Mohair

This is just a theory of mine. When the yarn decides what it wants to be, then it will knit up just fine. :) Maybe just a triangular scarf or shawl depending on how much you have. DA

I knit the shrug that I mentioned in another message with a (mostly) mohair blend yarn. I added a thinner, more stable yarn to it when I knit the shrug. I did use very large needles, but had no problem with it.

Janise

I like that theory, DA. I think the yarn is just trying to get my attention right now, then it will tell me what it is to be.

Janise, thanks for the suggestion of using another yarn along with it. I wouldn't have thought to try that with the large needles.

Try knitting the mohair with large needles. I made a few scarves this year out of a (mostly) mohair blend and they knitted up fine on the larger needles (at least a 10 US). Smaller needles make for a snarling problem.... Marie and the cats

I had some boucle yarn in a similar colour, and was unsure how to use it. Then I had the idea of alternating it with a lightweight silk and wool mix yarn in cream to make a scarf. It made it easier to work with and gave stability and a little extra weight to the finished scarf, and the recipient was pleased with it. I've made a few like that now, in other colours

Liz

bonkers123 wrote

Yes absolutley, It has happend to me many times. Have you tried thicker needles. Mohair likes lots of space...LOL

Els

The WORST thing about mohair , is the impossibility to frog it you make a mistake ,,,, the good is you can take Bigger needles thah intended ,,, but than you have to wash it thus that all the `hairs` will stay neat in their `afro` style .... best thing i did after my ` mohair complex` , was the above suggestion mirjam

I wish I knew! I have about 4 oz of a beautiful grayish blue 80% mohair/20% wool yarn that I found at a thrift store for very little money three-ish years ago and it's still in the bag it came from. I like the idea of pairing it with another yarn. The mohair yarn is so thin. I'm not much of a knitter, but I think it would look nice knitted instead of crocheted. By saying "larger needles", how large do y'all mean? I only own one pair of knitting needles! haha

Kristen

snipped-for-privacy@excite.com wrote:

Mirjam, I had to laugh when I read where you mentioned about mohair having an 'afro' style. I had visions of people in the '70's disco days, and envisioned a sweater (or whatever) all poofed out like that. LOL

Peace! Gemini

- I never wore an 'afro', my hair was blonde and straight.... so if I tried an 'afro' I'd look like a dandelion exploded. LOL

All of my attempts so far have been with size 13 (US) needles.

I was thinking it would be hard to match this color, and then thought maybe using a variegated yarn would look really nice - ooooh..

What size yarn would be recommended to knit along with it? It's Douceur et Soie, lace weight.

I'm replying to myself here :) I just found a swatch I did with size

Hi, Bonkers (?) Have you considered carrying along another yarn? Perhaps a nice merino or alpaca, with a little substance? Just a suggestion, Nadine

Speaking of Mohair--My shrug sheds. Would washing it help cut down on the hairs that I find on my clothing?

Janise

Janise,

I have never tried it myself but I have heard that hairspray helps. There is also something about freezing it but I can't recall what it was supposed to work for? Maybe frogging? Maybe someone else knows...

LauraJ

Kristen, that is hard to tell from here, but I would make a couple of samples. Your idea of pairing your mohair with another thread is a very good idea. Sample and see what works and what you like, and take it from there. If you like working with mohair, make notes, so next time, you have a good starting point, and you can share all your new knowledge with us...LOL

Go for it and make it work.

Els

If you want to pair your mohair with another yarn and the mohair is a difficult colour to match, stick to a natural colour. Off white, soft grey black, or it the yarn is multi coloured, pick up one of the colours in the yarn. Use pencil crayons and try it out that way. Or what I do when I am weaving, I use a piece of cardboard and wrap my colours around it and see what it looks like. Simpler even is just taking the yarns you want to use and twist them together. You will quickly see if it works that way.

Good luck with it and start sampling and trying.

Els

Els

I did a stripy scarf using 2 rows mohair boucle and 2 rows lightweight (4 ply/sport weight) silk and wool blend. It is soft, light and warm and the silk and wool made it easier to work with. Here's a link