Monday, February 19, 2007

Odds and ends.

Some thoughts, a review, some links... much like any other blog post, now that I think on it. Anyway.

First, the sock yarn problems. The first yarn I got was 100% untreated (not superwash) Peruvian mystery wool. I'm knitting a sock with it now (The Ugly Sock) and it doesn't seem too bad, but it's rather rough and tough and scratchy. The new yarn is 75% superwash wool and 25% nylon and is nice and springy and soft and doesn't take up dye worth shit (and costs twice as much as the plain wool sock yarn). My real problem, I think, is that I've not worked with enough sock yarn to really judge if it's good or not. The only other 'sock' yarn I've ever had my hands on was Koigu and that's not really sock yarn. So if anyone who has ordered the Peruvian sock yarn from me (the other isn't dyed or available yet) would like to give me your thoughts when you get it, I'd really appreciate it. Don't be afraid to tell me it sucks. I kind of think it myself, so you'd only be confirming my suspicions. I want to know - I don't want to sell something people think is crap.

The Peruvian stuff currently on sale is priced the way it is partly because I don't like it (the yarn, not the dye jobs), and partly to give you guys a chance at some discount yarn before mention of my etsy shop goes up on Knitty in March.

So, anyway. If ANYONE has thoughts on sock yarn and what makes it good or bad, leave a comment. I'd appreciate it.


Meanwhile, I'm reading a book. (Gee. That never happens.)

"A History of the World in Six Glasses" by Tom Standage. The 'six glasses' in question are beer, wine, spirits/booze, tea, coffee, and Coke. The eras are Ancient, Classical, Enlightenment, Colonial, Late Colonial, and Modern. It's a different slant on world history and quite interesting. Right now I'm in the spirits chapter learning how rum fueled the slave trade. It's a fun book if you like your history with a different viewpoint. Not much humor - it's a straightforward style. But good anyway.


Let's see, I was gonna drop some links... Oh.

I Can Has Cheeseburger? Is a blog that is nothing but cat photos with captions. Sometimes they're hilarious. Sometimes they're stupid. But if you like cats, it's still cute, so it's all good. Here's a taste:

Much of the writing, such as it is, is in what I think of as "Blackberryese" - 'Dood, wut R U doin?' But as I said. Cute cat photos.


And Vintage Textile has updated and has new loot, for those of you who can afford $2000 shawls and collector clothing you'll never wear. For the rest of us it serves as fantastic inspiration for knitting ideas. Try not to drool into your keyboard.

8 comments:

Sheepish Annie said...

I ordered some yarn today and will be happy to let you know how it works up. I can't imagine that it will be anything other than fantastic, though! The color alone is making me happy and I don't even have it yet.

Amy Lane said...

Hmm... I'm still on an internet yarn ban because of the one-socked-crackheaded-asshole who stole my purse, but I can tell you what I like in a sock yarn... give, stretchiness, colorfastness, springiness, smoothness and a surprise in the colors as they come up... and I WILL order some of that yarn...5 more days until that credit card shows up...I'm countin' the minutes...

Suzann said...

You know Julie a lot of sock yarn feels awful until it is washed up. Knit Picks, Opal, Regia all feel like string rough string at that before washing. I myself think it is easier to knit sort of stiff yarn at that tiny gauge, then the super soft stuff. As long as it softens up once washed.
My husbeast gave me two bags of Elann sock yarn for Valentines Day. He gets points for buying yarn, instead of a socket wrench. But I hate the color patterns. It is going back.
Have you tried washing any of the yarn?

Amy Lane said...

And Suzann is totally right...some stuff that I hated working with got all soft and nice during blocking...

Bells said...

good point re stuff feeling scratchy to start with it, Opal etc. It is easier to work with when it's a little stiff. I'm working with some pink stuff at the moment (bad dye job, leaving pink all over my fingers and my nice bamboo needles) and it's very soft. Lovely, but slippery.

Terby said...

I was going to mention the washing issue, but others have beat me to it. A lot of the sock yarns really transform after that first wash. I like a tightly twisted yarn, like Koigu, Cherry Tree Hill, or Louet Gems. As much as I adore Trekking, it has a loose twist which makes it splitty to knit. The colors make up for that, and it feels great when all is said and done. Durability is a big plus, especially when you knit that many stitches with tiny needles. Soft is nice, but if they wear out too fast, it's pretty demoralizing.

Julie said...

Because of how I do the dye process, the yarn is soaked for 12 hours, then dyed, then washed with soap, so yeah, it's been WASHED. But thank you all for your thoughts and comments, they're helping.

And no, that's not my kid over at Cute Overload, but 1. that picture is hilarious, and 2. I wouldn't be shocked to see her do something like that. Last year she wanted to pet a bear, which she was calling 'kitty'.

Kids are quite fun before society gets hold of them and teaches them rules, aren't they?

FairyGodKnitter said...

Julie- I got my lace weight yarn from you today and it's soft as a baby's whatever. Thanks for the fastest shipping I've ever seen. I'll keep you posted when I get to knit with it. For now I'll just me admiring your inspired color choices.