Saturday, March 10, 2007

Third and Final Yarn

I have trouble with linear thinking when it comes to most things. My thoughts jump around too much. Ideas pop into my head at inopportune times. What does this have to do with knitting this sweater? Funny you should ask. When I started the pattern for the umpteenth time, this time with the Peruvian silk, I kept thinking that it felt a little crunchy, maybe even a little abrasive, but I kept on knitting. After all it came from my stash, it was a great color and I really liked how it was knitting up. This little voice in my head kept irritating me. Nag, nag, nag; this yarn is too scratchy, it said. My fingers were instigating this chant, but I wasn't ready to admit it. So I asked myself; WWCD (what would Clara do?) I decided to follow the formula Clara Parkes uses when reviewing yarn. After washing and drying my swatch, I wore it in my bra. Here are the words describing this experience: irritating, scratchy, red, chafed. Well you get the idea.
So I decided that if I really wanted to knit this sweater, I was going to find a yarn I loved. It just so happened that I had promised to go on a field trip a few towns over with a knitting friend. Within 5 minutes, the Lang Silk Dream in a blue you could get lost in, became my personal lode stone. I tried to look at other choices. The YSO even took me in the back room to look at other yarn. The pull was so strong, I pulled all she had from the cubicle into a basket and took it with me, for fear it would attract someone else.
I love this stuff. It is soft and shimmery, with only a tiny hint of a halo and the color has the kind of depth that makes me drool. It's a little irregular in some spots, and it may pill a little, but I don't care. The stitches are crisp and each stitch reflects light in an irresistible way. It seems more tightly put together that Lorna's Lion and Lamb which has the same make up of 50/50 silk and wool. Did I forget to mention that it literally glides on and off the needles?
Pictures will follow very soon because after all the practice with the pattern and my new perfectly behaved yarn, I'm almost finished with the first diamond.....AGAIN.

3 comments:

Unknown said...

I think we need little WWCD bracelets, don't you? I can't wait to see the yarn!

CPAKnit said...

For all the time and effort in knitting a sweater, it's definitely worthwhile to make sure you have the perfect yarn. Can't wait to see pictures!

Bess said...

Oooo. Me neither. Photos!

It's so hard, sometimes, when our fingers (or body) tell us something our brain doesn't want to hear. Congratulations on finding the Right Yarn.