The magic of semi solid hand dyed yarns
When I was learning to knit I received lots of advice about working with good quality yarn. I read articles about working with natural fibres, but those were not what my local haberdashery stocked. So, of course I ploughed on with my acrylic machine washable yarn, as I was only practicing, what did it matter? Despite my many hours of careful knitting I was never truly happy with my projects, every slight imperfection waved at me, screaming ‘hello’.
As time passed I realised there was some truth to the advice I had been given and the more expensive yarns were indeed worth their little extra cost. But furthermore I discovered the magic that is semi solid hand dyed yarn, with its subtle variations in the depth of colour. These yarns made my knitting look amazing, it took me a little while to realise why. It is a little like painting a wall, choose a plain colour and paint away, you will soon notice every bump and scratch the wall has endured. The same can be said of your knitting, choose a solid coloured yarn and knit away and you will notice those slightly uneven stitches, slack edged cables and accidental twisted stitches. Work with a semi solid hand dyed yarn and those little imperfections are much harder to spot. But yet the design stays crisp and clear.
My favourite hand dyed semi solid yarns are those by Eden Cottage Yarns. It was the variety of bases and the gorgeous muted shades that made them the perfect choice for my upcoming book, ‘Lazy Sunday Socks’. Over the next couple of weeks I will be writing about the yarns I used and why I loved them. Be prepared for serious yarn porn!
What is your favourite yarn? Why do you love to knit with it? What advice would you give to a new knitter, when discussing which yarns to work with? Why not pop over to my Ravelry group and share your yarn advice with others in the group?
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Happy Knitting,
