Feb 20, 2007

yarn selections

I'm looking for some advice on Rowan Calmer. I've always been tempted by this yarn, but I could never come up with a good reason to buy any - until this create-along. I love the idea of a stretchy cotton, but I'm wondering, just how stretchy is it? Is Calmer similar to Cascade Fixation, where you have to be very conscious of how much you stretch the yarn as you knit it? Or is it more like a lofty, springy wool?

Secondly, I've never worked with a light worsted yarn (like Calmer) that has such a high yardage per 50g ball. When estimating how much yarn I need, should I focus more on the yardage than on the weight? (My instinct says yes, but I wonder if I can really make a tanktop out of only 4 balls.)

Thanks for any tips you can give me, I am looking forward to ordering my yarn and starting this project!

4 comments:

Marnie said...

Hi Joanna,
I designed my Deciduous tank top with Calmer and can vouch for the yardage. It's excellent. Going by yardage is definitely more meaningful than going by weight which will result in different yardage depending on the yarn makeup. Deciduous needs 2-4 skeins depending on the size and whether you make it with a low or high back.

As for stretch, it's not nearly as stretchy as Fixation, but it's stretchier than your standard wool. I don't want to say that you don't need to worry about how you hold the yarn at all, because if you are one of those "death grip" kind of yarn holders, I would definitely suggest giving it a lighter hand, but I haven't had any problems with how I hold the yarn. I should say, though, that I'm a relatively loose knitter, but I think you can just proceed ahead as you would with any yarn, while knitting calmer.

Unknown said...

If ever there were a reason to try Rowan Calmer, it's the pattern Morrigan in the new Amy Singer book No Sheep for You. It's like the Shedir hat on steroids. One day...Clearly the designer likes Calmer!

Joanna said...

Thank you for the comments! The more I hear about Calmer, the more excited I am to use it. :)

Emily said...

I love the phrase, "It's like the Shedir hat on steroids."