Fluffy (mohair and similar) yarn

[aedifica]

I've done a couple of shawls in sockweight yarn now, and I'm thinking I'd like to make one with laceweight yarn next. It turns out my mental image of laceweight yarn is the fluffy stuff, mohair and the like (for example this stuff), because when I looked at non-fluffy laceweight yarn something inside me was saying "that's not right!"

I've never worked with that kind of yarn before. Is it easy or hard to work with? Does it require special care?

Comments

[pennyplainknits]

It depends on how tight you knit- I'm a VERY tight knitter and have snapped laceweight yarn on more than one occasion. If you're not, you probably don't need to be any more careful than you would with fingering weight yarn.

[aedifica]

That's helpful, thanks! I do tend to be a tight knitter, though not VERY tight.

[apis_mellifera]

If you're prone to making mistakes and need to un-knit or rip back to fix mistakes, you will find that fluffy laceweights (which usually are knit at a fairly large gauge) are very difficult to do that with. I also find it more difficult to see the pattern when I'm using those kinds of yarns, due to both the fuzziness and the larger needle size needed to show these yarns off to their proper advantage.

[hugh_mannity]

This.

Fluffy yarns are always a PITA to tink or frog, and laceweight ones are worse because they're fine and thus breakable.

While they can produce very nice FOs, they're best suited to simple lace patterns as they obscure the stitch definition. If you want to do complex lace, and show off the result, use a smooth yarn.

[hugh_mannity]

Also, you might want to buy one ball as a test. Make a short skinny lace scarf or a doily you can frame to see whether you like that type of yarn or not.

[aedifica]

That's a good thought! I'm normally resistant to the idea of making test objects (for example, I hate making gauge swatches although I do make them), but I remembered an auction I can donate the finished test object to. Good outcome all around!

[aedifica]

Oh, that's very good to know! I don't *usually* have to go back to fix mistakes, but I'd be extra exasperated to suddenly discover it was harder to do than I expected.

Freeze fluffy yarn

[jazzypom]

Yarn with a mohair content you want to throw in the freezer for a bit before ripping back. It cuts down on the static. I'm not a fan of the silk /mohair blends (like Rowan kid silk haze) because of the bother. I've knitted a scarf (lace) out of it and hated it. LOL.

[neotoma]

Brushed mohair, eyelash, and similar 'fluffy' yarns are tricky to work with, in my experience.

It's easy to catch the 'fluff' and not the yarn with brushed mohair, and obviously this will result in a dropped stitch if you don't notice it right away.

It's *very* hard to rip back mistakes with this kind of yarn -- I've crocheted several shawls with brushed laceweight yarn, and ripping back was always fraught.

It's surprisingly delicate -- I've snapped brushed laceweight a lot more often than smooth laceweight.

[aunty_marion]

I don't like the fluffy stuff at all, whatever weight it is. It's harder to see your stitches (with eyelash yarn *spit* it's almost impossible), so if you do make a mistake you won't find out till it's too late. Probably. And then you won't be able to go back to it.

However, I'm currently knitting two shawls with smoother laceweight - one in Malabrigo Lace, and one in a Touch Yarns (from New Zealand) 2-ply merino (21.5 micron, says the label!), both of which are working nicely. The Malabrigo one, unfortunately, has now been on the needles for over a year, because I need to have the pattern with me all the time - can't just think 'oh, last row I did this, so this row I need to do that', so I need to have time to concentrate on it - and it does try to felt a bit. Otherwise, it's lovely to work with.

[cme]

In addition to what everyone else said about the fluffy laceweights, I love the way smooth laceweights can show up stitch definitions. Especially if you're doing something like Estonian lace, with the sinuous stitch patterns, a smooth yarn can really enhance the "flow" of the pattern.

One thing to keep in mind is that singles are always more fragile, and I have found that laceweight singles can be almost as easy to break as mohair laceweight. I haven't had any trouble with plied laceweights, personally.

[pinesandmaples]

If you go for one of the fluffier lace yarns, make sure you are choosing a pattern that was designed (or has been extensively knit) with that yarn in mind. For example, Birch by Rowan? Lovely. Lace? Visible. Good things all around. But doing one of Anne Hanson's lace shawls in Kidsilk Haze? Probably a really bad idea.

Also, humidity is not kind to fuzzy animal fibers. Don't even think about working with them when it's sticky. If the yarn doesn't stick to itself, it will stick to you. Yuck.