the blue blog archives: i kinda liked it better in the ball

I've had this misshawklet handspun yarn for a couple of years. I think someone picked it up for me at a craft fair. Maybe even Bazaar Bizarre, but it was so long ago, I've forgotten. I rediscovered this sweet little hank while searching for my lost hat. It is all pastel-y pink and blue with a subtle sparkly fiber too. Fun! And it looked like just the thing for a little hat for my little girl. I wanted to choose a simple pattern that would show off the colors, so I chose the Tweedy Pie hat from the cover of Monkeysuits. Great pattern + great yarn = great hat. Right?

Wee seems convinced, but I'm not. I don't know exactly how to explain why I'm disappointed except to say simply that I kinda liked it better in the hank. When I look at the hat so far, I wish it was just that one bright blue color. Wouldn't that be fab?

I popped out to the yarn store with wee in tow to find a bright blue yarn to make the hat I'm imagining and justify unraveling this one. We spotted some Lobster Sox yarn, dyed in awesome bright-as-a-fluorescent-highlighter colors. I picked up the blue, but wee insisted on green.

posted by alison at 5:55 pm | in smells like snow

Comments

When I saw the green yarn, my first thought was of Cascade 220's Granny Smith Apple color. Granny Smiths make wonderful pie. I went to my yarn store today too, the wonderful Knitorious in St. Louis. (Sandy Kulash rocks like Gibraltar!) I bought yarn to work on my projects while waiting for Thanksgiving dinner to be ready. My colors are more along the lines of strawberry-rhubarb pie a la mode.

Posted by: LibbyH at November 25, 2009 6:47 PM

I think the bands of red are distracting & discordant. I'd like it a lot better if it were all pastel or, as you said, the bright blue. Love the green yarn.

Posted by: Donna at November 25, 2009 6:53 PM

I think it could be the seed/moss stitch. I would try to knit something in stocking stitch with this yarn instead. Little leg warmers for wee one?

Posted by: Holly at November 25, 2009 7:03 PM

I agree with using st stitch.

Posted by: aimee noel at November 25, 2009 7:50 PM

I had the same yarn and knit it in garter stitch - looked like spun cotton candy - loved it!
Sorry things didn't work out for you but luv luv luv wee one's smile!

Posted by: Meg at November 25, 2009 11:42 PM

Are you sure wee one doesn't break the rules about too much cuteness? I think she does. Love her happy smile!!

Posted by: Mallory at November 25, 2009 11:53 PM

I agree with the others, it's not the yarn, it's the stitch, it needs stocking stitch to show off its beauty.

Posted by: Marie-france at November 26, 2009 3:06 AM

imho the variegated yarn could look better in plain old stockinette stitch, because the colours bled toghter in seed stitch. I would rip it, play with the yarn and knit wee one the green hat she wants.

Posted by: Gaby at November 26, 2009 4:45 AM

Oh, I thought it was going to be a basket for the wee one, which would be so cute in her room, surely. As a hat, though, well, I see your point.

Love that green yarn!

Posted by: Toni at November 26, 2009 8:08 AM

I feel the same way about yarns like that. I have a skein of a bulky hand spun yarn my mom picked up from a shop in New Mexico, and I'm just not sure what to do with it. It is just variegated enough to possibly look like a hot mess when knit up.

Posted by: Seanna Lea at November 27, 2009 9:53 AM

You know, I've had similar experiences with some of my own handspun. When that happens, I just keep it wound into a nice hank as decor :)

But - I do agree with the others - try it out in stockinette and I think you'll get a completely different feel.

Posted by: Kate at November 27, 2009 11:51 AM

Looks like it makes an interesting bowl. You could hold some balls of yarn in there while you are knitting.

Posted by: Sandee at November 27, 2009 12:35 PM

Love, love, love the green yarn!!

Posted by: Louise at November 29, 2009 10:44 AM

I think that one of the problems is that the colors aren't blending as nicely as they did in the skein. If you divided the yarn into two balls and made a hat with 1 or 2 row stripes you could get the colors spread out more evenly. Hope you have better luck with your next try :)

Posted by: shelly at November 30, 2009 7:06 PM

well at least it a fresh and bright green. I rather like it.

Posted by: Orli at December 2, 2009 1:35 PM