Heidi -- You're a Big Fat Liar
So, I finished the bodice on Heidi and decided to knit the neck edging so I could feel how it fit without the pins. I went with a frilly ruffle for the edge. Fun and girly, and also -- over 800 stitches to bind off! But I got through it and the ruffle came together really nicely in the linen. It's dense -- almost like crochet -- and stands up really well.
I was antsy to get the feeling of the top once it was all washed though, so I ran it through a full wash and dry cycle. Truthfully, I was concerned about shrinkage even though I had prewashed the yarn. I'd rather know now that I had to add more length than once I was all done.
Well, I had no worried about shrinkage folks. Here's what Heidi looks like after her latest wash and dry (on top of Somewhat Cowl for scale).
Uhm, yeah...a little big wouldn't you say? Can you believe it fit like this before it was washed?
The yarn feels awesome, but the gauge is totally wrong now. The top as knitted is not salvageable. So, I'm going to scrap what I've knit so far and find another yarn for Heidi.
I love the texture of the yarn though so I do think I'll do something with it in the future. For now though, the yarn and I will be taking a much-needed break. And if you're surprised I'm taking this so casually it's because I've had close to a week to accept it before writing this post. Believe me -- I was damn annoyed when I took it out of the dryer last week!
So, I need to find another yarn. The ones I've been considering are:
- Tahki Cotton Classic -- nice price point and damn -- GREAT color selection.
- Elann Esprit -- the elastic could prove to be a very good thing for this top.
- Elann Sonata -- nice color selection and good gauge.
- Knit Picks Shine Sport but I'm not sure about the modal for this design. I have a ball in my stash that I need to swatch.
I'm more excited about the first 2 (Cotton Classic or Esprit) but really, I'm not convinced about any of them yet. I think my ideal yarn would be a DK weight All Seasons Cotton. I'm sure they exist -- any suggestions?
Oh gosh, that sucks. How about one of the cotton blends from GGH?
This site has a bunch of suggestions:
http://www.yarnatwebsters.com/yarn_dk.html
Other double knits that come to mind but might not work for this design: Calmer, Cathay, Hempathy.
Oh boy... aren't you glad you found out now instead of when the whole top was done??? Although... it might have fit ME in the end LOL. I love the color selection of the Takhi cotton!!!
Cheers Eva
Bummer, I hate it when that happens, and unfortunately it happens to me all the time! Were you looking specifically for a cotton blend or were you open to wool? The Kona Superwash is really nice, knits up in a good dk weight and holds it shape super good. I thought it would be "hot" since it's wool but find in comfortable even in warmer climates. And it's very inexpensive. Let me know if you were interested in it, I'd be happy to dye some for you or send you enough for a little swatch.
Many people said Elann Esprit and Fixation are the same, but I can tell you that they are not. I have used both ... and am actually holding one of each now. If you want to make use of the elastic, Fixation has a much better elasticity (the same length of yarn can stretch much longer in Fixation). The pair of socks I knitted using Esprit have become quite stiff and not elastic after wash. But the Fixation pair are still good. Just let you know.
Forget the Sonata, it's really cheaply made, very crunchy, Feh! The Shine is awesome but VERY drapey if that is what you want. I second the vote for Calmer and I've knit ASC in a DK gauge and because of the acrylic content, it was not too heavy or stiff but might add a bit more bulk than a true DK.
So sorry about Heidi but better to cut and run now than when she was complete! I believe Louet recommends lace for the Euroflax for just this reason, where ease isn't crucial.
If you can get used to the stretch, Fixation is great, but it does require very thin needles. I don't think that would bother you, though. The stretching thing was more of a problem for me.
I keep hearing that TLC Cotton Plus is a great lighter-weight ASC. And there's knitpicks' Shine too.
Here's my two cents...I'd start with Esprit for the bodice, where hugginess in important, and switch to Sonata at the empire waistline where you need the drapiness to start.
It could happen!!
Dammit!!!
Tahki Cotton Classic comes in some awesome colors. And you know I love the Kraemer Yarns.
Ditto on the Sonato (crapola)...but the Tahki, in my book, is fab! I am also knitting with the Online Linie Clip, but I think the gauge is slightly off and it stretches a bit much.
Good luck!
Angela moyer fort
Angela moyer fort