No, that is not a bunch of cat hair - it's alpaca (well, 30%; 70% acrylic)! A couple weeks ago, just as I started listening to the Knit Picks podcast and had my eyes opened to the importance of yarn quality, I picked up a skein of Bernat's Alpaca Natural Blends (in ebony). I bought it without knowing what I wanted to do with it, but the hat pattern on the back of the yarn label looked good enough to me, so I decided I would do that. The only problem was that the pattern was for knitting flat. I didn't want to do that. I do NOT want to get in the habit of sewing seams up. So I scoured Ravelry for solutions, and found a few in the notes of other people's projects.
I got started on Sunday, and was done by Tuesday. It was my first time doing cables, and they were SO easy! I don't know if it's because they're really loose-looking cables, but it was way easier than I thought it would be - a good thing! I regret not doing the six more rows of stockinette stitch like the pattern called for, but one person said they didn't and it was fine, and I was afraid I would run out of yarn. Alas, once I tried it on after all was said and done, it was too short, just barely hitting the tops of my ears. Maybe I have a large head, but I knew I wouldn't ever wear it, so when a lady at work offered to pay me for it, I agreed. It goes to it's new owner tomorrow! I absolutely love how it looks, though, so I'll probably knit one for myself before too long.
I saw a lot of people complain about the yarn, but I think I like it! This particular one does look really fuzzy, though, so I'll definitely look better at that next time I get a skein. I'm really excited to learn more about non-acrylic fiber. It's a whole other world I hadn't really thought about, but it's really interesting stuff! There's a lot about how certain types of wool should be used for heavier objects, and other wool for more indoor objects. It's very complex, but very cool. Another cool benefit about knitting!
- rl
(p.s. this is part of my 14 goals for 2014. You can view all my goals here.)
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