Yarn Review: ShiBui Knits’ “Sock” (by Jenifer Rank)

ShiBui Knits’ “Sock”

100% Superwash Merino

1.75oz/50G

191yds/175M

This yarn has been called the “perfect sock yarn” by ShiBui, and quite frankly, I am inclined to agree!  A fine wool, it comes in a wide variety of colors, both solids and multicolored – personal favorite is ‘Spectrum – 51301’, and isn’t crazy expensive – about $10. 

It has a slight texture to it, and while the texture helps it stay on the needles, I think it still has a great slide to it, keeping your fingers and hands from getting tired.

This particular yarn holds up well in the machine, with little color bleed, and keeps its shape when dry… I just love that I can actually put it in the machine… it is for socks after all!  It has a recommended gauge of 30sts/40rows = 4in on size 2 (US)/2.75mm needles. 

I have used it for everything from socks to arm warmers to hats, as it also has a pretty good stretch to it. 

If you can’t tell, I REALLY enjoy working with this particular yarn. If your LYS doesn’t carry it, you can always visit the manufacturer’s website (www.shibuiknits.com) for a listing of retailers who do!

Yarn Review: Patons SWS – Way better than Tofu! (by Jen Chambers)

Decided to try and felt using Patons SWS yarn.  It’s 70% Wool, 30% Soy, so I thought it would probably felt up nicely.   I had a couple of skeins of SWS which stands for Soy Wool Stripes in colorway Natural Earth and thought I’d try making an iPad cover.  I don’t have an iPad, but one day I hope to and I’ll have a beautiful cover to keep it safe from scratches.  I didn’t have a pattern, but figured I just try and see if I could work it out.

I cast on 45 stitches on size 8 needles.  I knit the piece in garter stitch and it used just about the entire 2 skeins of yarn.  The yarn itself is soft and knits up nicely.  The yarn has a slightly different  “twist” then normal worsted weight yarn.  It’s not twisted as tightly and when untwisted it doesn’t consist of 4 threads like most worsted weight.  Instead it untwists into about 50 very fine “hairs” that create a fuzz when separated.  The yarn is self striping and the color changes were subtle from row to row and the pattern repeat was easy to anticipate when it came time to join the 2^nd skein of yarn.

Finished size before felting was 22.5” x 9.5”.  I sewed up the side seams and began the felting process.

I watched closely as the piece felted to make sure I didn’t go too far.  The finished measurement I was shooting for was about 9.5” x 7.5”. I felted this in the washing machine and it took 2 wash cycles to get to the measurement I wanted.

I pulled out the piece and rinsed with cold water then used the book in the picture as my drying form.  I put the book into a zip-top bag, and slid it inside the iPad cover while it dried over the next few days.

After the piece was dry, the felting process had made the finished piece quite fuzzy all over.  So I took a disposable razor and cut away the fuzz and the finished piece was exactly what I wanted.

Overall, I was very pleased with this yarn.  It’s a beautiful yarn that looks great whether you decide to use it for felting or just a normal knitting project.

Yarn Review: Southwest Trading Company Tofutsies Solid (by Michele Grim)

Southwest Trading Company’s Tofutsies is my favorite sock yarn.  It knits up well, it wears well, washes and dries perfectly, and comes in a great variety of colors.  Tofutsies has finally come in solid colors. 

With fun names like Extra TOErrestrial  (black)and DeTOEnator (red), I had to try it out.  I ended up buying TOEffeta, which is a purplish-pink color.  I ordered it online, and when the yarn came, I couldn’t believe the quality of the color. 

It was so rich and beautiful, I couldn’t wait to make a pair of socks with it.  Tofutsies can do solid colors as well as they make variegated yarns.  I decided to make socks with a 2×2 rib because Tofutsies has great stitch definition. 

The color of the yarn also looks great when knitted up.  This yarn is just as great at Tofutsies variegated, so I highly recommend picking up a ball!

Red Heart’s Eco-Ways Recycled Blend (by Jenifer Rank)

 

Red Heart’s Eco Ways Recycled Blend Yarn Review

 

• 70% acrylic, 30% recycled polyester
• 186 yards, 113 grams
• Machine wash warm – gentle cycle, tumble dry low

Because I make so many things for kids, and living in the Northwest…well, if you don’t use something with some form of recycled fibers people look at you like you have three heads. I saw this yarn on one of my trips to the craft shop for Fiber-fill.  The Eco-Ways blend was on sale and I thought, hey I’ll give it a shot.

Overall, not too bad!  While it does have a slightly “acrylic feel” to it while knitting, it doesn’t “squeak” or have a rough finish to it when the project is completed.   I used this for two different projects (for a child’s ball and on a preschooler’s backpack) and am currently using it on a third project.  The yarn is durable and holds up well under washing and drying.

I would recommend this for smaller projects or projects specifically for children – simply because you can toss it in the washing machine without worrying about what will happen to the piece.  While the pattern given on the wrapper lists an afghan, I think this yarn might have too rough of a feel upon the completion of that project. 

Definite bonuses: inexpensive (around $3), easy to care for, usually on sale!  Unfortunately, the colors I’ve seen in the stores are all pretty neutral.  The bright colors are only to be found on-line. 

I found a really good selection at the JoAnn Fabric and Crafts website: www.joann.com

Yarn Review: Bamboo Ewe (by Michele Grim)

Yarn Review: Stitch Nation by Debbie Stoller “Bamboo Ewe”