Big admission time! I have been knitting for 50 years, near enough. I also spin my own yarns and know all about drape, woollen vs worsted, the perils of alpaca etc. And what did I just do? I substituted Drops Nord 50/50 alpaca blend in place of a woollen spun, thicker yarn in an all-over colourwork cardigan pattern. Good grief! What kind of stupid? It took ages and looked so awful after I cut the steek (stretched out fronts etc) that I have got rid of it rather than try to rescue it (there was no way to rescue, actually). The yarn was not expensive but I wasted so much time and effort! And yet I KNEW alpaca’s habits, and I was still lured in by the colour!!!!!!! Argh……..
You're right, Yarn Sub is a wonderful resource. Oscar was extra helpful in this episode, I hope Santa takes that into account! 😉 Wishing you, Oscar, and all of those that you love happy, healthy, and cozy holidays. 😊
Love your videos. 10 years working on this sweater, almost finished, trying to save it, know in my heart I should just toss it. I always finish my projects even if I never wear them in the end.
Peaceful Solstice to all! I'm fortunate to have really experienced and helpful knitters around me so they when I started knitting 3 years ago, any subs i made were well advised. My knitting mentor never swatches but I have a good influence on her and she does it on occasion now, instead of maybe thrice in two plus decades.
Thank you for all the information this past year. I eagerly look forward to each of your episodes and always enjoy them and learn from them. I have started swatching thanks to you and yes it does make a huge difference. Happy holidays! Give Oscar a pat from me, I wish I could give him a treat. He deserves an extra one for bring so darn cute. Anticipating watching Nicole Knows Knitting in 2025!
Hi Nicole & Oscar, Happy Holiday! Yarnsub is amazing. I've had successes using yarnsub. I have a large stash I am diligently knitting through, and use yarnsub or I pick another pattern in my also large pattern stash. My worst substitution was a superwash yarn that grew more than any superwash I ever used. Luckily it was a small cowl for my daughter. I hated it so much, I threw it away, yes, threw it away! That yarn will be given away (I have only 2 skeins left) in a white elephant yarn party, with a little index card stating the yarn grows up to 5 x its size like some kind of freaky alien. Edited to add: I did not swatch thinking it is a small cowl, my gauge is usually close, blah blah blah. Little did I know it would grow like crazy (because I didn't swatch).
I must admit to substituting yarns with abandon and never using the recommended yarns since i normally knit from patterns that were designed 90 years ago. Also i find that most yarns i knit with are not in yarnsub so i have given up trying to use it. I'm usually willing to use any yarn that knts to the right gauge that i like, but have a few rules for myself: if a yarn biases in stockinette, don't use it for stockinette or open gauge and don't buy it again, avoid long colourchanging yarn for garments, never steek smooth yarns. I normally knit with 4ply, but i think issues really crop up with heavier yarns.
I bought 100% alpaca yarn while on vacation and touring an alpaca farm. It was expensive so I didn’t buy much then I flailed around to find a pattern. I ended up knitting a cabled scarf and the cables absolutely disappeared. I frogged it and knit a cowl with a similar problem but it is heaven on my neck. I also knit a hat to match which has no shape. Learning all the time.
Great info , 1st time listenerz thought you were canadian, me too , from TO but live in Munich now . Does yarn sub suggest patterns also ? That would be helpful ........😊
This video helps reinforce what I know to be true. Swatching is the foundation of good knitting. Yup. True. Sadly, true. I just cringe at the amount of yarn it takes and makes me stress about yarn chicken, which is why I have not tried swatching in the round and cutting all those strands. Just in case I need that swatch-although that has yet to happen. I have made 2 purchases from an online store after buying the recommended yarn for a pattern I have loved, but I am thinking it will pill and drive me crazy, so I went with another podcaster’s choice which I wanted in the first place. Now to do the math to match my gauge. Hey, that would be a great master class. Math is doable, but I do need the hand holding. Thanks for your wonderful content.
One time, I was testing a pattern for a designer, and the yarn THEY picked was not suitable (in my opinion) for the design. Cotton and silk yarn is beautiful, but it doesn't stretch nicely for intricate cables!😢 After days of fretting and reworking and trying every hack I could find to get the stuff not to sag or ladder, I finally excused myself from the trial. I repurposed the yarn for a different project not involving cables, and it's now my favorite sweater!
Another great video, you are a wealth of knowledge. Thank you for sharing with us. Wishing you a delightful Christmas time with your family, Oscar included! Monique
I have been in the ''what project matches the yarn I have and the amount'. Many mystery acrylics. I am learning that guage is much more important than the weight. I will admit swatching can be endless! Just picked a scarf for an old white acrylic, but as I make progress, I am finding that this fabric is not all that soft. If it wasn't so white, I think it would be best used as slippers!
Thanks for these tips. In Yarnsub, how far down the column of percentage matches can you confidently go before it's simply not close enough to the original yarn? You'd said that 90+% was good. How about 80% or 70%? Where (while you are searching for a less than 4 $$$$ match) would you draw the line?
Im starting my second FI yoke cardi. Wish me luck! Ps I knitted a lovenote. It should have fit me. I sold it. It was 8 inches too small😢. I loved that thing😢
Never thought to once swatch for the pattern AND swatch again for the yarn’s suggested gauge. Good idea, thanks!
Big admission time! I have been knitting for 50 years, near enough. I also spin my own yarns and know all about drape, woollen vs worsted, the perils of alpaca etc. And what did I just do? I substituted Drops Nord 50/50 alpaca blend in place of a woollen spun, thicker yarn in an all-over colourwork cardigan pattern. Good grief! What kind of stupid? It took ages and looked so awful after I cut the steek (stretched out fronts etc) that I have got rid of it rather than try to rescue it (there was no way to rescue, actually). The yarn was not expensive but I wasted so much time and effort! And yet I KNEW alpaca’s habits, and I was still lured in by the colour!!!!!!! Argh……..
You're right, Yarn Sub is a wonderful resource. Oscar was extra helpful in this episode, I hope Santa takes that into account! 😉 Wishing you, Oscar, and all of those that you love happy, healthy, and cozy holidays. 😊
Love your videos. 10 years working on this sweater, almost finished, trying to save it, know in my heart I should just toss it. I always finish my projects even if I never wear them in the end.
Peaceful Solstice to all! I'm fortunate to have really experienced and helpful knitters around me so they when I started knitting 3 years ago, any subs i made were well advised. My knitting mentor never swatches but I have a good influence on her and she does it on occasion now, instead of maybe thrice in two plus decades.
Thank you for all the information this past year. I eagerly look forward to each of your episodes and always enjoy them and learn from them. I have started swatching thanks to you and yes it does make a huge difference. Happy holidays! Give Oscar a pat from me, I wish I could give him a treat. He deserves an extra one for bring so darn cute. Anticipating watching Nicole Knows Knitting in 2025!
Thank you. This is the best advice for selecting yarns. I’m really bad at this. 💖🌹🌺
Hi Nicole & Oscar, Happy Holiday! Yarnsub is amazing. I've had successes using yarnsub. I have a large stash I am diligently knitting through, and use yarnsub or I pick another pattern in my also large pattern stash. My worst substitution was a superwash yarn that grew more than any superwash I ever used. Luckily it was a small cowl for my daughter. I hated it so much, I threw it away, yes, threw it away! That yarn will be given away (I have only 2 skeins left) in a white elephant yarn party, with a little index card stating the yarn grows up to 5 x its size like some kind of freaky alien. Edited to add: I did not swatch thinking it is a small cowl, my gauge is usually close, blah blah blah. Little did I know it would grow like crazy (because I didn't swatch).
Very very helpful info! Oscar is the man!
I don't use patterns. I make my own. Not as fancy, but it always fits. Much better. Thanks for a great video.
Thanks so much for making things so simple to understand! 🥳
I am enjoying the Master Classes! Great information in a short time.
These masterclasses are wonderful! Thanks, as always, for your informative content!!
Thank you for your wonderful videos!
Very informative as per usual ❤ happy holidays to you, Oscar and all
I must admit to substituting yarns with abandon and never using the recommended yarns since i normally knit from patterns that were designed 90 years ago. Also i find that most yarns i knit with are not in yarnsub so i have given up trying to use it. I'm usually willing to use any yarn that knts to the right gauge that i like, but have a few rules for myself: if a yarn biases in stockinette, don't use it for stockinette or open gauge and don't buy it again, avoid long colourchanging yarn for garments, never steek smooth yarns. I normally knit with 4ply, but i think issues really crop up with heavier yarns.
Wow very good!! I love Oscar too
Yarnsub is great! 😁 It will be even better when it lists more yarns for those of us living on the bottom half of the planet 😉
I bought 100% alpaca yarn while on vacation and touring an alpaca farm. It was expensive so I didn’t buy much then I flailed around to find a pattern. I ended up knitting a cabled scarf and the cables absolutely disappeared. I frogged it and knit a cowl with a similar problem but it is heaven on my neck. I also knit a hat to match which has no shape. Learning all the time.
Great info , 1st time listenerz thought you were canadian, me too , from TO but live in Munich now . Does yarn sub suggest patterns also ? That would be helpful ........😊
Wonderful.
This video helps reinforce what I know to be true. Swatching is the foundation of good knitting. Yup. True. Sadly, true. I just cringe at the amount of yarn it takes and makes me stress about yarn chicken, which is why I have not tried swatching in the round and cutting all those strands. Just in case I need that swatch-although that has yet to happen. I have made 2 purchases from an online store after buying the recommended yarn for a pattern I have loved, but I am thinking it will pill and drive me crazy, so I went with another podcaster’s choice which I wanted in the first place. Now to do the math to match my gauge. Hey, that would be a great master class. Math is doable, but I do need the hand holding. Thanks for your wonderful content.
great idea for a msterclass on math in knitting. Lots of people can use that for sure.
Excellence as always, Nicole 🙃
Great Podcast!!! 👍
hi i always enjoy watching you happy holidays
One time, I was testing a pattern for a designer, and the yarn THEY picked was not suitable (in my opinion) for the design. Cotton and silk yarn is beautiful, but it doesn't stretch nicely for intricate cables!😢 After days of fretting and reworking and trying every hack I could find to get the stuff not to sag or ladder, I finally excused myself from the trial. I repurposed the yarn for a different project not involving cables, and it's now my favorite sweater!
Another great video, you are a wealth of knowledge. Thank you for sharing with us. Wishing you a delightful Christmas time with your family, Oscar included! Monique
I have been in the ''what project matches the yarn I have and the amount'. Many mystery acrylics. I am learning that guage is much more important than the weight. I will admit swatching can be endless! Just picked a scarf for an old white acrylic, but as I make progress, I am finding that this fabric is not all that soft. If it wasn't so white, I think it would be best used as slippers!
Thanks for these tips. In Yarnsub, how far down the column of percentage matches can you confidently go before it's simply not close enough to the original yarn? You'd said that 90+% was good. How about 80% or 70%? Where (while you are searching for a less than 4 $$$$ match) would you draw the line?
Im starting my second FI yoke cardi. Wish me luck! Ps I knitted a lovenote. It should have fit me. I sold it. It was 8 inches too small😢. I loved that thing😢
So what can I do with all the 100% Alpaca I have?!
I have some alpaca yarn. Could I use it for a scarf or a beanie winter hat ?
Have you tried a Ravelry search?
For sure you could but 100% alpaca will likely stretch and not hold its shape. I’d be tempted to hold it with a lace or fingering weight wool yarn.
@ okay, that is what I gleaned from what you were telling us. Thank you for your willingness to share what you have learned.
Thank you for this video. New knowlidge for me. 😀👍🧶🇩🇰