Oct 4, 2012

Yarn Tasting

I don't know about you, but I can be a very faithful knitter.  What I mean is that I tend to knit with the same yarns again ... and again ... and again.  I know that we all have our favorites.  Mine are Cascade 220, Madelinetosh anything, and Berroco Ultra Alpaca and Vintage.  There's a reason that we have our go-to yarns, but in my effort to be a more mindful knitter, I'm thinking that I should explore and experiment a little more than I have.


So, I'm posing a question to you, dear friends.  What new yarns have you discovered lately?  I'm saving up a little bit of cash to splurge on indie dyers and small producers so I would especially love to hear about them, but don't hesitate to share your love of larger companies, too. Oh, and if you have a favorite project that you knit in your new favorite yarn, please share that, too!

18 comments:

  1. Wow, this question caused me to look back at my projects from 2012, and the only new yarn I've used is the Cascade Cloud! Looks like I'm faithful too!

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  2. Malabrigo Rasta is really fun. It's a partially felted roving style super bulky yarn that is SO SO SOFT.

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  3. I'm currently knitting with some sparkly sock yarn from Storied Yarns on Etsy. I've also had her custom-dye sock yarn for me... it's so pretty!

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  4. Shibui Sock!!!! It is my new favorite- and so SQUISHY!!!!

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  5. Plucky Knitter. A bit of a challenge to get but worth the effort. She sells using periodic 'updates' from her Etsy store & through her blog. Read up on her & you may well catch the Plucky bug.

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  6. I <3 Spud & Chloe Sweater and Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock. I also like Cascade 128 and Malabrigo's Rasta.

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  7. I haven't knit with many yarns that are not New Zealand yarns. But my absolute favourites that I will be stocking up on at the appropriate time are Noro (you'll like Silk Garden) and Rowan Felted Tweed.

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  8. I've been using NZ yarns pretty faithfully this year which is probably not that helpful to you, but my favs are Skeinz.com and Vintagepurls.co.nz YUMMY!

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  9. I wish that I had a suggestion, but I've been knitting pretty much exclusively from my stash. I am also dismayed to report that the closest decent LYS is an hour away! I think it is wonderful that you are trying new yarns. The title of this post reminds me of the event Webs held once, it was a yarn tasting where they would give out a bunch of samples that you could try knitting up.

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  10. I am not sure if it's because I have only been knitting for two years or not, but I am all over with my yarns. Not long ago I picked up Gina by Plymouth Yarn Company that I think I am really going to enjoy!

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  11. Honestly I stick to the same few yarns, too. It's really helpful to work with something familiar: you know how much it will grow, whether the colors hold fast, how it wears, and even your approximate gauge.
    This stuff was delicious, though: http://www.ravelry.com/yarns/library/punta-yarns-merisoft-hand-painted-aran

    And Shokay Yak I got was surprisingly soft and had great stitch definition. (http://www.ravelry.com/yarns/library/shokay-shambala-yak) In fact I still have a little less than 1/2 skein that I want to use every last inch of. ♥

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  12. I highly recommend Cephalopod yarns and La Jolla yarns. I am in love with the nautilace I just bought from cephalopod yarns and the La Jolla Baah! was very soft to use on my shaw's cove shawl.

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  13. I just want to say this : why not dye some yarn yourself, and become your own indie yarn designer? I love knit picks bare or overdye a sale yarn you can find anywhere (superwash merino or wool/nylon or wool/silk all just drinks in dye !). How about trying overdying a light grey or heathered yarn into deeper shades of loveliness ? Example... if you buy yarn spun from naturaly undyed fleece from a grey sheep, a brown sheep, and a white sheep, and/or a yarn blended of several (heathered) , in the single dyebath you will have several different shades of the same tone of color. I LOVE dying ! I especially love over-dying sale yarn, it's thrilling. :)

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  14. I am absolutely in love with Valley Yarns. The quality is amazing, especially considering the price. I believe it'd be a top brand if not for the fact that you can only get it at yarn.com. My faves so far from them are Valley Superwash and Berkshire Bulky.

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  15. If you haven't tried Blue Sky Alpaca's yarns, I suggest you do! I love all of their lines, especially worsted cotton and worsted hand dyed. Spud & Chloe Sweater, also a BSK line is dreamy too!

    In terms of Indie, Tanis is my fave. As you know, I love being part of her colour club!

    Good luck finding your new fave. I bet you'll have fun trying!

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  16. Handmaiden Casbah and Barking Dogs Achilles are both lovely. I just got some Plucky Knitter and it is gorgeous, but I have yet to knit with it.

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  17. After years of hoarding and knitting with expensive yarns, this year I have surprised myself by enjoyably knitting and crocheting with craft store yarns. I like the Stitch Nation line, especially Bamboo Ewe and Full O' Sheep. I also made some projects with Quince and Co. Lark and Chickadee. Beautiful colors and wonderful classic wool yarns.

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  18. Natural Dye Studio. Possibly of limited use when you're on the other side of the pond, but I have loved knitting with both yarns that I've tried.

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