moment.   If I own and use those boots for 10 years, my cost per year is $16.50!  Of course I had to have the extra money to buy them now.  If I wear the boots out sooner, it will likely be because I wore them so much, so the cost per wear will be low.   I have clothes and shoes that I have literally spent less than $0.10 per wear!  I admit I am a pretty thoughtful shopper.

Often luxury fibers added in small amounts do not make much difference in the final yarn.  In Cricket you can really feel the softness of the fiber in every stitch you make.  You will enjoy every moment you are knitting with it and want to knit more!  For this review I made my usual exploration swatches, but I also made a messy-bun hat.  It consumed about 28g of yarn (in full disclosure, I also used a bit left over from another project as well).

Here’s why a luxury yarn makes sense.  This messy bun hat is going to be worn by me when I am running.  The fact that I am getting internally heated by running tends to make the extremely sensitive skin on my neck and ears even more sensitive.  Having short hair, my ears can get pretty cold while running during the winter but I am often uncomfortable if the top of my head can’t release heat, so this messy-bun hat will let me pull the soft fabric over my ears and leave my crown exposed for heat release.  Cashmere and super wash wool add to the appropriateness of this yarn in a fairly rugged application: Cashmere likes to be washed!  I’m looking forward to my winter running with soft, warm ear covering.

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Messy bun hat in progress.

This brings me to my—and your—knitting.  I have 25 grams of Cricket remaining or I’ve used 75 grams.  I have spent five evenings using this yarn.  That is usually about 1.5 to 2 hours of knitting per evening, or 8 to 10 knitting hours.  I made my exploration swatches (2 evenings) and the messy-bun hat (3 evenings, including i-cord).  At $35/skein, I’ve used about $26.25 of my Cricket over 10 hours.  This means my knitting cost me $2.625 per hour.  I always relate this to a coffee drink because people regularly buy those.  Where I live, that is about the cost of a single espresso.

I recommend Cricket for more-than-pleasant knitting, but especially for the joy of wearing it.   I am not alone.  There are 1690 projects on Ravelry, a surprising number of the projects made are multiple-skein projects.  There are 1592 stashes containing Cricket —and if you are looking to buy, some are available at good prices. In a time of gift-giving, this is the sort of gift that makes a real impact.  To be truly frugal, you could get two gifts—and hours of your own entertainment—from the investment.  Check the Pattern Ideas   Look on my blog on December 6 for a recipe for making the messy-bun hat.

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I always look up information on the fibers I am writing about and using.  One of my favorite resources is the Fleece & Fiber Sourcebook by Deborah Robson and Carol Ekarius.  I almost always learn something, and this was no exception.  I did not know that Cashmere is not a goat breed, but refers to the under fiber found on all goats, except the Angora goat.  Additionally the amount and quality of this down grown by a goat is related to temperature, which is why the best cashmere is found in cold, mountainous climates!  I always check online as well, because I know so many of you do.  I think the Wikipedia information is perhaps a little too general and if you are really interested in fibers you should check spinning or fiber-related books (always check your local library—they often have or have access to a wide collection of references).  

Here is a link to some fun photos from the 2013 Vermont Goat Show.

Keep up on all things Jill Wolcott:
Contact: jill@jillwolcottknits.com
Blog:  http://www.jillwolcottknits.com/category/blog/
Twitter: @jillwolcottknit
Instagram: @jillwolcottknits
Pinterest: Jill Wolcott Knits
www.JillWolcottKnits.com