I packed up all my yarn, that wasn't already in a project, those I have packed up but ... in a bag - easily grabbed :)
I got a comment on an older post and I thought it was timely after having revisited all of my stash... "What are your favorite types of yarns to knit with? Do you ever use eco-friendly yarns?"
I guess I love a lot of different yarns so I'm going to split this one into groups.
1. Sock yarn. I love sock yarns ALL the sock yarns be mine!
I have been in many a sock club, Yarn Pirate, Yarntini, Socks that Rawk, and Mean Girls YC. I absolutely loved the tightly spun superwash merino & nylon bases of the first three, and I can honestly say I haven't used a skein of the Mean Girl yarn. I'm hoarding it. I love the indie dyers, hand dyed, small batches, one of a kind - just like my hand knit socks. :) My favorite sock yarns from bigger companies would be Dream in Color Smooshy, Trekking and Opal. Fun colors and a tightly spun superwash merino. :) Least favorites would include Cascade Fixation and Socka. Fixation's elastic content makes gauge and tension hard to maintain. While Socka is a wonderful yarn - workhorse - it is not pleasant to the hand. And I have used others, Malabrigo, Araucania, Tofusties, and Stroll to name a few - they are good, but not my favorite.
2. Other Wools. I prefer to work with wool if at all possible, it's squashy and wonderful :)
My favorites are Malabrigo, Dream in Color Classy, Cascade 220 & Eco Wool, and Lorna's Laces Shepherd lines. I love my locally dyes - Both DiC and Lorna's colors are made right here in Chicago-land :)
3. Cotton? I don't like cotton much, I find the lack of give very unfriendly. Although I like some of the chainette cotton yarns like Classic Elite's Katydid. I made the top below out of it. Very nice on the hands.
4. The fluffy? Those very glowing yarns like mohair and angora? I love angora, so soft and the finished fabric feels like it floats above the skin. I made a sweater from a Sublime Merino Angora.
5. Lastly - Acrylic. I honestly don't mind acrylic, it has it's place in the fiber world. It's synthetic and good for those with sensitivities. My mom gets a lot of acrylic blends, and these days the more affordable yarns have some acrylic or nylon in it, keeping costs down. If I need to use a 100% acrylic I'm going to use Berrocco's Comfort or Lion's Vanna's Choice. Comfort is very soft, easy to care for but can be splitty. Vanna's is probably the best traditional acrylic I've worked with - actually has fluff to it!
3. Cotton? I don't like cotton much, I find the lack of give very unfriendly. Although I like some of the chainette cotton yarns like Classic Elite's Katydid. I made the top below out of it. Very nice on the hands.
4. The fluffy? Those very glowing yarns like mohair and angora? I love angora, so soft and the finished fabric feels like it floats above the skin. I made a sweater from a Sublime Merino Angora.
5. Lastly - Acrylic. I honestly don't mind acrylic, it has it's place in the fiber world. It's synthetic and good for those with sensitivities. My mom gets a lot of acrylic blends, and these days the more affordable yarns have some acrylic or nylon in it, keeping costs down. If I need to use a 100% acrylic I'm going to use Berrocco's Comfort or Lion's Vanna's Choice. Comfort is very soft, easy to care for but can be splitty. Vanna's is probably the best traditional acrylic I've worked with - actually has fluff to it!
