Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with yarn

The acrylic...it burns!

echolalia67 — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 20:31:28 -0800

I'm trying to teach myself to knit/crochet and have found that one of the major barriers to learning is the yarn - acrylic yarn to be exact. It irritates my skin. Seriously, it's feels like extra-fine steel wool against my skin and the tips of my fingers are beginning to crack, something they are prone to in wet/cold weather. Since I'm new to the whole knitting/crochet thing, I don't want to invest a whole lot of money into yarn in case it turns out that I don't have the knack for it. Is there any way to make the yarn less irritating to my skin while I learn enough to see if knitting/crocheting and I are meant to be?

Maybe a doctor designed the label...

Syllables — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 00:28:56 -0800

Help me read the cursive script on the label of this hand-me-down yarn? A few years ago I was gifted 10 scratchy itchy skeins mohair yarn, from my grandmother's neighbor's attic.

I've googled every variation of the cursive script I can think of - Pieve Cardir, Pieue Cardis, Piene Cardir, etc, but I can't for the life of me figure out what it says, let alone find out any info on the yarn. Help?

Another crummy shot of it here

How do I knit with multiple strands of yarn?

timetoevolve — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 12:19:41 -0800

My knitting pattern directs me to knit with multiple strands of yarn held together, but I keep ending up with a mess. What's the best way to do this? I am the moistest newborn in knitting, and this snuggly throw is my first non-scarf project. I am using the same yarn and supplies mentioned in the pattern (different colors, however), but I'm a bit lost on the holding-four-strands-together business. I have the yarn wound into four separate center-pull balls, but how do I keep it from becoming a snarly mess?

I don't care so much about the strands being perfectly separate - it's just a throw, and I think the colors are supposed to blend together. At the moment, I have the balls inside a plastic shopping bag tied together at the top, and I have been pulling a yard or so of each ball out at a time. Is there a better way?

Thanks in advance (from my cold, blanketless feet).

yarn

octomato — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 13:00:12 -0800

Where to buy yarn in NYC? My friend is going to teach me to crochet this weekend. Where should we buy some good/cheap yarn in Manhattan?

Thanks!!

The fuzzums! They're everywhere!

giraffe — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 08:58:32 -0800

Can you recommend a yarn that won't make me feel sick? It seems that every time I knit, a bunch of tiny fiber fuzzums fly off the yarn, directly into my face. As a result, my eyes and cheeks itch, bits get inhaled and choked on, and my day is pretty much ruined. I have worked with exactly one yarn that has not caused this reaction and it was Moda Dea's Bamboo Wool, which did not shed at all for some unknown reason. I guess acrylic yarn doesn't bother me, but what I have tried has left this weird sticky residue on my fingers, and that's just gross.

I was thinking that maybe I was allergic to wool or something, but a soy/cotton blend did the same exact thing to me a few days ago. Google seems to think that I could be allergic to whatever the yarn is being treated with, which doesn't make a ton of sense to me. Oddly enough, I can wear knitted things once they're done, it's just actively working with the yarn that bothers me for some reason. Knitting with a bandana over my mouth and nose stopped the inhalation problems, but still made my exposed face itchy (and made me worry that someone would mistake me for a train robber).

So, 1) can you recommend specific yarns that will not go all fuzzy on me? and 2) can you teach me how to figure out if a yarn is going to make me sick before I buy it? The soy/cotton yarn seemed perfectly innocuous and solid until I started working with it. I would like to figure out how to make cables without condemning myself to an itchy, fuzzy grave.

Buddhist bracelet, not Baltimore bracelets

QIbHom — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 18:40:38 -0800

Today at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, a Buddhist monk (Mahayana, since he was from Bhutan) tied a yellow piece of yarn around my wrist. Being as this was in a temple, I'm assuming this had some religious significance. I've googled a very little bit on yarn on wrists in the Buddhist context. What I'm really curious about is when should I take it off, how, and how do I dispose of it? While I'm not Buddhist, I'm a polytheist and try to deal with religious things in the context of their religion, not mine. Not knowing that context is embarrassing me.

Wow, That's a Lot of Yarn.

[NOT HERMITOSIS-IST] — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 20:22:36 -0800

What to do with a whole crate of yarn? My partner's mother doesn't have as much time to knit as she'd like, but that doesn't stop her from raiding yarn stores. ("I buy yarn like I'm a woman of leisure," she told me embarrassedly.) Since once upon a time I knitted a scarf or two, she decided to ship me some of the overflow, so now I have literally an entire crate full of the stuff. Every color and weight imaginable, with lots of skeins of feathery trim or shaggy stuff. It's really, seriously, like $200 worth of yarn.

So what do I do with it? I'm not really into knitting more than the occasional scarf every two years, and while I'll surely give some of it away to friends who are more committed knitters, that will still leave me with a ton left over.

I can't help but feel like there is some awesome way to use it that I'm just not thinking of. Some incredible non-knitting/crocheting craft idea, or some interesting household use. I thought about Mod Podging it onto a large canvas and making some sort of decorative art, but I'd have to be pretty sure that's the way to go before I try that. I also thought about going outside at 2 AM and wrapping it around my entire block as many times as it will all stretch, Christo and Jeanne-Claude style. But again, that's a waste unless it's a last resort.

So what would you do with a crate of yarn?

Help me find cheap-but-comfy yarn brands?

cowbellemoo — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 07:29:29 -0800

What yarn brands give the best quality for the price? I'm interested in designer yarn as well as more economical yarns. I'm new to knitting and find myself in a bit of a jam: the yarn stores around me tend to either carry super-cheap yarn (chain fabric stores) or super-pricey yarn (boutiques). So while I'm willing to get it all online, I'm overwhelmed by the many brands that are available. And since my local shops' offerings aren't diverse, I can't touch and feel my way to a few trusted brands that I can seek out online.

So far, I'm in love with Rowan, but can probably only afford it for special projects and whenever it's on sale. Knitpicks seems like a good economy brand, but I'd rather not just start buying sight unseen without some advice. What are some cheaper, but still comfy brands that I can knit up for friends without wanting to charge for materials?

In case you wanted to know: I'm interested mostly in scarves and hats, but may try a sweater soon if my confidence is up. So I'll be looking for bulky weight wool and alpaca yarn in earth tones.

Can you identify this antique?

Pater Aletheias — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 08:01:34 -0800

Can you identify this antique? It's something my uncle found while cleaning out the home of a deceased relative in West Virginia. The four expandable arms rotate around the center axis. Other items found in the home were as much as 100 years old or older. We have some guesses, but no definite knowledge. Does someone know exactly what this is?

Wool ewe help me find some good places to buy yarn?

orange swan — Mon, 05 Mar 2007 18:56:00 -0800

Knitters and crocheters of MeFi, which are the best Toronto-area yarn shops? I know about Romni Wools at Queen and Bathurst — what other stores should I check out? Alternatively, if you buy yarn online, where do you buy it (and are you really okay with not being able to feel up the yarn and ascertain the colour)?

What kind of yarn for needlepoint?

theora55 — Tue, 11 Oct 2005 10:43:45 -0800

Needlepoint yarn - does it have to be a special type of (expensive, French) yarn for a pre-worked canvas? or can I buy wool knitting yarn? How do I calculate how much yarn for 2 seat covers? Also, have you ever bought yarn on ebay? thanks.

Vegan yarn?

keatsandyeats — Sun, 09 Oct 2005 21:37:08 -0800

KnittingFilter: good, warm, synthetic or plant-based yarns? I want to make a winter scarf for a friend who is vegan, so it must be free of animal-derived fibers such as wool. Pure cotton will probably be too stiff, and most synthetic yarns don't seem to be very warm or cozy. I've looked into bamboo, soysilk, etc., but they, too, seem kind of lightweight and and silky and not really what I'm going for. All my nice warm scarf patterns call for wool or wool blends, and I'm at a bit of a loss as to what to do without it.

A cotton/acrylic blend seems like it might be the best option, but I'm not sure. What about linen? If you could name any particular brands/styles that you recommend, it would be most helpful. Thanks!

(P.S. I'm not interested in any rationales of why harvesting wool is in fact not cruel or environmentally unfriendly, etc.)

Yarn shops in Paris?

small_ruminant — Wed, 08 Jun 2005 13:30:21 -0800

Does anyone have any suggestions for good yarn shops in Paris?

Should alpaca yarn be knit using small or big fat needles?

luriete — Sat, 27 Nov 2004 23:40:31 -0800

Should alpaca yarn be knit using small or big fat needles?