march 28: a tale of two yarns 2kcbwday1
Day One: 28th March. A Tale of Two Yarns.
Part of any fibre enthusiast’s hobby is an appreciation of yarn. Choose two yarns that you have either used, are in your stash or which you yearn after and capture what it is you love or loathe about them.
Tips: It is a good idea, if possible, to choose a yarn that you adore and a yarn that just didn’t work for you. You do not need to be critical of any yarn if you do not feel comfortable in doing so, but perhaps you came to realise that one yarn wasn’t suitable for a particular project, if possible you could blog about what you have come to learn about choosing the right yarn, or your love of experimenting with fibres.
I’m a fiber snob. I learned from the best (I’m talkin’ to you Haldechick and Idyllicchick). As I’ve mentioned previously, my most favoritest yarn is mmmmmMalabrigo. I know that sounds like a cop-out, since its probably everyone’s favorite (errr, maybe not?). I can’t think of anything that shouldn’t be knit with it. My first project when relearning to knit was with Malabrigo. A pair of pink legwarmers for little K. My cousin was passing through town and spent the night with us, she showed me knitting in the round and its been downhill from there. My first “real” knitting project, a wool diaper soaker was also knit in Malabrigo (ok, ya know what? I think the first year I was knitting, I only used it).
I almost forgot how little she was - Dusty Olive colorway
Why? Malabrigo is so soft, yet strong. It was perfect for diaper soakers because it is so soft near baby & the “wet zone” gets a little felted with friction and it becomes nice and leak proof. I’m not kitting diaper soakers anymore and I still love it for all the things I knit. It’s great for sweaters/hats/mitts. I’m not sure how warm it is, but I do know that living in North Florida, I can say it’s just the right weight for our coldest mornings. Did I mention it’s really soft? As in soft enough to put near your face and neck:
Eternity scarf - in Polar Morn colorway
Mostly, I love how it feels when I’m knitting with it. I love to knit with it. I love to have the fiber in my hands and see the variations in colors and smell (really, though I think the smell thing came from my favorite yarn store). Its such a pleasure to knit with, I think my projects get finished even faster when I use it.
I’d have to say my next favorite yarn is from a local indy dyer who is quickly becoming a household name: String Theory Colorworks I love the bold-sharp-crazy-wild-fun colors she uses. The names are nerdy and cool too! I’ve only used three of the types of yarn they dye (Continum: sock weight, Photon: oooh look sparkles, and Momentum: a DK weight). Oh yeah and its self striping. How fun is that?
what yarn will you never see me post about? duh: acrylic.
I love my natural fibers and soft textures and bright fun colors.
Yarn is cool.
2kcbwday1
mama, wife, knitter, geekluvr
Malabrigo is my favorite yarns
Eternity scarf is very beautiful
I agree about acrylic. I do use it, but nothing can touch natural fibers.
Great post!
I dreamed I was a Lego person last night and kept falling off walkways, bursting into a pile of studs. Playing too much Star Wars Lego 3?
Thanks!
i even feel guilty buying acrylic for my kids to play with. ahhhh but so cheap.
I have never used Malabrigo. But now I feel I need some as soon as possible!
You can’t go wrong with a bit of Malabrigo. I have a lovely smooshy hat from some Malabrigo twist which I love.
I am totally with you on the Malabrigo. Other yarn companies keep trying to duplicate it, but no one can. You hit it right on–soft, yet strong. Somehow, even though it’s a single ply, it hold itself together very well.
I also agree with you on the acrylic front.
I love Malabrigo too and made some longies out of it. I’ve made fingerless mitts for myself and a scarf for my mom and it’s really warm. I live in Maine and it’s perfect. I’d love to try Malabrigo Rios, which is plied and superwash.
Oh! Littlest K is so *tiny*! She looks like a little fairy! So cute.
Oh, and yes! Mmmmmmalabrigo for the win!
Malabrigo seems to elicit either extreme love or hate from people, but I’m on the positive side – the colors are amazing and so vibrant. I prefer natural fibers like you, but won’t knock synthetics – they have their place, too!
Ooooh, I love Malabrigo! Just started using the sock yarn…Oh, so delicious!
Love your post for Knit and Crochet Blog Week (which I’m also participating in this year!) I’m so excited to check out Malabrigo now that I’ve seen a few posts about it today.
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