yarns that last
Oct. 1st, 2010 08:47 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
to_love_a_rose posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
knittingSo, everyone loves yarn that's pretty and fun to knit with, but...
Last year I knit a hat using a very pretty thick and thin blue yarn. It was a single ply wool, and the finished project was lovely. (Pictures here on Ravelry.) However, before the winter was out, it had begun to pill pretty badly. I looked at it yesterday and while it's still wearable, it's pretty fuzzy. It also bled really badly when I washed it (cold water, hand wash, gentle detergent). I know that pilling and fuzz is a risk of using wool, and I'm willing to make the trade off to knit with natural fibers, but is there anyway to pick out natural fibers that wear well?
I've heard that multi-strand yarns wear better than single-ply? Anyone have any experience with that? Also, any suggestions for natural fiber yarns (specific brands or just general types of yarn) that seem to wear well?
(BTW, thanks to everyone for your help in planning my impromptu knitting class. I picked up a pair of size 8 bamboo needles and some Wool Ease in light pink for my friend. She'll either end up with a garter stitch scarf or a ribbed scarf for her first project depending on how quickly she picks it up. And, yes, I will be casting on for her. *g*)
Last year I knit a hat using a very pretty thick and thin blue yarn. It was a single ply wool, and the finished project was lovely. (Pictures here on Ravelry.) However, before the winter was out, it had begun to pill pretty badly. I looked at it yesterday and while it's still wearable, it's pretty fuzzy. It also bled really badly when I washed it (cold water, hand wash, gentle detergent). I know that pilling and fuzz is a risk of using wool, and I'm willing to make the trade off to knit with natural fibers, but is there anyway to pick out natural fibers that wear well?
I've heard that multi-strand yarns wear better than single-ply? Anyone have any experience with that? Also, any suggestions for natural fiber yarns (specific brands or just general types of yarn) that seem to wear well?
(BTW, thanks to everyone for your help in planning my impromptu knitting class. I picked up a pair of size 8 bamboo needles and some Wool Ease in light pink for my friend. She'll either end up with a garter stitch scarf or a ribbed scarf for her first project depending on how quickly she picks it up. And, yes, I will be casting on for her. *g*)
(no subject)
Date: 2010-10-02 02:10 am (UTC)You want more plies and harder-wearing wool to last. Think 8-ply lopi or 6-ply Icelandic. More plies mean more stability in the strand. As for wool types, the softer the wool, the more likely it is to pill and fuzz. Merino pills more than pretty much every other wool breed out there. I've found things like Romney, BFL, and Corridale wear really well.
As a standard workhorse yarn, Cascade 220 has a nice lifespan.
(no subject)
Date: 2010-10-03 12:14 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-10-03 01:02 am (UTC)The colors are nice though, and a lot of people shop by color without thinking about durability.
(no subject)
Date: 2010-10-03 06:48 am (UTC)Have you used Manos? It's a cheaper, softer, nicer version of Manos. Much more affordable and pleasant.
(no subject)
Date: 2010-10-03 07:12 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-10-03 07:40 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-10-03 06:47 am (UTC)They do pill, and I use a sweater stone on them weekly. That handles the pills well. The palms have felted a bit, which is nice for my purposes. (They have molded to my hands, and they are really nice to wear.) But it won't look new or crisp. Animal fiber singles, typically, don't ever look crisp.