the big issue (first world problems edition): not enough yarn

[abendgules]

Last weekend, I dropped a wad of money on yarn for a long-term knitting project.

I've ordered 4kg of Shetland yarn; it will require hours of processing even before knitting.

It's 'yarn in oil' so you *can* knit it as-is, and wash it after knitting, but honestly it's not very nice to knit with as is, and much nicer after washing the skeins.

Said yarn is probably going to sit at Robert's office, while I'm in the colonies, yarnless and unable to reach it.

I can take another project, but with all the glitter of the new, it was the *new* project I wanted to take with me to the colonies.

First world problems.

Comments

[m-nivalis.livejournal.com]

Four kilos!?! Now I'm really curious to your project. (if you told me before, forgive my lousy memory)

[bend-gules.livejournal.com]

No not mentioned, because not yet started. Still in the planning stages.

It's a jersey for a large man, who wants 'colourful jerseys' and cannot find them in the stores anymore.

For him, his favourite fashion train stop was the mid-1980s when Big BIG jerseys were In, in natural fibres like wool.

The wool ones he bought decades ago have now worn out or, ahem, 'shrunk' so they don't fit anymore.

My plan is to make a jersey using a Kaffe Fassett pattern, modelled on the tiles from the alhambra:

http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/5a/d9/b0/5ad9b0c6b4262bde515aafdd6e227220.jpg

...so I've ordered yarn in the colours closest to these tiles.

But the cheapest way to order yarn from this seller is in the 1/2 kilo cone - it's half the price of buying balls or skeins. And I'm cheap.

I will use wool yarn, always.

So I dropped a wad on yarn in 8 colours, with 1kg cone in one of the undyed natural wool colours of Shetland sheep.

http://www.shetlandwoolbrokers.co.uk/epages/BT2741.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/BT2741/Categories/Knitting/Shetland_Supreme_Jumper_Weight

I don't expect to use all this yarn on one jersey :-), but I will then have all these glorious colours for all my future projects.

The drawback of KF patterns is that while the colourwork is glorious, the actual design of the sweater is secondary. They're unbelieveably dull, almost all the same layout, only very basic shaping, really boring (and tedious) finishing.

My challenge will be to do this pattern so that it works all the way round the body, OR do a huge single-piece front and back so the pattern doesn't grind to a halt at the shoulder.

There are so many amazing ways to shape a sweater, and KF just doesn't bother. This didn't matter in 1980s when everyone was wearing shirts to their knees, but it matters to me now, as a knitter who prefers knitting to sewing things up.

[m-nivalis.livejournal.com]

I was under the impression that you were planning to use all 4 kilos for a single project, but bulk buying to save costs makes more sense. Best of luck with the knitting - I bet it will look very nice when it's done.