Learn to Knit from a Master!

Angora comes from Angora rabbits.  They aren’t shorn like sheep, but brushed for the undercoat hairs.  It is a light, delicate, fine and warm fiber.  It has a fuzzy halo like mohair, but is shorter and softer.

As you can imagine, with not a lot of bunnies and not a lot of fiber per bunny, it’s an expensive fiber.  It is also not a very strong fiber, so, again, blends are the way to go.

Check out KnitPicks again for a great angora/wool blend.

If you love the softest, warmest fiber around, then save up your money for some Quviut (ki-vee-ute).  This fiber is amazing – so warm and delicate.  It has no lanolin, so those with issues can safely knit with Quviut.  Again, there aren’t a lot of musk ox, and they don’t make a lot of fiber, so it’s very expensive.  Repeat with me – blends are your friends.

Check out the Windy Valley Musk Ox site for the fiber and for blends.  Whatever you knit with this fiber, even lovely lacey items, will be warm and toasty!

Getting out of this snow and heading south to rain this coming Sunday.  Spending a week with  family in both Seattle and then Portland.  Will be shopping for yarn, of course, too!  So, there will be no Friday Night Knitting Friday, February 24. I’m back that weekend, and we’ll be back to normal.  We’ve got the Top Down Baby Sweater class coming up Saturday morning, March 3, and I’ve added an Entrelac class Sunday morning (9:30 to 12:30), March 4.  Also have added a Hat on DPNs class for Sunday, March 25.  Don’t forget Shadow, or Illusion, knitting scheduled for Saturday afternoon, March 24. This is a fun technique to learn, and there are some great patterns out there.

See you this Friday for FNK, and don’t forget the Northern Lights Valley Knitter’s Stash Sale Saturday morning, and then their monthly meeting following at 1 pm.

Awhile back I downloaded the Vogue Knitting smartphone app.  I need to use it more than I do, but it is a neat app, with places to store your needles, yarns, projects, etc.  Then there are sections for help, stitch patterns, etc.

Now, a knitter has created an I-phone app. It’s Ann Budd’s app for yardage requirements.   Knit Handy, just like her books, has yardage requirements for all sizes of yarn and many, many  items.

Imagine you’re at a great yarn shop, and you fall absolutely in LOVE with the most amazing, soft, lovely yarn.  It would make THE sweater to die for, but how much would you need?  This app will tell you.  Can you think of anything handier?!

Check both apps out when you get a chance.

If you’ve got nothing else to do with your money, buy some Cashmere, or Qiviut, or Angora.

Cashmere Goats

Cashmere comes from a goat, originally from kashmir in India.  It has long, coarse guard hairs which are made into brushes.  It’s downy undercoat, however, is magnificent!  The fiber is about 1/3 the diameter of human hair, is eight times warmer than wool and 30% lighter.  Each goat produces only about 450 yards of fiber a year, so it’s no wonder how expensive it can be.  Most cashmere comes from china now.

It is usually spun woolen sytle, with all the fibers just in a jumble and not combed straight.  This helps the short, delicate fibers trap air and keep things very warm.

Cashmere is not a strong fiber, and won’t hold up to much punishment.  In it’s pure state, it’s best to use for hat brims or collars or mitten/glove cuffs, the parts that don’t take such a beating.

Find it in a blend, and you get the best of all worlds.  Knit Picks Capra is a good example of lots of good things making one great yarn.  Classic Elite’s Princess is another great blend of wonderful fiber.

Read the yarn labels the next time you’re in a yarn shop, find some great soft wool with cashmere in it, and buy one.  Even if you just do the leg of your socks, you get to call them your cashmere socks!

We’ll meet Angora and Quviut in a few days.