Category Archives: Yarn Play

Crochet by Feel- Scrubby

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Scrubby is a crochet by feel! This yarn from Red Heart has been out for a little while, and it is quite unique. It has a variety of solid and variegated colors, and at first glance you may not believe it is a yarn.

This 100% polyester yarn is actually a fine strand that is plies together with 2 overtwisted threads. Overtwist is when a yarn or fiber is twisted in a continuous direction until it begins to bunch up or twist back on itself. This is sometimes noted as the “twist energy” of a yarn. You can see an example of it for yourself by taking any fiber of yarn you have at hand and holding it firmly on one end, twist the other end either clockwise or counter clockwise until bumps begin to appear. These bumps are points where the strand is beginning to ply onto itself. At this point you can bring both ends together, then grasp the middle and attempt to straighten the strands, let go of the middle and watch the strand twist.

This yarn has 2 overtwisted threads that have twisted bumps in various points throughout its length, this is what creates the unique scrubbing quality of the yarn.

This yarn probably has more uses then comes to my mind. With these scrubby bumps it does not provide a much defined stitch, so I do not recommend this yarn for beginning stitchers as it is difficult to see you stitches. It is designed for dishcloths and I can tell you I am sure it will fit that build very well. I know some that have used it to create body scrubs and have been quite happy. It is definitely not soft enough for garments, but could find a use in possible lite rugs or toys.

If you have been crocheting for a while, then you may want to give Scrubby a try. Just remember since crochet is forgiving, that not knowing where the stitches are, and crocheting by feel, can still be a great success.

A Little Linen for Summer- Milo

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The temperature has begun to heat up in my California mountains, so I picked up a yarn that I knew would give a little less warmth then others in my stash. I chose a merino, linen blend yarn. This means that it has a fine, or soft, wool combined with a plant based fiber that has been around for thousands of years.

Linen is created from the stalk of the flax plant. The stalk is essentially long strands that are held together by a “glue” that is created by the plant. The “glue” is dissolved, in years past it was done with a fermentation process, the stalk was placed in a watery solution and allowed to rot. This broke up the “glue” and allowed the long, fine strands to be gathered and spun into a yarn. Once it was turned into a yarn, it was called linen.

Milo by Manos del Uruguay

There are certain characteristics with linen. It actually repels dirt and is stronger when wet. If it gets wet and dries quickly, but it does wrinkle easily. There is a particular luster quality, and is cool to the touch. This definitely fits the description of a summer yarn to me.

The yarn I picked up was Milo by Manos Del Uruguay, it is 65% merino and 35% linen. Offering a generous 380 yards/350meters, for a 3.5 oz/ 100 gram hank, in a super fine weight yarn. Honestly it does not remind me of a super fine weight, or lace, it seems to have a bit more body then that and I feel comfortable working it up on a 4-5mm crochet hook. It has a nice feel in the hand, and definitely has that “linen luster” quality.

After washing it actually becomes softer, and I feel it will make a great shawl, but it could work into a nice camisole, or wrap. I think the fiber blend is really at a point of mutual benefit. The is just enough merino to allow for strength while being balanced with enough linen to give it a interesting and stand out quality. This one will do well on my hook and I look forward to seeing what it will become.

Cotton Classic- a Little Different than “Traditional”

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Some yarns always inspire me, some always tell me what they want to be, others, well maybe not so much. Cotton Classic by Tahki Stacy Charles is one of the former, it can always find a design in my mind.

Cotton Classic is 100& Mercerised Cotton and this sometimes causes people to pause. The term cotton is generally understood, it had a great marketing campaign throughout the 1980’s about how it is a naturally grown product that lets the fabric breath. Cotton also is stronger when wet, has limited stretch, and many think of it shrinking when first washed. This first wash shrinking, is not like felting of wool, this is essentially because cotton, being a short in length fiber, has more “twist” worked into the yarn in order to hold the fibers together (if a strand is long it does not need to be twisted together as much to hold, while something short needs to have more twists to ensure the hold) this puts a lot of tension on the fiber. When the yarn (of cotton shirt) finally gets fully submerged in water it actually allows the fiber to relax, this allows it to release the tension, and this caused the fiber to contract. So cotton will only shrink in the first washing whereas wool will continue to shrink with washings.

Cotton Classic by Tahki www.lindadeancrochet.com

Cotton Classic by Tahki Stacey Charles

The term that confounds many is Mercerised. Mercerised is a process that removes the slight halo effect that can accompany a cotton fiber, this is essentially the tiny ends of the fiber protruding from the yarn. To Mercerise the yarn, or thread is brought over an open flame to burn off the fibers. This creates a yarn that has a nice smooth finish that has great stitch definition. Another side effect of this process is that it does not allow the cotton to absorb water as is normally considered. Thus Mercerised Cotton is not recommended for dish clothes, where regular cotton will work wonderfully.

I find Cotton Classic is wonderful for warm weather projects, dressy scarves, home décor items, a great market bag. I even love it for tank tops and cover ups. This yarn has a wide arrange of colors available, and it shows of lace work stitches and textural stitches fabulously. It comes in small hanks of 1.75oz/50g with 108 yds/100m. It is a light weight and has nice drape on larger hooks.

Consider it for your next summer weather project, and don’t worry about this cotton reminding you of a dish rag.

Changing a “Go-To” for a New Addition- Lion Brand Baby Soft

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I haven’t had reason to use any baby yarns in a while, but we are expecting a new addition in our extended family and I was inspired to create a baby blanket as a gift. I have made numerous baby blankets over the years, to many really to count. I usually have one “go-to” pattern that I use, when I think about the first time I worked the pattern, I realize that baby should be well over 20 years old now.

When I work this pattern I usually have a “go-to” baby yarn that I always use, Bernat Baby Coordinates, this isn’t so much because I love this one over all others, as much as some others have left me wanting. I always look for a yarn that is low maintenance for the parent, so that usually means a good acrylic. I like something soft, and not to thin or fine. I don’t like to feeling like I am working with a thread. I also want a yarn that is smooth in texture and doesn’t pill.

Baby Soft by Lion Brand

For this latest blanket I decided to try something other than my “go-to” and I found that Lion Brand Baby Soft was an excellent choice. It is actually only 60% acrylic with 40% nylon, the nylon giving it extra strength, so it is still a low maintenance yarn that the parents can easily throw in the washing machine and not worry about how it is going to come out. There was a nice selection of colors (I used Circus Print), as I get tired of the same simple pastels. It is a light weight yarn, but does not feel to “thin”, it has a bit of loft to it. The yardage is fairly generous at 367yd/335m for a 4oz skein. I found that I could make a decent size blanket with just 3 skeins, but decided to make a larger option with 4.

Baby Soft was pleasant to work with, and even when I had to rip back mistakes it flowed easily, and did not pill or snag with other fibers. I might have to add this yarn to a new “go-to” listing.

Crisp Has a Bit of Spring

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It is always amazing how a different yarn can greatly affect the outcome of a project. I find that this weekly exploration into the qualities of different fibers and yarn has really helped me to understand what can work with various ideas.

Looking for a springy yarn, I find that Crisp by Sugarbush is a fine example. This yarn is made up of 100% extra fine superwash merino. Essentially it is a very fine wool, meaning it is a thin diameter fiber of a wool that is already known to be thin. This “thinness” makes it soft. Then superwash means that the wool has been treated so that it does not felt. Making this s yarn that is of a nice quality and yet has a practical application.

Crisp by Sugarbush Yarns

When playing with the yarn I found that it was quite springy, or having a lot of bounce back. This is great for items that need some stretch, like a hat or gloves, but I don’t think I would enjoy it as much as in things that I want a bit of drape in such as a shawl.

This yarn is four ply, which seems to be worked with a bit of extra twist. This extra twist places the plies close together allowing for its spring back quality but also giving the yarn a nice tubular feel as well. This round nature allows for the parts of any particular stitch to be readily visible, thus giving definition. This yarn will really help any pattern with texture to shine, so pull out the cables, the popcorns the bobbles and such, but consider leaving the lace and open stitch work patterns aside. The spring of the yarn will not allow these open stitches to open as great as they should, making your lace work seem less defined.

The ball is only 1.75 oz/95 yrd (50g/87m) so it does not take you far, one ball may complete a hat, but I would pick up a second ball just to be safe. I think you will be pleased with this yarn, it does not tend to split when being worked and glides through the hand. It does create a soft fabric that is pleasant to the touch.