Deluxe Worsted Superwash from Universal Yarn. I love the way my knitting feels after washing it, and it only gets softer as I wash it. Use lots of water and the right soap . To keep from stretching or distorting the stitches, avoid hanging knits on hangers. There is only one issue with buying Chinese cashmere. Mohair (in yarn not doll hair) has a halo, a fuzziness that dulls the shine. So if your mystery yarn is yak or camel or opossum, then we can get your weight and yardage and that its an animal fiber of some kind but that maybe all. I’m talking about the balls of mystery yarn you have kicking around in your stash. It’s a valid question and one I’ve seen come up more than once in knitting groups– especially among newer knitters. Lastly, do your pyromaniac thing fire test over a non-combustible surface, like your kitchen sink. Do you walk around yarn stores with your nose buried in a skein of yarn? I’ve made to feel dorky for this many a time. I find wool has a distinct smell, I very rarely use silks Though had a phase of everything I made was silks, I’m over that now Thank you!!! You can’t just toss them in a washing machine. Your post has really confirmed for me that my gut instinct was correct. Tell us about your favorite Valley Yarn, is there a Valley Yarn you are excited to work with? It lets light pass through it. Things appear in my stash that I did not put there.) Instead, you should gingerly (without agitation) wash it by hand and lay it flat to dry. A good quality mohair will shine when you look at it close up but not from far away. DK Yarn These fibers don’t reflect light very well. I love it when I learn something new. Anytime! Disregard that classification of “4ply means fingering”. That can be kind of confusing. Let’s figure out what they actually are and then we can figure out what they can be used for and then we you can get around to working them up. Can they be lined up to go in one direction? Bulky Yarn, Copyright © Knotions Magazine. These chemicals are not harmful to people once the wool is processed and finished. A perennial favorite of hand-dyers for the ability to capture color, and an easy-care regimen means that many of our knitters and crocheters prefer to work with superwash fibers over non-treated ones. lol. (It’s nice to know my posts hold up over time.) 1.75 oz/195 yd ball. Jacquard Acid Dyes are concentrated, powdered, hot water dyes that produce the most vibrant possible results on protein fibers including silk, wool, cashmere, alpaca, feathers, and most nylons. Acrylics can be anything since they are manufactured but most often they are wavy. So weigh your yarn in grams and write that number down. by Universal Yarn. I know. An old jelly jar works great. While I do tend to advise people to follow the laundering instructions on the ball band, I’ve found that many plant-based yarns tell you to either not use a dryer or to dry clean only, but they do just fine when laundered. Cart (0) 0. Not really. Some people love the feel of a “wooly-wool” and others can despise them (and the way they smell when wet). The yarn remains as single strands. Hopefully you now have some idea what your mystery yarn is, how thick it is, how long, and what its made from. If you’re a beginner knitter, using a light shaded yarn is a good idea.It’s easier to see mistakes. A gram, or even ten, is small. Then its not mohair. Lye is very corrosive and I think its too dangerous to have in the home. This worsted weight yarn is incredibly soft, a great choice for everything from afghans to baby projects, and comes in a wide range of fabulous colors, including shades specially chosen by author, designer, instructor and D.I.Y. Weight Aran (8 wpi) ? If you have something really exotic, then maybe I can’t help you. For this reason, you won't find superwash yarns used in any of our patterns or kits. Wow. Yarn Bases . But please do the measurements any way you like. Each hair of wool is made up of scales. I’ve read guides for conducting the dissolve-fiber test with lye and I hope you will pass on that. Insert straight T-pins all the way around the edge of the item, stretching it into shape as you go. You are going to need a scale. Worsted Yarn Some common blends will add a manufactured fiber to a natural fiber as a way to make it easier to both wear and launder. The fastest test you can run is this: Cut off an length of yarn and soak it in hot, really hot water. Sign In My Account. It feels dense and squishy. We all know that metric system is evil. Silk Road Textiles explains that energy-efficient washing machines sometimes use low water, which creates too much friction, and can cause some of the felting that you’d typically like to avoid with a superwash … Superwash Wools will have these barbs either removed or glued down. Handle lye with extreme care or, better yet, just don’t use it at all. In the end, all you will have is acrylic or nylon. So you don’t really have to do math. I’m not going to put a copy up here becasue that was a lot of work. Artificial fibres ain’t great for this technique. Don’t burn or melt yourself. Info + Contact. A fabulous 100% merino DK yarn, Plymouth Yarn DK Merino Superwash has a gorgeous colour palette that encompasses all the classics you will ever need, with some stunning new shades - we love 1123! Sorry. This process is called “blocking”. This is just one of the posts in our Knitting 101 PDF! No idea what that was or how I came to own it. Get over 10 tutorials and a pattern, all in one downloadable PDF! Wool yarn tends to be much softer than acrylic yarn. Superwash Yarn. Let’s take a moment to discuss safety. It's great for all of your worsted weight projects that need to be washable—blankets, tough-wearing kid clothes and more! Very straight. Regular wools have little barbs on them, and these barbs can grab other pieces of the yarn. It is got battered and fuzzy but is still a single length of yarn, it is superwash. It's good to be able to make an educated decision. Yardage Unit weight. No matter how much its been cleaned, wool and alpaca will always smell a little when its hot and wet. I’m sure you’ve noticed that plenty of yarn makers sell fingering weight yarn that is not made with four plies. These yarns dye up beautifully to produce intense, clear colours. The touch test is not very reliable. Superwash is probably your best pick for a fall jacket, assuming you live somewhere pretty cold; acrylics and cottons won't hold heat like you want. Now you know how many yards are in your mystery fiber. shrsl_ShareASale_liveWid_Init(13573, 1197116, 'shrsl_ShareASale_liveWid_product12_populate'); It feels heavy for merino yarn, but it’s a languorous heft. Podcast. Having some or all of the scales altered decreases the elasticity a bit, so it’s got extra drape. This is a personal preference, but I find that you can gain a lot of softness by washing and drying a linen-based yarn. These yarns can also be a bit shinier. 18.0 sts = 4 inches Needle size. Back in the midst of time, I somehow acquired a bag of very soft, kind of short, mystery fiber in a a downy grayish brown. I really want and have wanted to knit with non-superwash wool for years now, but what has stopped me are the colours. They go into more detail on acetates versus rayon and such and you might find that useful. plied. Then I had someone give me a bag of yak down to spin and it was exactly like the mystery fiber that I had been wondering about. We want to know if its wool or cotton or acrylic. 100 grams (3.53 ounces) Gauge. We’ve all heard stories of an adult sweater coming out of the washer small enough for a child. The humanity! Its my only excuse. And blends may give you the good aspects of several fibers. Here is a guide from Craftsy on burn-testing fabrics. Most commercial yarn is superwash now-a-days. This can be a touchy topic, and in the end, only you will be able to decide if the recipient will take care of the item. Your label will tell you whether you can both wash and dry the yarn and any particular temperature settings that you should adhere to for the best results. Yarn Bases. Put all curious four legged creatures in the bedroom and shut the door. 114 grams (4.02 ounces) Gauge. Knotions Magazine. This is often a good thing, but not always. The lack of barbs can make your item stretch out – especially when wet or after long use. Put as much tension on as you do when you stitch and snug the wraps up against each other. Now that we know the thickness of your yarn, we need to know how much of it you have. Share on Social. If you want to test this out, make up a big swatch and give it a try. Our Valley Yarns Valley Superwash is made from 100% extra fine Merino wool, and it's machine-washable in cold water with a mild detergent or Eucalan. However, if there is a sudden lowering of … Open up the sock. They are the humble, overlooked balls of yarn waiting to become the beautiful star in our next crafting adventure. //