The thing that I *really* dislike about the Malabrigo is that it felts instantly. You can't even carry a Malabrigo project with you in a bag without it felting. I ended up selling all of my skeins on eBay.

I love knit picks Elegance. When they released their lines of yarn, I ordered a little bit of almost everything and swatched it up... I kept finding myself picking up the Elegance swatch and petting it!

Looks like the swatching party was a success! :)

Oh noooo, don't tell me they'll discontinue Cork... It's on my list of "must knit a winter sweater out of this" -yarn, but I can't go crazy and buy all I come across now since I'm on a yarn diet. *sigh*

That Malabrigo is so soft it's scary. I've been thinking about an afghan with it, but Michele's comment is scaring me a little.

I've been wanting to try the Cathay for awhile. That Wendy - she's so smart! I need a swatch party!

You were so smart to swatch like that.

Great reviews and it looks like you all had great fun.

That blue Rowan Cork is nice, what do you plan to make with it?

sigh...really? they're going to discontinue Cork? I'm super glad that I found the exact color I wanted and enough skeins to make a sweater out of at the last LYS sale. It was a steal and I was wondering why it was on clearance...

What a cool idea! Okay, I am seriously going to have to get our LYS to do something like this. What a great way to "try before you buy!"

Sadly there is no one in Texas that carries the Malabrigo. Maybe a road trip is in my near future...

I hadnt realised they were discontinuing Cork, I love that yarn! Time to start building stash I think...

I'm glad to hear that about Malabrigo...I thik it's beautiful, and I'm curious to knit with it now. I bought some Elegance to try out when KnitPicks came out with it, and I've been in love ever since. It felt so good to knit with!

Hi Alison, I am intrigued by the idea of a swatch party. Can you post a little something about the "rules of en-gauge-ment"? (Okay, I couldn't resist a little pun!)

Oh Michele, that's surprising to hear about the Malabrigo. One of the women who works at Circles has a sweater made out of it - when I saw her wearing it , it was the first time I'd seen the yarn - and the sweater looked great. She didn't have any complaints about the yarn either. On the contrary, she raved about it. Maybe she hasn't worn hers enough? Maybe not all colors are as susceptible?? My swatch is still in the bottom of my knitting bag and doesn't look like it's felting yet. I'm still looking forward to trying out this yarn on a real project!

About the Baby Cashmere...don't forget you can double it up and get a light worsted gauge, 20/4".

I bought a bunch, but stupidly not enough to double up. So I added a strand to a dk cotton blend and am making the softest cardigan (my blog, under White Cardigan), at a gauge of 16/4" with both yarns combined. I've already blocked a few pieces, and the strand of Baby Cashmere made the whole thing block out like pure wool. I'll have enough left over to make a lovely Branching Out scarf and a pair of socks.

What a great idea! It'd be great to try a bunch of new yarns. They all look great. I do love that Cathay.

i have 4 skeins of "plunge" and 4 skeins of "snuggle"...wanna work something out?

here's the colors;
http://www.theknittinggarden.com/ro-cork.htm

Ooh, a swatching party sounds like such a fun idea!! Now I'm jealous . . .

Dana, we each brought some food, a ball of yarn that we wanted to try out, and a set of needles. We ate and then all sat around the yarn basket, grabbed a ball we were curious about, did a little swatch, and popped it back in the basket when we were done. It was just like being in a knitting group at someone's house, everyone knitting and chatting, except that we were trying out new yarns instead of working on projects.

Execellent idea to double the baby cashmere, Maggie. I think I'd like it much better like that. Twice the cashmere! ;0)

I'm working on socks out of the Baby Cashmere, if I can stop trying them on enough to finish that is! My feet are very happy with even the small cashmere content. I'll have one ball left over, so I'm thinking a lacey smoke ring or moebius is in order.

I'm working on socks out of the Baby Cashmere, if I can stop trying them on enough to finish that is! My feet are very happy with even the small cashmere content. I'll have one ball left over, so I'm thinking a lacey smoke ring or moebius is in order.

Very cool. Thanks for the mini-reviews. I have been interested in trying the Cathay and was pleased to hear how much you like it.

What a fun swatch! That Malabrigo link has gorgeous colorways!

Looks like you ladies had a wonderful time!

Sorry, I didn't mean to sound quite so negative about the Malabrigo. It was so lovely and soft and fun to knit -- so I was pretty disappointed when I realized that the yarn wasn't right for me. The colorways I had felting problems with were Olive (scarf) and Paris Night (wristers). Maybe the lighter, brighter colors fare better. By all means, try it!

I love the malabrigo, have for a long time. I believe it's cheapest to buy at handpaintedyarn.com. One ball can make a short pair of socks on big needles, very fun and fast. Here's mine if you're interested.

http://larissmix.typepad.com/photos/finished_things/fireside.html

I made a sweater out of Manos last year and it felted under the arms from wearing a lot; I'd imagine this wool, which is nearly identical imo to manos, would do the same. But it's so cheap and great.

I am just finishing a toddler sweater out of Cork - the Snuggle I got in my Rowan kit. It doesn't seem very smart to me that they used a soon-to-be discontinued yarn in their membership kits -- I think the DB club has the better idea, use the free yarn as a teaser. I love the silk alpaca, and knitting with it just made me want to buy more!

I have had problems locating a color of Cork that I like for the edging on my sweater, so I am not surprised to hear they are discontinuing it. I loved knitting with it -- it has a unique feel and knits up fast without looking or feeling bulky, Sigh -- Oh Well!

Ingrid

Sounds like a fantastic knitting meet and a great way to sample a range of yarns. I've read Bookish wendy's account of the day too. I'm inspired to do something like this some time!

I really like the idea of a swatch party!

My Rowan kit came with a corky colored Cork kit. I'm envious of your blue.

i would not necessarily assume that Cork is going to be discontinued just because it's in the free gift kit. 3 years ago the free gift was of All Season Cotton, and that's still going.
however, the colors in the free gift are likely to be discontinued.
love your blue, my free gift is in a dark grey/brown, very wintery.
nice swatch!

ooo, great idea! swatch party. And thanks for those comments on the swatches.

Larissa, that's great to hear about the Malabrigo. I haven't had any Manos felt on me, but now I can really picture how it would felt at armholes and such. Thanks, Michele, for writing again and sharing which colorways you used. So sorry that your Malabrigo was so disappointing. Maybe with your warning and Larissa's in mind, those of us who've just discovered this yarn will have a better idea of what to expect and won't be surprised if/when it does felt on us.

Of course, Benedetta. That was a joke. I got the asc kit too. But after the linen drape and now the Cork, which will be discontinued, it just seemed funny to me. Come to think of it, isn't the Rowanspun also a goner??

What a great idea! Your swatch is cute. :)