28 March 2011

Day one: A Tale of two yarns



(2KCBWDAY1 )
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.


I'm a weird crocheter. I think I've been crocheting for almost 3 years now, but the only fancy, expensive yarns in my stash were all gifts from either a swap or a family member and I've only ever used one of the fancier ones to make a hat, which turned out to be itchy because of the angora in the blend. I have a small stash of undefined yarn that I got from my grandmother that I'm afraid to dive into, mostly because I have no clue what it all is. (also because I used a small ball of yarn for a little project the other day and found out that my grandmother collected all the small bits and ends and wound them into the ball as well. I came across three ends before hitting what appeared to be the main ball.) So far, the only type of yarn that I have no trouble recognising is acrylics, and that has been the type of yarn I've been using the most for my projects. Most of which were amigurumi's or other types of toys, which makes it slightly less of an abomination.

My favourite yarn, the one I've used the most and keep coming back to?

Cotton. Simple, silly cotton. I like it for its ability to show stitches well, it's a natural, versatile yarn and it has a summer-vibe to it, even if you're making a shawl to use in the winter.

A yarn I truly would love to have in my stash, if only to cuddle and toy with until I find a project I can tackle without messing up the gorgeousness of it, is Madelinetosh Pure Silk. The colours! Oh, and the shine! And the softness, it just looks so rich and gorgeous! It's so expensive, though, as are most really gorgeous yarns, and that's something that is really holding me back from purchasing a skein of dreamy silky yarn. I mean, look at this.

(image from madelinetosh.com)

Gorgeous.

9 comments:

  1. I'm with you on the Madeline Tosh, it looks so beautiful; but I certainly don't agree that acrylic is an abomination, and I advise you to avoid yarn snobs :-)

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  2. I agree cotton is wonderful stuff. I can't believe the variety of yarn that can be spun by using differently prepared cotton. It can soft or shiny, with strength that helps whenever added to other fibres. I'm not surprised you like crocheting with it, it's lovely with a hook.

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  3. I'm desperate to try some madelintosh some day... the silk looks amazing!

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  4. I have some Madeline Tosh that I won and I keep pulling it out and petting it. Someday I'll make a shawl out of it.

    On the other hand, I really hate the way cotton yarn feels.

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  5. Looks like melting chocolate.

    Yummy!

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  6. I don't always love the feel of knitting or crocheting with cotton, but it really makes some lovely things. And that story about your grandmother's yarn is making me laugh. Sounds like something mine would have done!

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  7. OMGosh! I didn't know there was pure silk in Madelinetosh! Oh, the luxury!
    Awesome you're a crocheter, something I'd like to learn one day.

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  8. As a knitter, I always turned my nose up at cotton. But now that I've started crocheting, I can see why someone would use it. The stitch definition is wonderful!

    MadTosh is really amazing. You should treat yourself!

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  9. That Madelinetosh is so yummy looking it's making me hungry!

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