Tuesday 20 Mar 2007

Yummy Yarn

I’m working away on my mitten (notice I said mitten, not mittens), and I’ll probably be ready to post a full report on the process on Friday. Suffice to say, my tension is not quite as even as Debi and Beth presumed. But I’m hoping all will be well after a little blocking.

In the meantime, I have to tell you about the yarn I’m using for the mitten. It’s a new offering at my LYS called Soft Sea Wool by Reynolds.

I’m not mincing any words about this yarn. It could be one of the best yarns I’ve ever knit with. OK, it doesn’t surpass my own homespun or maybe one or two other commercially spun yarns I’ve used over the years.  But, yikes, it is fantastic! I would describe it as having the same tight twist as Koigu and Gems Pearl but about a thousand times softer and loftier.

Can you see what I mean:

Picture 4604

It’s a two-ply and seems to be spun in more in a woolen fashion (as opposed to worsted) It also has a slightly “sueded” feel to it. In short, it’s soft and sproingy and, quite literally, perfect.

Although Reynolds seems to be touting it as a sock yarn, I’m not 100% convinced that it will stand up to rough wear. Anyone have any experience with how it washes and wears??

View blog reactions
17 comments | knitting, mittens, yarn shopping

17 Responses to “Yummy Yarn”

  1. # Beth on 20 Mar 2007 at 4:31 pm

    I don’t have the energy to resist yarn like that today. Thanks for giving the link – it made the gratification that much more instant.

  2. # Nanette on 20 Mar 2007 at 5:08 pm

    I actually went to Webs to check out this Soft Sea Wool but fortunately I managed to withstand temptation. I guess you will have to try even harder to tempt me the next time.

    I believe I made that mitten myself way back when dinosaurs roamed the earth.

  3. # Beth S. on 20 Mar 2007 at 5:14 pm

    Anything that can be mentioned in the same breath as Koigu has got to be good!

  4. # Alarming Female on 20 Mar 2007 at 6:49 pm

    Sproingy, eh? Do tell.

  5. # Alison on 20 Mar 2007 at 7:09 pm

    At 5.5 st/in, it would certainly be a quick knit for a pair of socks. Which would be a plus for a kids pair of socks. (Though I detest the thought of handwashing my kids’ socks!)

    And it sure as hell beats out the pair of socks I was knitting on recently, which had a gauge of 10 st/in. Insane.

    Love the look of the yarn. I might be tempted to get some, just to feel it and see how it knits up. Limited colorway, though it’s not like we all need unlimited choice in life to be happy!

    Thanks for introducing this yarn to us.

  6. # Kara on 20 Mar 2007 at 10:29 pm

    One of the best yarns?! Coming from you that is serious business. Can’t wait for some mitten action.

  7. # Carole on 21 Mar 2007 at 4:28 am

    I’m going to have to look for that stuff.

  8. # Donna on 21 Mar 2007 at 6:10 am

    Someone else mentioned it recently, but I didn’t really find a lot of info when Googling (I guess this was before WEBS had it) – your glowing review makes it very tempting!

  9. # Heather Joins The Round on 21 Mar 2007 at 7:06 am

    I bought the very pale pink myself yesterday, before reading your blog entry. I feel as if I’m on the cutting edge :-) .

    I really like the yarn, extremely sproingy!

  10. # kelpkim on 21 Mar 2007 at 7:57 am

    yummmmmm!
    I saw it in the WEBS spring catalog and just drooled over it! i can’t see how it knits up and what you make with it! nice colors too. Please let us know how the fabric wears. :o )

  11. # monica on 21 Mar 2007 at 11:16 am

    Another new sock yarn I need to add to The Stash! Thanks for enabling. I think I need to get a second job to fund The Stash. Heck I wish The Stash would earn some money!

  12. # Christina on 21 Mar 2007 at 1:52 pm

    hmmmm, yummy yarn! Looks very nice. Must resist.

  13. # DomesticShorthair on 21 Mar 2007 at 10:21 pm

    I second Beth S.’s comment. It sounds quite promising; I’ll have to look into it.

  14. # Rebecca on 22 Mar 2007 at 6:45 am

    It does look very much like Koigu and Gems Pearl. I will look forward to seeing how it knits up in mittens!

  15. # KatherineOfItAll on 22 Mar 2007 at 9:43 am

    I bought some of that yarn yesterday at BSW. It too reminded me of Koigu and Gems Pearl. I haven’t knit with it yet, but I love the spin of it in hand, and the colors are perfect.

  16. # Opal on 22 Mar 2007 at 1:04 pm

    It looks simply divine.

  17. # Kate on 27 Mar 2007 at 10:21 pm

    It’s so tempting – esp. when compared with Koigu. And it looks beautiful….