1. Home
  2. Knitting and other yarn carfts
  3. Lion incredible yarn quandary part 2 -- what do you think?

Lion incredible yarn quandary part 2 -- what do you think?

Hiya, I have thoughtfully pondered everyone's advice and have a thought and a related question:

I really am pretty committed to doing this cuff-to-cuff sweater first just to test my endurance to see if I will last through finishing an entire sweater (after all, we are talking about something like a size

28-30 here) and have something that will need minimal finishing when I am through clicking needles so that I don't end up with a UFO, so I don't want to change the pattern. But I had a thought to combine one strand of the Incredible yarn with one strand of some regular worsted weight or bulky weight yarn to knit up on larger-size needles (my set goes up to a size 15 so I could probably use bulky weight) and sort of split the difference between the colors I love and what the pattern will handle. I had some old worsted weight light-tan acrylic yarn around (left over, I think, from a sweater I made my now-23-yo son when he was 3 or 4) and tried a few rows for a sample, and the feel is okay. Lots less scratchy than just using the Incredible yarn itself.

I get this image of using half bright white or bright golden yellow -- haven't decided which -- and half black and alternate in two-row or four-row stripes to have a subtle striped pattern -- this should match the color of the Incredible that I have (color City Lights on this web page:

formatting link
and complement it well. Or even possibly find one yarn that had colors to match all the City Lights colors reasonably well, I could rotate them all as a second yarn. Then, as someone suggested, I can knit it tightly to help it keep its shape better.Does this sound like a good idea to anybody? If so, would cotton, acrylic, or wool yarn be best in helping the sweater to keep its shape? My preference is listed in order, but I will gladly defer to the collective wisdom of the group. (One of my strengths has always been knowing when I don't know enough to be able to make a good decision and subsequently asking for help.) Seriously, if you think this is an incredibly (pun intended LOL) bad idea, PLEASE TELL ME!!!! If this inspires you to think of an even better idea, ditto. If you think it's a good idea, I'd like to know, too.

I am waiting with bated breath for your replies.

Thanks bunches, Melinda

Reply to
Melinda Meahan - take out TRAS
Loading thread data ...

Plied wool and acrylic are elastic--they spring back when stretched--so I would think they would do a better job of helping the sweater keep its shape. Cotton and silk are inelastic, and hand knitted garments of cotton and silk seem to stretch with every wearing.

Good luck, and keep us posted!

Georgia

formatting link

Reply to
Georgia

I have used incredible and love the way it turns out , I say go for it. I know wool is good , but , sometimes you have to say , it's my art and there are no rules. Knit with what you like, that is my motto . Coggie

Reply to
coggietm

Problem is, if you will read what I have posted before, I am really, really new at this -- I don't really know what I like because I haven't done enough to know what I like, and I am also trying to learn the rules before I start breaking them.

I'm a little leery about using wool because "easy fabric care" has been one of my mantras for a long time. But this Incredible yarn is hand-wash, so I could do wool if I needed to. Trying to keep the cost down for this first project if possible, though.

Just think of me like someone starting piano lessons -- I need to learn the basics of how to read music, basic keyboard technic, etc., and then once I have the basics down, then I can have more freedom of expression and come up with something that says something instead of just banging my hands on the keyboard and making a cacophany of sound. At least, that's the kind of person I am. d

Reply to
Melinda Meahan - take out TRAS

sorry , I had read your other posting . If you want ease of wash, try a super wash wool , but again , if you don't like the yarn even in looks , you will not finish the project. If you like incredible , the best bet , as stated by someone on the other post , is to get a ball and swatch it. It doesn't matter what anyone else tells you about a yarn, It is a personal decision. If you like your swatch , knit withit , If you don't , it is then that you change yarns. But until you yourself have done a swatch , it doesn't matter if I like the yarn or not, you will not know if you like it . I have made the mistake manytimes of getting my mind set on one yarn and one pattern , and had disaster. so , in my years of both knitting and crochet I have learned to only do my craft with what feels good in my hand. I hope you can see where I am coming from here , you really have to try the yarn yourself. Coggie

Reply to
coggietm

Hi Melinda - personally (I'm a size 24-26 myself) I wouldn't knit a sweater on anything much over a size 8 needle because I don't need more bulk. And using the 2 yarns together might help the scratchiness or non-stretchiness but would it give you a look you like? I can see Incredible maybe as a tank top, certainly as a scarf, but not as a long-sleeved sweater. You want opinions - here's mine - for your first sweater I would pick a more forgiving yarn (I have a friend who was knitting a sweater with a ribbon yarn and she had a terrible time keeping it from twisting over and over.). I would pick something like Plymouth Encore - worsted or DK weights - it's 25% wool, 75% acrylic, comes in lots of colors, is machine washable and dryable. There, I've said it!

Alison

Reply to
Alison

Hey, I appreciate your thoughts and shared second-hand experience. One thing I don't want is to get frustrated. So maybe I need to save this for a future project (and it has SUCH lovely colors *sniff* LOL). Well, I suppose it won't get ruined if it sits around until next year. (*wondering what I would have to give up if I'm going to start a yarn stash in addition to my fabric stash in my teeny-tiny house*)

I did try knitting a double strand with some regular yarn, and I think if I had the other yarn worked in strips it would add some interest and make an interesting project. But you have it right that for the first time, I just want to finish the process with something relatively foolproof and uncomplicated so that it will go easier the next time for having already finished once.

I'm not concerned about adding a bulky layer, though. I have an underactive thyroid and am ALWAYS cold (and am impatiently awaiting menopause so I will get those lovely hot flashes and stop feeling like I'm living in a deep freeze), and I am always in need of something to wear when it gets cool, even. I work out of my home and often try to wrap a comforter around me to stay warm, and a bulky sweater will look better than that. LOL.

Thanks for speaking up.

Reply to
Melinda Meahan - take out TRAS

InspirePoint website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.