developing . . .

can you believe this? we went from a sunny, near-70 degrees the other day right down to freezing and snow again. it’s 27 out there now. good thing i’m not the kind of person that gets all excited and starts planting stuff in april—i’m usually working through a bout of late-winter project over-commitment that gives me plenty to do indoors (and, much as i love the garden, i want it to be warm when i work out there).

i’ve noticed that we get a snowfall each year in ohio during the first week or so of april—not much, but enough to make the flowers bend over

hopefully the cold will pass in a few days.

meanwhile, there is plenty to do indoors, like i said.

yesterday i had classes to teach and that is the time i am devoting to the gray sweater until it’s done. i didn’t get quite as far as i’d hoped but i made some progress

i’m almost to the neck opening—once i get there the shoulders won’t take long at all. then it’s on to sleeve island.

i devoted last evening to some office tasks and after that, i settled in with fernfrost.

which is getting to be a nice length; i’m more than halfway to a good-sized scarf now. my good will toward deb’s luscious cashmere yarn continues to increase (she doesn’t have the new cashmere colors in her shop yet, but she has a few skeins in her sale section from past batches. the sport/DK would be perfect for a neckwarmer . . .)

another thing i did yesterday in between classes was to take notes on and wash up the swatches i’ve been knitting for cheryl, concerning her new bamhuey sport/DK handspun.

just to be very clear, the yarn that is currently in her shop is her amazing sock yarn, not this heavier yarn. what we see here is a new yarn for non-sock projects such as sweaters and baby items that is currently in development, and which she hopes to be listing very soon.

there are two reasons i wanted to show you the results: one is that it is fascinating to scrutinize a yarn under development and to see the differences a few tiny changes can make. the other is that the information we can glean from this experiment adds to a larger library of information about all yarns and yarn behavior, so that we can use it better choices for knitting projects.

cheryl sent me two sample skeins in this sunbeams colorway—one slightly thicker than the other. this is a 60/40 merino/bamboo blend (same as her bamhuey sock yarn) which is dyed in the fiber and then handspun by cheryl.

i swatched each one on two different needle sizes, and then tried the thinner one in a textured stitch pattern. here are the four stockinette swatches shown side-by-side for comparison

the finer yarn appears on the left, knit on 3.5 mm (top) and 3.75 mm (bottom)
the heavier yarn appears on the right, knit on 3.75 mm (top) and 4.0 mm (bottom)

a closer look reveals more; first we’ll look at the two weights knit on smaller needles

the finer yarn on the left is a more consistent and yields a smooth, regular fabric. the heavier yarn on the right has a more rustic quality, slightly less even, but is certainly suitable for a fabric with great integrity for making a garment.

let’s look at the same yarn knit on a needle one size larger

this comparison surprised me a bit—the finer yarn on the left maintains a very consistent texture and even surface quality when knit on a larger needle. the heavier yarn on the right seems to be disproportionately less consistent—the variations show up more and have more influence on the fabric integrity (you can’t see it in this photo but the whole swatch is less “square”; see photo above).

in other words. the finer, more consistent yarn performs equally well on a few different needles sizes (which makes it flexible for consumers), but the slightly-less consistent yarn shows bigger performance variations when knit on different needle sizes.

this is very good information for any knitter to have when considering yarn for a garment, whether working with handspun or not, 2-ply or 3-ply. swatches with irregular shapes or more inconsistent surfaces may be a sign to think more about how that fabric will drape, hang, and hold its shape in a larger, heavier garment—especially fabrics knit from non-elastic fibers such as bamboo.

in other words, swatches are not just about counting stitches; trying different needle sizes is not just about making gauge work. hmm.

it’s really important to start with a fabric that has good integrity—this is true for many other material structures in the world around us as well, from concrete to rebar grids to wood framing to woven fabrics. it might even be said that you should make a fabric you like first, then find a pattern that will work with it.

a note about all that: i am really scrutinizing and picking the differences apart here—the heavier yarn above would almost certainly perform very well even with its slight inconsistencies. but it does make a good example of what to consider when creating a fabric for a garment—some variations can be balanced by knitting this yarn a little tighter, for instance.

the great thing about knitting is that you do have some control over the integrity of the finished fabric; with the same yarn you can create a fabric that is more consistent and true to its purpose within a reasonable range.

this yarn worked up wonderfully in a knit-purl texture as well. again, changing needle sizes shows a slight difference in the crispness of the texture that could grow over time when the garment is worn.

one reason to wash swatches is that some yarns change quite a bit when soaked, so much that the gauge changes considerably. and you’ll want to know what to expect in a garment that will be washed and worn for years. my friend norma recently ran a similar experiment with a sweater she is knitting and was surprised enough by the results to pause and re-think things. tough, but better to know now.

the bamhuey yarn blooms a lot in the washing, even though the yarn was washed after spinning. the difference is almost startling, no? in this case the bloom did not change the stitch or row gauge appreciably, but the fabric feels fuller and lighter, and the spaces between stitches are smaller.

the fabric of all the swatches is absolutely lovely, by the way—soft enough to place against a baby’s neck but sturdy and elastic, too, with great recovery (especially the samples knit on smaller needles). i sent the swatches around at class yesterday and they achieved the “ohh-ahh” factor of a luxury yarn. the colorations wash beautifully over the fabric without pooling. the fabric is practical too—there was virtually no dye run-off which bodes well for washing. bamboo is a strong, sturdy fiber that wears well; i would be totally confident in knitting it into a sweater i’d expect to wear for years.

well, that was a lot to say about a few swatches. i’m really glad to have had the opportunity to explore this yarn in development and to bring you a close-up view of the process. cheryl, by the way, has been thrilled by the response to her yarns from readers, and wishes to pass along an enthusiastic “thank you!!” for taking the time to visit her shop. you’ll also be able to visit her booth at sock summit and a few other fiber shows on the west coast in the coming months.