Mother of Purl by Eig, Edith (best desktop ebook reader .TXT) 📗

from the fine, soft wool or down hair from the undercoat of a Kashmir goat. It takes one goat up to a year to produce approximately 100–150 grams of cashmere, making it one of the rarest and sought–after yarns in the world. You will need on average 350 grams, or the equivalent of three to four goats, to make a sweater.

ANGORA: SHRINKING RIGHT BEFORE YOUR VERY EYES

Years ago, people didn’t account for the loftiness of angora, so they knitted the yarn with size 2 or 3 needles. One of my clients knitted a pair of angora mittens. They came out beautifully, and she wore them all the time. As spring approached, she stored them away in a drawer, carefully wrapping them in tissue paper. To her surprise—or rather horror—when she unwrapped the tissue paper, she found a pair of pelted angora mittens the size of a baby’s hand. If I hadn’t observed this firsthand, I wouldn’t have believed it. What happened? Well, let me tell you. While my client was wearing the mittens, her hands kept them in a stretched condition even though they wanted to shrink; however, once they were stored away, the natural heat and moisture that had been absorbed from her hands caused the angora to shrink on its own—because the mittens had been knitted with needles that were too small.

When I recounted this yarn to my angora supplier, he had an equally funny story to tell. In the 1940s at the Parisian nightclub, the Folies Bergère, there was an incident involving a woman and her angora sweater. As she sat under the show lights, sipping her wine and enjoying the performance, she began to feel a bit uncomfortable. Her sweater had begun to shrink noticeably from the heat of the lights and the moisture from her body. Apparently, as she got hotter the sweater got smaller until she finally had no choice but to leave.

It’s wise to remember the properties of angora—or any fiber, for that matter: yarn continues to breathe and will react to the elements.

CHENILLE—ONE WORM TOO MANY

“Worming” in chenille can happen at any time: immediately or over a period of time. One of my clients labored over an afghan for her college–bound daughter, using several types of very expensive yarns, including chenille. When her daughter came home during Christmas break, she brought the afghan with her. My client was upset when she saw its condition: everything was smooth—except for the chenille, which was worming throughout. With my help, we undid the entire afghan, and she reworked it without the chenille. A lot of time and effort wasted.

ALPACA

Alpaca comes from the alpaca goat, a cousin of the llama and the camel and a native of South America. Alpaca is warm, soft, and luxurious to the touch. It’s also significantly less expensive than cashmere and just a bit hairier. Because alpaca is very luxurious, it is commonly referred to as the poor man’s cashmere.

CHENILLE

Tucked away in one of the cabinets in my shop is a pale blue sweater. When I made it some ten years ago, I was quite proud of it. I had designed a complicated pattern, including cables. As I happily began to sew the seams together, I noticed a slight looping and dismissed it as an error in my knitting. A few days later, while I was wearing it, one of my clients pointed to what appeared to be a pulled stitch. As I came to learn, these mysterious loops, also known as worming, is a negative attribute inherent to chenille. This is why I don’t sell chenille in my store, despite the frequent requests I get for it. You’ve heard the expression “pictures are worth a thousand words"? When someone requests this yarn, I pull this garment out of hiding and show them this “worm–infested” chenille sweater—which continues to loop to this day.

ACRYLIC AND NOVELTY YARNS

Acrylic yarns come in a variety of qualities, and there are many reasons for working with them. Over the years, acrylics have evolved for the better. They are commonly found as a component in novelty yarns, including some of the more recognizable yarns as eyelash, furs, and microfibers, which have become quite popular. Acrylics are also a favorite for knitting baby blankets since they are easily washable and can be put in the dryer.

THERE IS NO SUBSTITUTE FOR QUALITY

A friend of mine had given me a very cherished gift: a vintage box of yarn, carefully preserved from the 1920s. Although the original owner never knitted with the yarn, she did recognize its superior quality and had stored it well. With yarn nearly ninety years old, I decided to knit a lovely Chanel–style jacket. Just like the namesake of my jacket, there is no substitute for quality. Make an investment in your yarn, take care when knitting with it and treat the garment well, and you will have an heirloom piece to pass on to your children and grandchildren.

Because novelty yarns have so much character, new knitters tend to rely on them as a design crutch, rather than expanding their knitting repertoire and developing their skills. Have fun with novelty yarn. Consider using it as a trim in a sweater, or find an interesting and unusual use for it beyond the simple scarf.

CHOOSING THE RIGHT YARNS FOR THE RIGHT PERSON

[EDITH KNIT TIPS]

Zipped for Success

Slippery yarns continually unravel off the ball, so here’s a solution I offer my clients. Cut off one of the bottom corners off a ziplock bag and place your ball of yarn inside; thread your yarn through the hole and seal the bag shut. This will help keep your ball of yarn neat and prevent it from knotting.

Yarns Are Seasonal Too

Just like fashion trends are seasonal, yarns come and go and are often discontinued. So keep in mind that it’s important to buy all the yarn at once for a project rather than just a couple balls at a time. This will ensure that you