It all started with Georgie, who told me there were many woolly bargains to be had at Spotlight. On Sunday, Kuka and I decided we had to check out the situation for ourselves. She went in with a specific project in mind and bought the exact wool for that project, at a very nice price. I, on the other hand, went in with a couple of empty shopping bags and grabbed a little bit of everthing that might felt. That's a great thing about felting, I can use up small amounts of all sorts of things. It's always the least guilty part of my stash.
We were nearly done and so ready for coffee when I spotted this stuff: Moda Vera 'Adore' (made in Turkey and packaged for Spotlight). A range of self-striping colourways. Looks like a 4ply. Composition is 75% wool and 25% polyamide. Gotta be a sock wool, right?
But, the label suggests 4.5mm needles. It looks like really skinny yarn to me - 4.5s would create really holey, ugly fabric. The price on the shelf was very reasonable, so I grabbed two balls to give it a try. I was thrilled when it scanned at less than half price, $2 a ball.
I thought maybe I would swatch on 3.25mm and see how that looked. And by swatch I mean, cast on a toe and start knitting. But when I got out the needles they just looked way too fat for the yarn. Straightaway I swapped them for 2.25s. And even with those, the fabric was a bit loose. Now it is going swimmingly on 2mms. It's reasonably soft and nice to knit with, softer than the Jigsaw, a little bit splitty but nothing outrageous.
Of course you can knit socks with anything - my first ones were done in a chunky cotton - but I was just mystified by this yarn that had no socky indications on the label, and such a weird needle size recommendation - and yet if it looks like a sock wool, and walks like a sock wool...
I can only hope it washes and wears ok, because at that price, I couldn't resist going back today for several other colours for the stash.
3 comments:
I can hear the quacking all the way over here. The contents sound like almost all the yarn labeled "sock" that I have seen (that isn't 100 percent wool). Gotta love a bargain that is actually something you'll use. I am knitting my first socks on bamboo yarn (part bamboo, part wool) and it is softer than I though and makes fuzzies. I am not sure how I am liking it.
Well done - definitely sounds like ducky sock wool! Amazing price! 2mm is a lot less than the recommended 4.5 0_o
ooooh! I should have gone back for some of that too!! And I should have bought that Paton's book (the one with the jet mini-skirt!) - it has the cutest bag in it!!
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