Independent Knitting News » Product Reviews

Want to Experiment Cheaply?

crafty1gran0 — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 22:18:38 +0000

Are you interested in trying a new yarn, but afraid to spend the money to experiment? Check out this [tag]forum[/tag] at [tag]Knitters Review[/tag] for information about many different types of yarn. There are posts about all types of yarns and help from those who have used them. Their experiences with major [tag]yarn[/tag] brands will save you money!

Heritage Yarns Newsletter for Fall

crafty1gran0 — Thu, 23 Aug 2007 23:03:49 +0000

Do you subscribe to the newsletter from [tag]Heritage Yarns[/tag]? In her latest newsletter, [tag]Margaret Pittman[/tag] writes “I’m in love with Jaggerspun Zephyr 2/18. It started out as a weaving yarn but many who love knitting lace have found this 50% Silk Tussah/50% Merino laceweight yarn to be a favorite. Jaggerspun Zephyr Silk/Merino is available in two sizes and put up in small, affordable skeins to go with some of HeartStrings [tag]Lace knitting patterns[/tag] and in a limited number of colors to coordinate with Heritage Yarns hand painted yarns and painted warps collections. The yardage goes a long way and for that reason, the put-up is on 500 yd. skeins so that you can pick and choose – or not – as the price is so low you may want them all! Yardage of most hand knit lace scarves is 500 or under. Six more colors have just been added to the Heritage Yarns collection. New are Marine Blue, Elderberry, Lady Slipper, Mulberry, Sage and Steel. And they have arrived in time to start your fall knitting and weaving for Christmas and other gift-giving occasions. Consider Lady Slipper for a scarf for breast cancer awareness month or choose Ruby for a scarf donation to [tag]HeartScarves[/tag].

Jaggerspun Zephyr is the newest yarn to arrive at Heritage Yarns. I only purchase what I like to work with and, in turn, I think you will like them too. Zephyr is 50% Silk Tussah/50% Merino. Since most don’t need a pound of laceweight or light worsted weight yarns, I decided to put these up in small quantities so that you could have a little of each.

HeartStrings Lead or Follow Lace Scarf is available in a kit and features Jaggerspun Zephyr 2/18. Several other HeartStrings lace scarves are also well-suited for this beautiful laceweight yarn. Yarn suggestions and yardage are shown with each scarf.

Suggested needle size for Zephyr 2/18 is size 4-6 U.S. If you’ve ever been hesitant to knit lace because of small needles or a fine grist yarn, try it today and be pleasantly surprised as to how much easier it is on your hands than a bulky yarn with large needles.”

If Lace Scarfs are on this years gift making list, and you want to try a different type of yarn, Jaggerspun Zephyr Silk/Merino just might be what you need.

Yarn that contains Precious Metal

crafty1gran0 — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 20:21:26 +0000

[tag]Knitters Review[/tag] wrote about a new sock yarn by [tag]Kraemer Yarns[/tag]. The reviewer writes that yarn manufacturers lately have used many additives in yarn, but never before have they used precious metal. But this reviewer believes it works.

The reviewer states that “The first thing you’ll notice about Sterling is, of course, the silver. This is not flashy plastic novelty silver, this is actual physical silver presented in extremely fine, thin fibrous strands that are evenly blended throughout the other fibers. Those other fibers, though, are what seal the deal: 63% superwash Merino, 20% silk, and 15% nylon. It has all the makings of a classic, luxurious sock yarn—with just a dusting of bling to put it over the top.

The silver effect is extremely subtle, not brassy. It rather reminds me of when sunlight hits grass after the first early frost. My only wish is that they could figure out a way to keep the nylon fibers from sticking out. The yarn is set to retail for $19.95 per hank, which sounds expensive until you remember that each hank holds a generous 420 yards. In terms of silver, you’re only getting about 0.07 ounce of the stuff—by comparison, your basic raw silver is currently going for about $12.50 per Troy ounce (one Troy ounce equals 31.1034768 grams—just in case it comes up at your next trivia party!). But we’re not knitting protective armor here, you really only need a dusting to do the trick. “

Designer Bags from Recycled Sweaters

crafty1gran0 — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 13:11:51 +0000

[tag]Fittner Knitter[/tag] has a great site full if interesting items. This page however, fits in with my current recycle theme of the past few days.

Cindy writes “These bags are made from 100% [tag]recycled wool[/tag] sweaters. No patterns were used so no two bags will ever be alike.
After felting each sweater, I just took a pair of scissors to them
and let the design emerge from the sweaters.The bags are lined with polyester fleece”. Because I also knit socks the Magic Loop way, I found this bag interesting.
The Magic Loop Bag
I love the [tag]magic loop[/tag]. But knitting 2 socks with the magic loop at one time makes the project less portable. If you just drop everything into a bag, the yarn gets all tangled. So I decided to design a bag to carry my 2-socks-on–one-circ projects.

Another good use of recycled wool sweaters!