November 26, 2007
Battle of the Bamboo
Just about everyone knows I love cotton yarn. But coming in a close second is bamboo, since it has all the cool properties of cotton plus some groovier ones (like antimicrobialism! I totally just made up a word!). My favorite use for bamboo yarn is washcloths.
Last year I made a batch of washcloths using SWTC's Bamboo (Rav link) shown on the left in white. They have held up amazingly well--no breakage, pilling or wear. They are a bit thin and if I were to make these again, I would double the yarn. They are not soft but they are very scrubby. I got five washcloths out of one ball, but they are kind of skimpy (which is why the dude requested I knit bigger ones).
That request led me to buy some Rowan Bamboo Tape (also Rav link) shown on the right in blue. I soon remembered why I hate tape yarns for their twisting and curling, but since it was just washcloths I could live through it. I got three out of two balls, so obviously these were much bigger and heftier. The Rowan is softer when it's dry than when it's wet--which is when you're using it--so these are not a favorite in our house. Plus they get really heavy when wet and you feel like you're washing yourself with a whole towel. I could not imagine a garment knit from this--it would be so bulky, heavy and unflattering. The yarn has held up well, with no breakage or pilling.
Relentless in my pursuit of awesome bathing, I got some Be Sweet Bamboo shown in aqua in the middle. This stuff is amazing once it's knit up, but working with it is a total bitch. It is several strands very loosely plied so it's really splitty and catches your needle a lot. Taking that into consideration I would still knit with this again before I used the other two (which are woven, not plied). It is unbelievably soft but yet still scrubby as a washcloth. It's very soft when wet and quick to dry (nice things for your naked body). The yarn has held up very well through lots of use and laundering and it comes in a trillion colors. I got three washcloths out of two balls.
I am certainly not done experimenting with bamboo since it gives me an excuse to try more yarn! And of course you can never have enough washcloths. I should also add I made a dishcloth out of some SWTC and it worked GREAT on cleaning dishes since it is the least soft and most scrubby.
Do you knit dishcloths and/or washcloths?
Last year I made a batch of washcloths using SWTC's Bamboo (Rav link) shown on the left in white. They have held up amazingly well--no breakage, pilling or wear. They are a bit thin and if I were to make these again, I would double the yarn. They are not soft but they are very scrubby. I got five washcloths out of one ball, but they are kind of skimpy (which is why the dude requested I knit bigger ones).
That request led me to buy some Rowan Bamboo Tape (also Rav link) shown on the right in blue. I soon remembered why I hate tape yarns for their twisting and curling, but since it was just washcloths I could live through it. I got three out of two balls, so obviously these were much bigger and heftier. The Rowan is softer when it's dry than when it's wet--which is when you're using it--so these are not a favorite in our house. Plus they get really heavy when wet and you feel like you're washing yourself with a whole towel. I could not imagine a garment knit from this--it would be so bulky, heavy and unflattering. The yarn has held up well, with no breakage or pilling.
Relentless in my pursuit of awesome bathing, I got some Be Sweet Bamboo shown in aqua in the middle. This stuff is amazing once it's knit up, but working with it is a total bitch. It is several strands very loosely plied so it's really splitty and catches your needle a lot. Taking that into consideration I would still knit with this again before I used the other two (which are woven, not plied). It is unbelievably soft but yet still scrubby as a washcloth. It's very soft when wet and quick to dry (nice things for your naked body). The yarn has held up very well through lots of use and laundering and it comes in a trillion colors. I got three washcloths out of two balls.
I am certainly not done experimenting with bamboo since it gives me an excuse to try more yarn! And of course you can never have enough washcloths. I should also add I made a dishcloth out of some SWTC and it worked GREAT on cleaning dishes since it is the least soft and most scrubby.
Do you knit dishcloths and/or washcloths?
January 05, 2007
Wonder Knitter review
For over a year now, I've been intrigued by i-cord. It's so simple but yet the possibilities are endless! Endless, that is, until you get seriously bored of making the same three stitches over and over. Let's face it--i-cord is only fun after you've made it.
Enter the Wonder Knitter by Clover. I know, I know, if you don't want to knit by hand why not just buy machine made stuff? But this is not a machine, you still knit the stitches by hand. But the circular shape makes faster work of i-cord than two dpns.
If you think you're too experienced or too serious of a knitter to play with a Wonder Knitter, I dare you to just try it. There is a technique to master, shortcuts to learn, patterns to try, different materials to use and creativity to be unleashed. Just because it's pink and sparkly doesn't mean it isn't a useful tool. After the first couple inches of i-cord I made, I had all sorts of ideas for things to try with it.
So that I could give you the most comprehensive review I tried several different materials and both pin heads. Here are the results of my experimentation:
Crochet cotton (Senso) on the 6-pin head:
This is probably the thinnest yarn you'd want to use on the Wonder Knitter. It lacks structure, but it is easy to manipulate.
Fuzzy novelty (Polarspun) on the 6-pin head:
Polarspun is just as much a pain in the ass to work with on the Wonder Knitter as it is on knitting needles. However, the i-cord it produces is fantastic! Very round and solid, it would be great for a rug, bag or craft project.
Bulky yarn (Lamb's Pride Bulky) on 3-pin head:
Isn't that lovely? Doesn't it make you want to cover every square inch of your house in mohair i-cord? This was so fast and easy--can you say "Booga Bag handles in 7 minutes"?
Wire with beads on 3-pin head:
This wouldn't be a thorough review if I didn't try wire and/or bead knitting. What excruciating torture. But look at how pretty it is. I made a necklace in half an hour! I don't know the gauge of this wire, but it was very pliable. It took a few inches for me to get the right tension and several times I thought I was going to break the little plastic hook the makes the stitches. The wire also chewed up the sides of the pins. Adding beads was a no-brainer, though. I would recommend either sticking to knitting wire on metal needles or buying a tool made specifically for knitting wire.
I know you want to see how it works, so check out this video. For whatever reason when I watch it, it's in slow motion.
Well, just how fast is it really? When I first started making the i-cord I thought to myself, "This isn't any faster than using dpn's", but after about ten minutes I was proven wrong. Even though you're still knitting every stitch, the fact that you don't have to stop and slide your yarn down a dpn really makes a difference.
Here is the cord I made with a whole ball (100 yards) of Senso-- fourteen feet long! I'm going to use it as a xmas tree garland since it's sparkly. But the best part is, these fourteen feet only took about three hours to knit!
To wrap it up, I am having fun with the Wonder Knitter and it has certainly sparked some cool ideas for me. I am also going to buy one for every kid I know since it's so easy. If you get one on sale or with a coupon, they're less than $6 and most of us spend more than that on wool wash or stitch markers. It would be a cool way to use up leftovers and then you can challenge your creativity with how to use i-cord.
Enjoy!
Enter the Wonder Knitter by Clover. I know, I know, if you don't want to knit by hand why not just buy machine made stuff? But this is not a machine, you still knit the stitches by hand. But the circular shape makes faster work of i-cord than two dpns.
If you think you're too experienced or too serious of a knitter to play with a Wonder Knitter, I dare you to just try it. There is a technique to master, shortcuts to learn, patterns to try, different materials to use and creativity to be unleashed. Just because it's pink and sparkly doesn't mean it isn't a useful tool. After the first couple inches of i-cord I made, I had all sorts of ideas for things to try with it.
So that I could give you the most comprehensive review I tried several different materials and both pin heads. Here are the results of my experimentation:
Crochet cotton (Senso) on the 6-pin head:
This is probably the thinnest yarn you'd want to use on the Wonder Knitter. It lacks structure, but it is easy to manipulate.
Fuzzy novelty (Polarspun) on the 6-pin head:
Polarspun is just as much a pain in the ass to work with on the Wonder Knitter as it is on knitting needles. However, the i-cord it produces is fantastic! Very round and solid, it would be great for a rug, bag or craft project.
Bulky yarn (Lamb's Pride Bulky) on 3-pin head:
Isn't that lovely? Doesn't it make you want to cover every square inch of your house in mohair i-cord? This was so fast and easy--can you say "Booga Bag handles in 7 minutes"?
Wire with beads on 3-pin head:
This wouldn't be a thorough review if I didn't try wire and/or bead knitting. What excruciating torture. But look at how pretty it is. I made a necklace in half an hour! I don't know the gauge of this wire, but it was very pliable. It took a few inches for me to get the right tension and several times I thought I was going to break the little plastic hook the makes the stitches. The wire also chewed up the sides of the pins. Adding beads was a no-brainer, though. I would recommend either sticking to knitting wire on metal needles or buying a tool made specifically for knitting wire.
I know you want to see how it works, so check out this video. For whatever reason when I watch it, it's in slow motion.
Well, just how fast is it really? When I first started making the i-cord I thought to myself, "This isn't any faster than using dpn's", but after about ten minutes I was proven wrong. Even though you're still knitting every stitch, the fact that you don't have to stop and slide your yarn down a dpn really makes a difference.
Here is the cord I made with a whole ball (100 yards) of Senso-- fourteen feet long! I'm going to use it as a xmas tree garland since it's sparkly. But the best part is, these fourteen feet only took about three hours to knit!
To wrap it up, I am having fun with the Wonder Knitter and it has certainly sparked some cool ideas for me. I am also going to buy one for every kid I know since it's so easy. If you get one on sale or with a coupon, they're less than $6 and most of us spend more than that on wool wash or stitch markers. It would be a cool way to use up leftovers and then you can challenge your creativity with how to use i-cord.
Enjoy!
