The mad hatter
I finished the last of the pre-Christmas orders (that’s ordered before Christmas, not promised before Christmas, of course) and am on the cusp of moving into 2006. These last two were cotton, and the next one is cotton too, and those always take longer and are a little rougher on the hands, so I’m taking a break!
I started up Odessa as a cap for a friend of mine, but it’s coming out too loose on the recommended needle size. In fairness, the ball band of the yarn, Misti Alpaca suri silk, doesn’t even have a recommended needle size. But no way is this “worsted” as the label says it is. DK, maybe. On the up side? Softest. Yarn. Ever.
See the holes? I want the fabric tighter, for warmth. I’m going to scale back down from a size 6 needle to a 4 or 5. I worry a little that it’ll be too tight, but I’m still feeling good that it’ll be okay, even if it does snug up a bit. Plus my SSKs are a little sloppy; I want to even those out. Pretty easy pattern so far, and looking good. I might make myself one at some point, but with beads.
(Hello! I found your journal through the knitting community.)
I just have to comment to say that I myself just finished knitting an Odessa hat out of an alpaca silk blend – for a friend, and in pink, no less. =) I used Debbie Bliss Alpaca Silk (a little over a skein) and a 4mm Addi Turbo circ. It’s such a nice pattern… I bet your friend will love it.
(Hello! I found your journal through the knitting community.)
I just have to comment to say that I myself just finished knitting an Odessa hat out of an alpaca silk blend – for a friend, and in pink, no less. =) I used Debbie Bliss Alpaca Silk (a little over a skein) and a 4mm Addi Turbo circ. It’s such a nice pattern… I bet your friend will love it.
Um, so I was wondering.
What does “worsted” mean anyway?
Um, so I was wondering.
What does “worsted” mean anyway?
Worsted actually has two different meanings in the fiber world, one for spinning and one for knitting or crocheting.
The spinning definition (and the one you’ll find in Webster’s) refers to the length of the fibers and the twist of the yarn.
More commonly, though, when a knitter talks about worsted yarn, he or she is referring to worsted weight, which is any yarn of medium thickness that produces an even fabric with about 4.5-5.5 stitches per inch. Sizes in yarn range from lace weight up to super-bulky.
This hat is knit with a worsted-weight yarn.
This hat is knit with bulky-weight yarn. And I swear to God that the model is stone-cold sober.
Worsted actually has two different meanings in the fiber world, one for spinning and one for knitting or crocheting.
The spinning definition (and the one you’ll find in Webster’s) refers to the length of the fibers and the twist of the yarn.
More commonly, though, when a knitter talks about worsted yarn, he or she is referring to worsted weight, which is any yarn of medium thickness that produces an even fabric with about 4.5-5.5 stitches per inch. Sizes in yarn range from lace weight up to super-bulky.
This hat is knit with a worsted-weight yarn.
This hat is knit with bulky-weight yarn. And I swear to God that the model is stone-cold sober.
I thought about the Debbie Bliss, but I had heard that it pills some. Of course, that’s going to be the case with any loosely-spun soft yarn, so that probably doesn’t bode well for this one, either. But the Misti alpaca had a little edge over the Debbie Bliss in softness, and that’s saying something!
This is knitting up much more nicely on 4’s. I’ll have to stop tonight and start up yet another Jayne hat, just because I don’t want to fall behind the timetable I’ve given my clients, but it’s an enjoyable knit, and pretty easy to keep track of without the beads.
I thought about the Debbie Bliss, but I had heard that it pills some. Of course, that’s going to be the case with any loosely-spun soft yarn, so that probably doesn’t bode well for this one, either. But the Misti alpaca had a little edge over the Debbie Bliss in softness, and that’s saying something!
This is knitting up much more nicely on 4’s. I’ll have to stop tonight and start up yet another Jayne hat, just because I don’t want to fall behind the timetable I’ve given my clients, but it’s an enjoyable knit, and pretty easy to keep track of without the beads.
I love seeing all your knitting projects! One day maybe I’ll get more “edjumekated” on my knitting and venture out from my plan ole afghans. I don’t like my stitches on smaller needles yet, the size 4 and smaller. I actually started and restarted and restarted and restarted and restarted a few more times something on size 2 needles but never liked how my stitches looked so I went back to my afghans.
I love seeing all your knitting projects! One day maybe I’ll get more “edjumekated” on my knitting and venture out from my plan ole afghans. I don’t like my stitches on smaller needles yet, the size 4 and smaller. I actually started and restarted and restarted and restarted and restarted a few more times something on size 2 needles but never liked how my stitches looked so I went back to my afghans.
Hee! There’s nothing wrong with afghans – the world’s gotta stay warm somehow!
I used to use big needles until I made my first pair of booties. Then I discovered that I actually did enjoy working with the smaller needles sometimes, mainly on smaller projects. Plus, then when you go back to the big ones, it feels like you’re really zipping through the work!
Hee! There’s nothing wrong with afghans – the world’s gotta stay warm somehow!
I used to use big needles until I made my first pair of booties. Then I discovered that I actually did enjoy working with the smaller needles sometimes, mainly on smaller projects. Plus, then when you go back to the big ones, it feels like you’re really zipping through the work!