I am thinking of making a pattern from the book Knit 2 Together by Tracy Ullman and Mel Clark. It's a cool-looking doctor bag style purse and the stitch is a herringbone. The pattern uses Manos del Uruguay yarn, which I simply cannot afford at $12.50 per skein because it calls for 7 skeins. From what I can gather, Manos del Uruguay yarn calls for being knitted with
9 needles to get a gauge of 4 sts per inch. So this is a heavy worsted or chunky yarn, right? Furthermore, the knitting pattern also indicates that two strands are held together throughout the project, and they knit on 11 needles to get a gauge of 4 stitches per inch. (16 sts and 28 rows = 4"). Do you suppose that I could substitute a worsted weight yarn and just hold 2 or 3 strands of it together instead? I already have some nice worsted wool in my stash. I always get so confused when it comes to substituting yarns. I know it's not just a matter of getting the same gauge, but also the same texture or hand of the knitted fabric for the finished project to be successful.
Any suggestions or advice would be welcome! :-)
lisa waiting to win the lottery so I can fill my house with expensive yarn and fabric...