Anyone else been this crazy?

MerigoldinWA · 04-23-2008, 06:37 PM

Someone asked me to make a little sweater to match a pair of booties she had. I bought some yarn that I thought would work this last weekend at Joann's, based on the colors. But the pink I got is so light that against white it looks white too.

What to do.

So I looked in my stash and found a sport weight pink that will work color wise, but the rest of the yarn I need to use is worsted weight. I did a bunch of swatching and two strands is too thick and 1 too thin.

What about 1 1/2 strands?

So I started splitting a strand of it and adding it to another strand. This is tedious and seriously crazy. But the weight turns out perfect. My DH helped me and after many hours of unspinning yarn I think I have enough to use on my sweater. Has anyone else done this to make a custom weight yarn?

Jan in CA · 04-23-2008, 11:58 PM

Wow..that takes patience! I think I would have headed to the LYS or store for the correct weight.

MerigoldinWA · 04-24-2008, 01:01 AM

Yeah, Jan that is the reasonable thing to do, but there are no nearby LYSs that would likely have what I needed. The Joann's I went to is 120 miles away. I could find a Wal-Mart 35 miles away but not likely to find the right color there. Nothing in my little town at all and only a drug store in the town 10 miles away with a few things.

DH and I had some quality time together. LOL

snowbear · 04-24-2008, 02:02 AM

I'm impresssed, but I can see myself doing it. Depending on what & who of course.. but.. then if I was knitting, I'd want it to be just so.

I'm glad you had a good time w/ DH! That makes it even more special!

Jan in CA · 04-24-2008, 03:10 AM

Wow, you must really live in the ~~boonies~~ country!

I have two Joanns, three Michaels, Walmart, and several LYS anywhere from 2 -20 miles!

Raeknitsnwa · 04-24-2008, 06:20 AM

I know the feeling about not having anything around you I am in Washington too all I have a Joann's near me & a Wal-Mart the Wal-Mart I am sorry to say that they have a horrible selection of yarn along with the rest of their knitting supplies

Jan in CA · 04-24-2008, 09:00 PM

I agree that there selection is lousy for the most part. Our Joann Super Store had a lot at one time, but they've cut back, too.

Plantgoddess+ · 04-24-2008, 09:07 PM

I think I would have been on the internet looking since I also have a long drive to get to a store carrying any yarn.

gargoyle08 · 04-24-2008, 10:34 PM

This might sound stupid however I got to ask... Did you swatch with different needle sizes? After the 1-2 strands test failed, that's the next thing I would do before attempting splitting yarn like that.
I want my knitting time to be relaxing and fun, and that yarn work just does not sound fun to me :(

MerigoldinWA · 04-24-2008, 11:18 PM

Gargoyle08,

Oh, yeah, I used different sizes of needles too. I could get close to the right gauge, but I wasn't happy with the outcome. It was way thicker than the rest of what I was going to use, and stiff.

When I first started unspinning I was unwrapping the twists by passing the end over the strand of yarn over and over and over. If I had had to do that the whole time I would have given up. It was way too slow. But DH started helping me and we were pulling the plies apart and then letting the skein hang and spin to unwrap all the twists we had developed. We got better at it as we went, but it was slow. :-)