Acrylic

Warning: I am a yarn snob.  And also an acrylic hater.  In my humble opinion, there are only 3 good reasons to knit with acrylic:

1. It's for a baby.  I don't want to put a ton of money into a knit piece that will inevitably end up covered in spit and god knows what else.  I also don't want aforementioned baby's parents to hate me because I made something that got covered in unmentionables and can't be machine washed.
2. I'm broke.  The one major awesome factor of acrylic is that it comes in large and inexpensive skeins.  I can knit whole sweaters for $5.  Okay.  Maybe not $5.  But definitely $10.
3. It's for someone who doesn't realize that their washing machine has cold and delicate settings.  We all know those people.  The ones who wash everything on hot.  The ones who felt all the beautiful woolen gifts you give them.  Even though you took the time to print a care tag and remind them that it's wool and will felt if washed with hot water.  Yep.  Them.  I'm looking at YOU, Grandma!

But for the sake of science and this blog, I broke down and knit with acrylic for none of the reasons listed above.

My Acrylic Yarn:
I picked up some Caron Simply Soft from my local craft emporium (read: Joann's).  It didn't make me want to cut my hands off while I knit, so that's something.

• Texture: If I close my eyes real tight and sit on my hands until they fall asleep before I start knitting, I can almost imagine that I'm knitting with wool and not plastic. 1.5 Yarngasms.
• Durability: It can survive babies and the washing machine illiterate.  It's the cockroach of yarn. 4 Yarngasms.
• Frogability: It can be frogged and frogged without breaking, but after a time or two it turns into a scary, frizzy muppet.  2 Yarngasms.
• Drape: It can get a bit heavy, but if you accommodate for that, it's not too bad. 3 Yarngasms.

My Project:
Christmas Tree Skirt by Ann V. Gallentine (Ravelry link).  It's my go-to Christmas pattern.  I've made it for 3 people in varying sizes.  It's easy, but looks like you spent some time on it.

It's acrylic.  What more can I say?

I Fail: A Confession

You know that scene in Pinocchio where the little puppet boy and his father sail the turbulent seas only to be swallowed by a whale?  That was my life.  The whale kept me from blogging.  Well, you know, the metaphorical whale.  Not a real whale.  We don't have whales in Minnesota.  Many lakes.  No whales.

Now, I'm mostly all better.  Which means I can get back to the business at hand.  Mainly yarn made from cool stuff. 

Super awesome things to look forward to in the coming weeks:  SUGAR YARN!  PAPER YARN! 

And decidedly less exciting things to look forward to in the coming weeks: WOOL YARN!  COTTON YARN! ACRYLIC YARN!

Stay tuned.

Alpaca vs. Llama. Like Alien vs. Predator, but different.

If you're anything like me, you occasionally walk into petting zoo to look at a furry, four legged, long-necked animal only to wonder if it's a llama or an alpaca.  In order to combat my alpaca ignorance, my llama cluelessness; I present Alpaca vs. Llama:

ALPACA:

Scientific Name: Vicugna pacos

Continent of Origin: South America

Height: up to 3 feet from feet to shoulders

Weight: 100-175 lbs.

Life span: 20-25 years

Fiber production: 5-8 lbs. annually

LLAMA:

Scientific Name: Lama glama

Continent of Origin: South America

Height: up to 4 feet from feet to shoulders

Weight: 250-450 lbs.

Life span: 15-25 years

Fiber production: 5-10 lbs. annually, but guard hair must be removed for spinning.

That wasn't nearly as helpful as I was hoping it would be.  They look very similar.  They come from the same place.  They are both related to camels.  They are both raised for fiber or livestock.  The only real differences are size and fiber quality.  So.  If you walk into a petting zoo and see a very large, furry, four legged, long-necked animal, chances are it's a llama.  If you see a much smaller furry, four legged, long-necked animal, chances are it's an alpaca (or a baby llama).  Upon closer inspection, if you see guard hairs mixed in with the fleece, it's a llama.  But if there is only soft, fleecy goodness, it's an alpaca.

Clear as mud?  I thought so.

Seaweed

Sorry for the delay kids, I was crazy busy and then I got sick and it snowballed into my post being late.  No good, I know.  But without further ado, I present: SEAWEED!  I'll admit, the post is sans-project pictures, but they're coming.  Pinky promise.

Seaweed/Seacell®:
In 1997, a study was conducted to see what, if any, marine plant fiber might be suitable for spinning, weaving, dying and washing.  Seacell® was released on the market in 2001.  Seacell® is a variant of lyocell.  It's made by combining cellulose with seaweed.  But let's call it seaweed.  It's so much more fun!

Cool Seaweed Facts:

• It stimulates skin cell regeneration, supports skin blood flow and exhibits anti-inflammatory properties
• It's hypoallergenic
• Some claim it allows for an exchange of minerals and vitamins between fiber and skin and reduces stress

My Seaweed Yarn:
For my project, I used Fibra Natura Sea Song.  It's 80% cotton and 20% seacell®.  It has a similar texture to cotton, but drapes a lot more nicely.  Where I wouldn't necessarily use lightweight cotton for an openwork piece, I would absolutely use the cotton/seaweed combo.

• Texture: V. similar to cotton.  3 Yarngasms.
• Durability: It's very splitty, but the individual strands don't break too easily.  3.5 Yarngasms.
• Frogability: I frogged this yarn 4 times before I found a project I liked.  I would try not to do it more than that, but the yarn held up for my 4 attempts and 1 finished product.  4.5 Yarngasms.
• Drape: It has a great drape.  I love the way openwork looks with this yarn.  4 Yarngasms.

My Project:
After several failed attempts (bad yarn/project combo, not enough yarn, decided halfway through I didn't like the pattern, etc.), I used the seaweed yarn to knit the February Lady Sweater.  I love this sweater (psst!  It knits up real quick-like!).  I love this yarn.  I love them together. 

If you haven't knit with seaweed, you should.

EDIT: See!  I promised pictures and there they are.  Success!

Hemp

Hemp:
Hemp is a fiber cultivated from cannabis plants.  It's been around for at least the last 12,000 years.  It's used in textiles, paper, plastics, food and building materials.  It is a crazy, cool substance.  Don't believe me?  Check out the cool hemp facts!

Cool Hemp Facts:

• More hemp is exported to the United States than to any other country.
• Hemp seeds are jam packed with essential amino and fatty acids.
• Hemp contains less than 0.3% THC, where marijuana can contain 6%-20%.
• More amazing hemp facts can be found here.  Seriously.  These facts are awesome.

My Hemp Yarn:
I'm going to let you in on a little secret... I picked this yarn out before The Quest  was even a sparkle in my eye. 

The color!  Do you see the color? 

Now do you see what I'm talking about?  It's LanaKnits Designs Hemp for Knitting allhemp6 in Midori and it's super saturated and full of grass green goodness. 

• Texture: 3 Yarngasms.  It's very similar to the coarse 100% silk I used.  It's hearty, but smooth.  It's not soft and luscious, but it's also not like fondling steel wool. 
• Durability: 3.5 Yarngasms.  They make hemp ropes for cryin' out loud.  This stuff is strong when twisted, but if it's undertwisted or starts to untwist - beware.
• Frogability: 1 Yarngasm.  As soon as you start frogging, you'll lose twist.  This causes major splitting and breaking of the individual strands.  The color also flakes off the more you mess with the yarn.  Try not to do it if at all possible.
• Drape: 4 Yarngasms.  Hemp yarn is very heavy and drapes like a dream, but doesn't overdrape.  You're not going to get an overstretched garment from hemp like you can with bamboo.

My Project:
The moment that I saw the Lacy Skirt with Bows on the cover of Greetings from the Knit Cafe, I was in love.  It just so happens that hemp drapes for days, so it's perfect for a skirt.  This is yet another example of the yarn and the pattern working together to create something truly beautiful.

Corn

Corn, you know, the kind you eat:
I am told the Native Americans shared the secret of corn with the Pilgrims.  How long was the corn growing in the new world before the Mayflower?  Who knows.  Ok.  An archaeologist or historian somewhere knows, but I am neither and so I claim "who knows".  Let's get real here for a moment; you eat corn, I eat corn, I think we're all aware of what corn is and how it's grown.  Yes?  Yes.  Moving right along...

Corn, you know, the kind you knit:
Corn yarn is a relatively new product.  Our little kerneled friends were just waiting in the wings for a chemist to come along and help them reach their full potential.  That's right my friends, put out of your mind the image of a gentle, grandma-type lady at her spinning wheel diligently twisting and pulling corn silk.  This bad boy begins in a laboratory.  *maniacal laughter*  Ok.  That's not entirely true.  It begins on a farm and then migrates to the laboratory. *more maniacal laughter*

Corn is full of starch. These starches are broken down into sugars, then fermented and broken down even further on the molecular chain.  Think of it as a gooey, sugary, play-doh.  This play-doh is shoved through an extruder to create thin, delicate strands.  The strands are cut, carded, combed and spun into yarn.

Cool Corn Yarn Facts:

• It's compostable.
• It's hypoallergenic.
• It's UV & wrinkle resistant.
• It has low flammability.

My Corn:
For my first foray into knitting with corn, I chose Kollage Corntastic Yarn.  If a hank of cotton yarn and a ball of bamboo yarn had a little yarn baby, it would be corn yarn. 

Texture: 4 Yarngasms.  omgthisyarnissoridiculouslysoftanddelicious! *puddle*

Durability: 2.5 Yarngasms. While corn yarn has similar properties to bamboo and cotton, it is definitely the most delicate of the three.

Frogability: 1 Yarngasm.  Don't do it.  Don't even think about it.  This yarn it very splitty to begin with, frogging only makes it worse.

Drape: 1 Yarngasm.  Yeah.  There's none. 

My Project:
Prepare yourselves for a saga of epic proportions.  I bought this yarn with the express purpose of using it for the Corset-Bodice Nightgown from Knitting Lingerie Style: More Than 30 Basic and Lingerie-Inspired Designs. Silky, delicious yarn for a sexy nightgown, what could possible go wrong?  I'll tell you what went wrong.  I finished the project, blocked it and then realized that  it didn't look anything like I wanted it to.  Or anything like the picture.  The yarn may be soft and smooth and totally yummy, but it's so lightweight it can't drape to save its life.  And so, the Corset-Bodice Nightgown was frogged and the Kollage Corntastic sat unused and unloved.  Until one day, I decided it was time to move past my disappointment and turn this knitting frown upside down.  Armed with the knowledge that I couldn't use any pattern that included openwork, I went with a pattern I'd been itching to knit; the Button-Up Sweater from Doggy Knits: Over 20 Coat Designs for Handsome Hounds And Perfect Pooches.  And so, this* was born:

*the sweater, not the dog

And there was much rejoicing.

This may sound like I don't like this yarn.  That is SO not the case.  In fact, this yarn is the perfect example of why I started this Quest in the first place.  Every fiber has positives and negatives, the key is to pick projects that accentuate the positives and eliminate the negatives (as they say...) of the fiber you're working with.  The fiber is the basis of this craft and each project should work for the fiber content in your yarn and not the other way around.  It just so happened that the first pattern I picked didn't work with the fiber.  The second pattern I looked at had all the right elements to showcase the corn yarn.  The lesson here: Know Thy Yarn. 

Silk

History of Silk:
Silk was used in China sometime around 3500 BC (although it was found with some Egyptian mummies dating back to 1070 BC).  As a luxury fiber, it was used to make hoity-toity, fancypants things for kings and their pals.  The demand grew and the production increased.  With silk coming out of their ears, the only logical thing to do was to try to get other cool stuff for it.  Eventually, the silk trade burst wide open and silk (while still a luxury item) was more readily available all over the world.  It is still a staple in the economies of China & India, in addition to several other countries.

How Silk is Made:
Silk is made by silkworms.  Silk moths lay eggs which hatch into silkworms.  Silkworms which are fed mulberry leaves, for example, produce finer silk, while silkworms that eat say, oak leaves, produce coarser silk.  The silkworm lives for roughly 30 days before beginning to spin its cocoon.  The cocoon takes roughly 2 to 3 days to complete.  The chrysalises are killed by heating the cocoon.  Then, the cocoon is washed and unwound into a single silk strand.  The strands from 8 cocoons would be roughly as thick as one human hair.

Here's a pretty cool video of a silk factory in China.

Interesting Silk Facts:

• Silk is the strongest natural fiber, but has poor resistance to sunlight and water.
• According to Islamic teachings, Muslim men are not allowed to wear silk.
• Genghis Khan & his Mongol soldiers wore silk under their armor to protect from arrows.

My Silk:
I picked up some 100% silk yarn from Colorfield Farm at this year's Shepherd's Harvest Sheep & Wool Festival.  It's a hearty, coarse silk.  The colors are fantastic; blues, grays & tans.  It isn't quite what you'd expect when you imagine silk, but a lovely yarn all the same.

• Texture: 3 Yarngasms.  It's not a soft as you would expect from a silk yarn, but it's not as rough as the texture would lead you to believe.
• Durability: 3.5 Yarngasms.  I've schlepped this project around.  I've worn it several times.  It's not pilling, shredding or breaking.
• Frogability: 2 Yarngasms.  I wouldn't frog this yarn more than once, maybe twice. As coarse as it is, remember, it's still delicate silk.
• Drape: 4 Yarngasms.  It hangs well, not too light and not too drapey.

My project:
I knit Audrey's Cardigan from the Spring 2010 issue of Interweave Knits.  As much as I loved my yarn in the hank, I lurve it for this project.  The piece isn't too heavy to be reigned in by the silk satin ribbon, but hangs just enough when left to its own devices.  This project with this yarn is a strong 4.5 Yarngasms.

i knit with this. what? this.

Let's take a trip in the wayback machine, shall we? 

Imagine a place you'd like to go.  Victorian England.  Cosmonaut space shuttle.  The lost city of Atlantis.  Really. Any place will do.  Now, imagine me there.  Seriously.  If you're having trouble imagining me, just imagine anyone and call them Natalie. 

So, one day we're walking along the [insert something that we'd walk along in your wayback machine destination] and I turn to you and say, "Hey!  I think I'm going to try to knit with all the fibers I can find!" 

And then you found $5.  Or whatever the currency is at your wayback machine destination.

The end.

That's it in a nutshell.  One day I had the idea that I would try to knit with all the fibers I could.  Which sounded crazy.  Which still sounds crazy.  Hence, The Rules.

The Rules

1. It must be yarn.  Maybe when I'm done with yarn I'll try knitting with shoe laces or rubber bands, but for now, I'm sticking to yarn.

2. All fake/man-made fibers will be known as "acrylic".  I'm not going out of my way to knit with rayon and nylon and polyester.  An exploration of all the stuff Man can make with oil and magic this is not.

3. I will not learn to spin just to try new things.  No spinning.  For reals.  I don't need another hobby.  But I won't look gift yarn from spinners in the mouth.

With these rules in mind, I am beginning my quest to knit with all the fibers I can purchase (or talk people into giving me).  And I'll share it with you here.  We'll laugh.  We'll cry.  We'll get really knerdy about knitting.  Pinky promise.