Thursday, August 2, 2012

It looks like I have some explaining to do....

... when I said that Wollmeise wasn't my favourite yarn.

It's not that it's a bad yarn. It's just... well, not my favourite.

Wollmeise has a lot of things going for it:
  • Excellent yardage at a good price
  • Very good dying (no bleeding and strong colours)
  • It wears like iron.
All great things, especially in a sock yarn, however, the thing that ruins it for me is how it feels when I'm knitting it. I'm an extremely tactile person - I was the child who ALWAYS had to be reminded not to touch - and then reminded again.

I love silks, and angoras and sumptuously soft merinos. Wolllmeise is merino - but its made up of several very fine strands, and to me, it feels like a cotton. I'm not a big fan of knitting cotton. It has its purpose, and I will knit with cotton - I just don't love it. The Wollmeise however, does soften a little after washing and loses that cottony feel.

There's a couple of other things that get to me about Wollmeise too. Because it's made up of so many strands. I find it splitty. I'm pretty sure this is personal thing, because I know others don't feel this way. And it probably has something to do with the way I knit. I'm pretty sure I could split ribbon yarn!

The other thing that bugs me is that I find it twisty. Some skeins aren't so bad, but this particular skein feels almost over spun, and the working yarn is constantly twisting up on itself. Not a huge deal, but a bit of an annoyance.
 
Now that said, it doesn't mean it's a bad yarn. You can definitely make pretty things with it... 
...Like the Haruni I made Mom last year.

But, it's just not my favourite - and I just don't get the hype.

I'm glad I cleared that up.

Now here is Tux. In a box.

7 comments:

Araignee said...

Love the shawl! Sock yarn makes nice lace.
Kitties in boxes are so cute. I have tons of cat tubes and cubes but it's the boxes they like best.

Anonymous said...

That is a BEAUTIFUL shawl!!!!

I'm working with an over twisty yarn right now, Panda Silk. It's driving me CRAZY!!! BUT, I like how the finished knitting looks so I'll keep on going.

Love the TUX in a box! LOL

Zenitude said...

I've never knitted with Woolmeise so I can't comment on that. But I feel the same way about Noro yarns. Everybody seems to adore this yarn and I just don't get it. I don't find it soft enough. But I do agree that the colours are great.

Minding My Own Stitches said...

Were you looking straight at me when you typed that?

Because I LOVE Wollmeise - not splitty, great yardage, wears like iron, perfect stitch definition, colours never seem to fade, doesn't seem to shrink or stretch even after repeated washings .... but you are right that it's not the softest on your fingers :)

And the Haruni is stunning!

RobinH said...

It's always better in a box.

And I get what you mean about preference. I knit with a lot of yarn that is given to me. Some is more fun to knit than others. I just try to find the project that the yarn is suited for. For me, the act of knitting is the real thing...I enjoy knitting with yarn I like, but it's not actually required!

Delusional Knitter said...

LMAO ... Tux in a box delivery reminded me of Monty Python - "and now for something completely different" And by the way, I split ribbon yarn when knitting it ... a lot.

lexa said...

I've never knit with Woolmeise, but I have a friend who just loves the stuff.