Hi everyone,
I purchased some James C Brett yarn recently called Shhh.
It says it is DK but it feels extremely fine and light, more like a lace weight yarn. Has anyone used this yarn and can i knit it to a normal DK pattern. I’m a bit confused.
Lovecrafts lists it as a Light Worsted/DK (80% acrylic/20% wool) that knits at 22sts/4 inches on a US 6 needle. Maybe the best thing to try is to knit a swatch if you have a ball of the yarn and see if you like the knit fabric. It does come in lovely color combinations.
When you do the swatch salmonmac suggests you will want to wash it. Some yarns ‘bloom’ when washed which can affect the overall results. I wouldn’t really expect that with this blend but nothing’s for certain.
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I agree with swatching and washing. I have experience of yarn relaxing when washed. I usually measure before washing and again after washing and drying flat so I can compare the two and see if there is a change.
The DK I am currently using also feels very fine, much thinner than the other I used recently which felt much thicker and heavier. It knits up nicely on 4mm though and I like the soft drape which the heavier yarn doesn’t have on 4mm.
Thank you all, I never fail to get great advice from this forum. I have done a swatch on 4mm needles. It is very light and delicate fabric and quite see through. I havent washed it yet but I will soon and let you know the results. Its just a case of finding a sweater pattern to match the gage.
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Once you know the washed gauge it will be easier to find a pattern. It’s also possible to adapt a pattern to some extent. My gauge is more stitches per 10 cm than it states on the band and my pattern (DK but thus yarn seems finer, like you are saying) and I am still using the pattern gut worked out how many stitches to get the size I want then chose a size in the pattern to follow. For me, I want the small size but I am following stitch count for the 3rd size, large, instead. When it says work to a certain length (ie row gauge) I follow the small size. I am doing a little maths to check as I go and seems OK so far. Of course there is a bit of risk taking in this approach.
Of course if you feel the fabric is too open a new swatch on smaller needles would be the next step to finding a fabric you like.
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You can look yarns up on Ravelry, just like patterns, although it’s a bit harder to sift projects for applicable comments. I didn’t spend a lot of time with it, but a couple of people commented that it works up fairly open using the needles recommended. They both went down a size, or mixed the yarn with a strand of mohair to beef it up a little.
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Thank you, I was thinking of adding another strand of something to make it a bit more robust. Its lovely yarn though,
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The gauge given for this yarn makes me think a sport weight or even a fingering weight pattern would work with it. It’s pretty yarn. I hope you’re able to resolve this soon. Really soon.
Hi, and thanks for your reply. Yes it definately feels more like a fingering weight to me. Very light and delicate so I will be looking for a new pattern.
I used some for a 4ply weight project. It feels nice to work with, but definitely on the thinner side. I’d be interested to see how your project turns out.
Hi, thats interesting. I have been toying with the idea of ordering extra yarn and using it double. What do you think?. Would you use this yarn again?. I would like to knit a seamless sweater but I’m afraid it would not be robust enough to keep it’s shape.
I’ve never knitted a sweater and generally dislike holding yarn double, but, I would suggest you do a swatch with it held double to see if you like the fabric it produces, then wash and block it as you would the hypothetical sweater.
If you don’t like the end result you might decide to knit it with a different yarn, or think of something else to make with it.
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