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By Amy
R Singer
Photographs by Amy R Singer, Jacqueline Blackman,
Michelle DesGroseilliers
We know not every knitter
is lucky enough to have a Local Yarn Store
nearby. And of course, not every yarn shop
can carry every yarn. The Knitty Yarn Roundtable
was created to give knitters more information
about yarn than just what's on the ball band.
Once a month, 30 knitters
gather in Toronto [the hometown of Knitty's
editor] to sample a variety of yarns of every
possible description -- from budget to super
luxury. The events are open to anyone who can
attend, and are advertised on the Knitty
blog and a dedicated Yarn
Roundtable blog.
Knitters brought their own needles and yarn
companies of every size sent in yarns they
wanted our readers to try.
Five different yarns from
five different manufacturers are sampled at
each event by all knitters present who provide
their opinions on a standardized form. Yarns
that did not receive good feedback will not
be featured in Knitty, in accordance with our
review policy, so if you
see a yarn on these pages, it means the majority
of knitters liked it, found it interesting
or surprising! Yarns
are listed below in alphabetical order by yarn
name. This issue's reviews include feedback
collected from two different Roundtable events.
Editor's
note: This issue,
we've added swatch pictures, because you
requested them! All swatches shown were knit
by the same knitter on size 3.75mm needles.
[Some knitters change needle sizes as they
swatch at the Roundtable, some choose one
size and stay with it for the whole evening.]
Items are
rated on scale of 1-5.
Retail prices are in USD.
dislike/disagree/bad
|
deep
love/total agreement/great
|
|
| Name |
Babyboo |
 |
| Brand |
Knit
One Crochet Too |
Fiber
content |
45% bamboo,
55% nylon |
| Yardage |
115 yds | 50 grams |
| Gauge |
5.5 stitches per
inch |
| Sugg. Retail
Price |
$5.00 |
| overall
impression |
 |
| would
you buy it? |
|
| how
does it feel in the ball? |
|
| how
does it feel knit up? |
 |
| is
it fairly priced? |
|
| how's
the stitch definition? |
|
| drapey
[1] or stiff [5] ? |
|
| describe
it in one word |
- soft [this word was used by more
than half our knitters]
- smooth
|
| what's
the one thing you couldn't know about
this yarn until you knit with it? |
- slight halo yet retains sheen
- high twist makes it easy to knit
up
- not as slippery as a lot of bamboo
|
|
 |
| Name |
Double sea silk |
 |
| Brand |
Handmaiden |
Fiber
content |
70% silk, 30% seacell |
| Yardage |
250 m | 50 grams |
| Gauge |
5.5 stitches per inch |
| Sugg. Retail
Price |
$37.00 |
| overall impression |
|
| would you
buy it? |
|
| how does it feel in the
ball? |
 |
| how does it feel knit
up? |
|
| is it fairly priced? |
|
| how's the stitch definition? |
|
| drapey [1] or stiff [5]
? |
|
| describe it in one word |
- heaven
- fluid
- buttery
- majestic
|
| what's the one thing
you couldn't know about this yarn until you
knit with it? |
- it's possibly the softest thing I've
ever touched
- how well the colors knit up
- even better than regular Sea Silk
- loved it! knit really well. very silky.
|
|
|
| Name |
Jasper |
 |
| Brand |
Berroco |
Fiber
content |
100% fine merino
wool |
| Yardage |
90 m | 50 g |
| Gauge |
5.5 stitches per
inch |
| Sugg. Retail
Price |
$8.50 |
| overall
impression |
|
| would you
buy it? |
|
| how does
it feel in the ball? |
|
| how does
it feel knit up? |
|
| is it fairly
priced? |
|
| how's the
stitch definition? |
|
| drapey
[1] or stiff [5] ? |
|
| describe
it in one word |
- comforting
- fireside
- utility
- cozy
|
| what's
the one thing you couldn't know about this
yarn until you knit with it? |
- very wearable
- fabric is not as stiff as I expected
- I thought it would split easily,
but it didn't
- I want better yardage in the skein
- feels nicer knit than in the skein
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| Name |
Panda Cotton |
 |
| Brand |
Crystal
Palace |
Fiber
content |
55% bamboo,
24% cotton,
21% elastic nylon |
| Yardage |
170 yds | 50 grams |
| Gauge |
6-7 stitches per inch |
| Sugg. Retail
Price |
$6.75 |
| overall impression |
|
| would
you buy it? |
|
| how does it feel
in the ball? |
|
| how does it feel
knit up? |
|
| is it fairly priced? |
|
| how's the stitch
definition? |
|
| drapey [1] or stiff
[5] ? |
|
| describe it in one word |
|
| what's the one thing
you couldn't know about this yarn until
you knit with it? |
- nice sheen when knit but tendency
to split
- the stitches show up rather evenly
- fabric has the perfect amount of
nice stretch
- variegated yarn changes color every
3-4 stitches
|
|
|
|
| Name |
Silk ribbon [2 mm] |
 |
| Brand |
Treenway
Silks |
Fiber
content |
100% silk |
| Yardage |
315 yds |
| Gauge |
varies |
| Sugg. Retail
Price |
$44.50 [undyed]
$57.50 [dyed in any
of 174 solid or variegated
colorways] |
| overall impression |
|
| would
you buy it? |
|
| how does it feel
in the ball? |
|
| how does it feel
knit up? |
|
| is it fairly priced? |
|
| how's the stitch
definition? |
|
| drapey [1] or stiff
[5] ? |
|
| describe it in one word |
|
| what's the one thing
you couldn't know about this yarn until
you knit with it? |
- makes a neat bubble out effect when
dropped stitches are done
- that something so crunchy can be
so soft
- a bit fragile -- splits if you poke
it by accident
- having never knit with ribbon yarn
before, I found it made the stitches
seem somewhat uneven
- better in lace than plain stockinette
|
|
|
| Name |
Soft
Linen |
 |
| Brand |
Classic
Elite |
Fiber
content |
35% linen, 35% wool,
30% baby alpaca |
| Yardage |
137 yards | 50 grams |
| Gauge |
5.5 stitches per
inch |
| Sugg. Retail
Price |
$8.95 |
| overall
impression |
|
| would
you buy it? |
|
| how
does it feel in the ball? |
|
| how
does it feel knit up? |
|
| is
it fairly priced? |
|
| how's
the stitch definition? |
|
| drapey
[1] or stiff [5] ? |
|
| describe
it in one word |
|
| what's
the one thing you couldn't know about
this yarn until you knit with it? |
- softer and lighter than I expected.
I really like this yarn. Seems
to blend best characteristics of
all 3 fibers
- knits up much prettier than it
looks in the ball
- it has nice elasticity in the swatch
- great sweater yarn
- that you can have a lineny and
woolly feeling in the same fabric
|
|
|
|
| Name |
Sonora |
 |
| Brand |
Nashua
Handknits |
Fiber
content |
46% silk, 31% viscose,
20% linen, 3% nylon |
| Yardage |
103 yds | 50 grams |
| Gauge |
4 stitches per inch |
| Sugg. Retail
Price |
$8.95 |
| overall impression |
|
| would
you buy it? |
|
| how does it feel
in the ball? |
|
| how does it feel
knit up? |
|
| is it fairly priced? |
|
| how's the stitch
definition? |
|
| drapey [1] or stiff
[5] ? |
|
| describe it in one word |
|
| what's the one thing
you couldn't know about this yarn until
you knit with it? |
- very sticky, even on smooth metal
needles
- knits better on smaller needle than
recommended. I love this one!
- it's really hard to see the color
variation until you knit it up
|
|
|
|
| Name |
Susan |
 |
| Brand |
Schaefer
yarn |
Fiber
content |
100% mercerized pima
cotton |
| Yardage |
470 yds | 6 oz |
| Gauge |
6 stitches per inch |
| Sugg. Retail
Price |
$30.00 |
| overall impression |
|
| would
you buy it? |
|
| how does it feel
in the ball? |
|
| how does it feel
knit up? |
|
| is it fairly priced? |
|
| how's the stitch
definition? |
|
| drapey [1] or stiff
[5] ? |
|
| describe it in one word |
|
| what's the one thing
you couldn't know about this yarn until
you knit with it? |
- didn't realize it was cotton until
3 rows into my swatch
- how beautiful it is in seed stitch
- how nice it is to knit with for someone
who dislikes working with cotton!
|
|
|
| Name |
Terra |
 |
| Brand |
SWTC |
Fiber
content |
50% bamboo,
50% cotton |
| Yardage |
110 m | 50 grams |
| Gauge |
6 stitches per inch |
| Sugg. Retail
Price |
$7.00 |
| overall
impression |
|
| would
you buy it? |
|
| how
does it feel in the ball? |
|
| how
does it feel knit up? |
|
| is
it fairly priced? |
|
| how's
the stitch definition? |
|
| drapey
[1] or stiff [5] ? |
|
| describe
it in one word |
- natural
- earthy
- practical
- nice sheen
|
| what's
the one thing you couldn't know about
this yarn until you knit with it? |
- I hadn't realized how soft it
would feel; it is a bit splitty
- the 2 colored threads show up more
in the swatch than in the ball
- the bamboo plies peek out just
enough to give the fabric a shimmery
look
- how precise my stitches turned
out
|
|
|
© 2008
Knitty magazine. The information shown
in this column is mathematically averaged from
a standardized questionnaire completed by each
Yarn Roundtable participant. Yarn Roundtable
participants are not compensated for their participation
and each questionnaire is anonymous. The opinions
expressed on this page are those of the Yarn
Roundtable attendees and not of Knitty.com
Do you make yarn you'd like us to sample at
a future Knitty Yarn Roundtable night?
Visit this page for more
information. |
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