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Fiber arts would be lost in a world without yarn, and in this episode, Andrew (Caliri Creations) and Kelly (Cocky Crocheter) are ringing in the new year with a yarn-tastic celebration. What are your best yarn-ventures?
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Transcript
Introduction and Host Backgrounds
00:00:13
Speaker
Hello everyone and welcome back to another episode of 2ccs of Fiber Arts. I am Kelly of Garky Crocheter. And I'm Andrew from Cleary Creations.
00:00:25
Speaker
Yes, and we are here today because we want to talk about one of our favorite topics in fiber arts, which is the fiber itself.
Experiences at Fiber Fests
00:00:32
Speaker
We're talking all about yarn today. oh my gosh, are you excited about talking about yarn today?
00:00:38
Speaker
Absolutely. I am obsessed with yarn. I just went to that SoCal Fiber Fair, which is like all yarn. So I've got yarn on the brain. Ooh.
00:00:50
Speaker
Okay, that sounds great. What about you, are ready? It's funny that you just, oh my God, I am so freaking ready for this. Like I have been looking forward to doing this episode because I just, I've loved, love yarn. Like it's just so nice. And it's funny that you said you went to the SoCal Fiber Fest because prior to that, a couple months ago, I went to the DFW
Favorite Yarn Weights Discussion
00:01:09
Speaker
Fiber Fest. So you and I both have some recent Fiber Fest experiences where we get to talk about like being awash in acres of yarn and I'm sure that's going be something we will be talking about today. Yes. Oh my gosh. Yeah. Okay. Well, mean, yarn is a huge topic. So like, don't, where do we even want to start? Like, do we want to start with like, what do we like? Like what, what was our first, I don't know. going to, I'm going leave that to you.
00:01:40
Speaker
Okay, yeah, great. um I would say we should start with the the weight. Like, what is your favorite weight of yarn to work with? Okay, got it. Okay, that's a pretty pretty simple um question.
00:01:53
Speaker
I think really it depends on the project. um If I'm wanting to work something up pretty quickly, I'll usually turn to like DK weight. So like the, you know, about, like if what is that, a category three? Yeah, category three. Yeah.
00:02:08
Speaker
lightweight, all that stuff. But my most favorite one to work with is actually going to be fingering weight, um which is actually, that's the official name of it. It is fingering weight. And so, but it does get flagged a lot.
00:02:22
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah, when I write any description on a YouTube video about the weight of my yarn, it's all the time threatening me, like, you know, you could lose any kind of monetization because you might be using an inappropriate word here. And I'm like, but that's what the weight of the yarn is called. So, yeah. But, yep. You could call it sock weight.
00:02:39
Speaker
No, because it's not sock weight.
Yarn Categorization and Versatility
00:02:42
Speaker
It is fingering weight. Aren't they the same? Well, okay. So... it's all arbitr It's all arbitrary anyway. Like what we call a worsted versus a medium versus ah an eight ply versus whatever the system is. Eight?
00:03:00
Speaker
Why? Eight? Why? Yard? Yeah. In Australia, they use like ply names is what I've seen. Like even if it's not the number of actual plies, that's just how they categorize it. Like how worsted is actually also a technique in spinning for the type of spinning that you do.
00:03:18
Speaker
but you can have worsted yarn that is not spun in that way. Like it could be a wool and spun, but it's worsted
Benefits and Challenges of Fingering Weight
00:03:24
Speaker
way. Anyway, all those words are confusing, but I don't like saying sock weight because sock yarn to me is a specific type of yarn. It's not a weight of yarn.
00:03:34
Speaker
I can make socks out of a DK weight or out of a worsted weight or out of a lace weight. But I might say like, this is a sock yarn implying that it's something spun with like some sort of reinforcing fiber, like a nylon um or a silk or something like that. um So that's why I don't really use the word sock weight.
00:03:55
Speaker
I see. What about, well, I went through all of that. Well, I guess I just always thought that they were kind of interchangeable because most people make socks with fingering weight. And like, you know, yeah if you ever look at those charts on like Google images, it shows like, ah like the one and then it has like five different names under it.
00:04:16
Speaker
ah But what do you think, yeah, I think most people do go by fingering weight, which obviously easily lends itself to a joke, you know, haha, funny, but fingering weight is also my favorite.
00:04:31
Speaker
um I was literally about to ask you what your favorite is. Yeah, yeah. I love working with fingering weight just because like you get so much extra detail out of a project.
00:04:42
Speaker
And it um you know compared to a worsted weight, you get like a finer textile.
Designing with Yarn Weights
00:04:49
Speaker
And so the the actual fabric itself that you make lays differently. it blocks differently. It just has like a more refined look, I think.
00:04:59
Speaker
I completely agree with that. Like that's actually, I think a huge reason I like to turn to fingering weight yarn is because especially when I crochet, crochet is already a very dense fabric just naturally. But when you crochet with a fingering weight yarn, it immediately lightens up. It's drapier, it's flowier. And you're right about like all that detail. Like when I,
00:05:21
Speaker
see any kind of like crochet design done with fingering weight. I'm always like, wow, they were able to pack so much detail into this small space that they can't do with like a worsted or a bulky weight. um Yeah. Yeah. Like I know that on a previous episode we talked about like, you know, crochet cables just don't really hold a candle to knitted cables, but I will say the closest they come is when you can do crochet cables in a fingering weight versus like a worsted or a bulky. So, you know, wow. Yeah. I will say downside to it, of course, is fingering weight does take a while to work with. Your projects are going to take a bit.
00:05:56
Speaker
But honestly, yeah the because I like working with it so much, it never feels like it takes as long for me as when I'm working a worsted weight project because I'm thinking, well, the worsted is supposed to go faster. Why isn't it going faster?
00:06:11
Speaker
But I guess have the mindset of a fingering weight takes me a while, so I'm okay with it taking me a while and it doesn't feel like I'm pressed for time maybe? I don't know. What do you think about that? i think I think when I'm working on a fingering weight project, I'm kind of aware that it's going to take longer. Like if I was making the same thing um for like the final same, the size to be the same, if I was doing it with worsted weight, yeah, it it's going to go way quicker.
00:06:35
Speaker
But I know going into a fingering weight that it is going to take longer. And I don't know. It's almost like it's a labor of love to like really sit down and work a fingering weight project, even a hat that I just recently made. um It took like two or three weeks because it was fingering weight.
00:06:53
Speaker
And I made another beanie. um It took only like three days, but it was a worsted weight. So like it really, there's a huge difference in time scale.
00:07:05
Speaker
ah But to me, it's worth it because i just, every time I look at something I made that's fingering weight, I'm just amazed. I'm blown away that I made that. Right, and I think I remember you mentioning that, that when you were designing your hats, your first one was a worsted weight one, of course, and you yeah loved it. You thought it was so cool and all that stuff. But then when you made your fingering weight one, you were like, God, the worsted weight one is garbage. Like the fingering weight just yeah looks so much better, much more polished, more refined.
00:07:35
Speaker
Let's not use the word garbage because the worsted weight hat still is. Okay, fine. Okay, you're sorry. I didn't mean to call your worsted weight hat design garbage.
00:07:45
Speaker
no i know. Okay, you know, maybe not. It's like, yes. No, it's okay. We can say the same thing about like my worsted weight sweaters versus my fingering weight sweaters. My worsted weight ones are fine. But my fingering weight ones are just a lot more elevated, but they did take like three to four months to make one sweater. So versus, you know, one month or a that month and a half for like a worst-dewweight one. So, but the detail, you're right, like on the fingering weight ones are much better. Yeah. And
Exploring Favorite Yarn Fibers
00:08:15
Speaker
didn't just finish like the MCAL, like the, that shawl, what is it called? What the heck is that shawl called? MCAL, yeah. The Mystery Musical. The Musical. the music yeah
00:08:26
Speaker
Yes, that one. you You did that in a fingering weight, right? Wasn't that what it is? ye Yeah. all his All Stephen West's stuff is fingering weight. ah Well, I guess he probably has other stuff, but I think his shawls are mostly fingering weight.
00:08:40
Speaker
um But to comment on the hat thing. Steven West is a huge fan of fingering weight. Okay. He is. ah um But to circle back to the hat thing real quick. um Yes, i I did start with the worsted weight because I was like, you know, pattern designing, trying to get through it kind of quick.
00:08:58
Speaker
Um, and, uh, when I eventually switched to the fingering weight, like I just don't wear the worsted weight hats anymore because the fingering weight fabric just feels so much nicer. But like when I only had the worsted weight, I was like, these are amazing. I love these. And I still do really like them. I just don't like how they like now that I have the fingering weight, I,
00:09:23
Speaker
I don't know. The worsted weight just doesn't seem as like like I would prefer the fingering weight. um But I do think that the worsted weight is still like a really good, you know, especially for beginners. Like I think most people probably start out with worsted weight.
00:09:39
Speaker
So I think it's really good to, um you know, start with worsted weight. But once you cross that line into fingering weight, it's all it's over for you. Like you're never going to want to go back to higher weight.
Transition from Acrylic to Natural Fibers
00:09:54
Speaker
I mean, that is that was very true for me. I mean, like I will say like I definitely used worsted weight when I began. like That's, I think, what most people do. It is easier to handle. It's thick. It's you know quick to work up. It's very satisfying. But it's also not like as thick as like a bulky or a super bulky, so it's not too unwieldy. There's a reason it's yeah four. It's four out of a scale of seven. It's right in the middle. It's medium. It's it's like it's a good workhorse yarn weight. yes But I think, yeah, once you've gone into like you've done fiber arts for a while and you start exploring more yarn weights, I think you do start kind of gravitating more towards like depending on what types of projects you work on. I know that I gravitated more towards the fingering side because I wanted lighter fabrics.
00:10:42
Speaker
with crochet. um i even have a lace weight yarn that I'm curious to see what it turns out like. um But I'm a little scared because I'm like, I don't know if it's going to be enough.
00:10:54
Speaker
But it's like, yeah, 3000 yards worth. But it's lace weight. So it's tiny. So like, how far is that actually gonna get? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. so I mean, so as far as weight goes, I think we're pretty clear you and I both love a good fingering.
00:11:12
Speaker
weight. Okay. Yes, that is true. So some other attributes of yarn, um you know, we were just talking about worsted weight, how that's like super good for beginners. I think it's the same story when you shift to looking at fiber content and that Most people probably start out with acrylic. Everyone's walking down the Michael's aisle or like, ah rest in peace to Joanne. oh You know, everyone starts out there.
00:11:43
Speaker
You start out there and you feel these yarns and they're so soft and, you know, like those baby blanket kinds of yarns, that kind of acrylic. um yeah And then I think the more you get into fiber arts, the more you're like, oh, let me try this wool. Like this yarn is really nice. They don't make yarn like this in acrylic, like this hand dyed, you know, artisanal yarn.
00:12:08
Speaker
And so once you switch over to natural fibers like wool or cotton or any other natural fiber, I feel like that's also ah a great way to level up your fiber arts game.
00:12:22
Speaker
That's actually really hilarious that you immediately switched into fiber because as soon as I was like, well, I think we've established our favorite weight. I was going to be like, let me ask now, what is your favorite fiber to work with? So clearly our minds are like on that same wavelength because I was like, oh my God, now that we've talked about weight, let's talk about fiber. Okay. Yes. But you're right. Okay. So I think you're right. Like all of us start down that Michael's aisle. For me, it was Hobby Lobby. um That was just my grandmother and I loved going. i know, I know. Shocker. But it had good yarn. It had soft yarn. And that was what was accessible. And I always got gift cards for my grandma to go there because she also loved Hobby Lobby. yes There was an El Chico's right next to there and a little bookstore. And so it was like, oh man. I had a day. Go to El Chico, go shop for some books and go get some yarn.
00:13:15
Speaker
Peace. But I will say that when I went to a hand-dyed yarn shop, and like a local one that had opened up like fairly recently, um it was my first encounter with actually working with any kind of natural fibers. like I felt the wool and was like,
00:13:35
Speaker
this is wool? But like, I've always heard wool was really scratchy and itchy and hard to take care of. and they're like, no, no, no, this is super wash wool. This is real fancy wool. This is soft wool. This is merino. This is like hot. I was like, yeah oh, it like new level unlocked. So yeah. Yeah, it really is. What? It really is.
00:13:54
Speaker
Yeah, okay what I do want to ask you then, I've obviously like probably made it obvious which one's my favorite fiber. But before I reveal mine fully, what is your favorite fiber to work with in yarn? You're literally over there obsessing over wool and you're like, I don't know if anyone can guess. I'm pretty sure it's wool.
00:14:14
Speaker
I'm such a mystery, such a closed book. But I've got to go into specifics about the wool I like to work with. So that is going to get that. There's still some stuff to reveal. oh Okay, okay, great. Well, i I like different fibers for different things. um i Over the summer, I was like totally, completely obsessed with cotton yarn, and I still am obsessed with cotton yarn just because it is like so smooth. and I know a lot of people have problems with tension in cotton yarn because it doesn't have much elasticity or give.
00:14:49
Speaker
but I have super loose tension for both knitting and crochet. I'm a little bit loose, I guess, but... Um... but a Okay, okay. I see how this is, yeah. ah So I... I don't actually mind that cotton is, like, tighter, because I kind of need that. I need the tightening.
00:15:15
Speaker
So I don't have any problem working with Cotton Yard. But I don't know it's my favorite. I do really like wool, like superwash wool, like a 75% superwash merino with 25% nylon is like, that's probably like my go-to.
00:15:32
Speaker
Okay. Well, that is good to know because I am the opposite of that. I have a very tight tension. Yes, do. But I will say, yes, I'm way tight. um We discovered that. Which is actually like sometimes with the gauge in my patterns, I'm always like, girl, you're going to have go down a few hook sizes to match me. And I'm already using small hooks and fingering weight yarn. So have fun with that. um But um I didn't have any trouble working with cotton. I was actually very scared to work with cotton because of all the things I had heard about it being like, there is no give, like what you said, there's no elasticity. There's, you know, especially if you are a tight crocheter or knitter, it might, you might struggle. It might hurt your hands. i'm like, Oh God. Yeah.
00:16:18
Speaker
But i created one, caught like a couple of cotton things. I was like, this isn't too bad. And then over the summer, same like with you, when I worked with um cotton to make the tank tops, the cotton to make the shorts, the cotton to make your hat.
00:16:35
Speaker
yeah I started working with like these Lion Brand cotton cones. I was just like, these cotton cones are so nice. like They're smooth. Like you said, they're so smooth. And I have several of them on my Christmas wish list that I'm hoping people will buy me because I'm like, I just want a bunch of them that I can just be like, and they're they're they're fingering weight too. So they're my favorite weight and they happen to be cotton. Yes. But just like you, i will say I loved working with it, but I would say it's still number two because I also really love a superwash Merino.
00:17:06
Speaker
I specifically love superwash merino blended with silk. Like if I'm going to have the ultimate favorite experience, that is going to be mine. I love a silk blend. i don't I don't really like working with pure silk.
00:17:20
Speaker
It's too slippery. It has no structure to it. So I'm like, ugh, this is going to be too sloppy. But a good just like merino and silk, oh, that's just heaven. And I love that you mentioned the nylon mixed in with it.
00:17:35
Speaker
Me, I like mine. do you? Okay. So like, I'm sorry. I don't know where I was going with that one, but you, but I also don't mind like a pure 100%. Okay. So now I remember I'm back on track. i'm back on track. I love a pure Merino. um But if it's going to be blended with anything, I much prefer it blended with natural fibers. So like alpaca, silk, ah camel, yak,
00:18:02
Speaker
plant fiber and things like that. I'm not really big fan of it. Oh, girl. Yes. Yak. Let me just... I i just got this is um no amazing yarn.
00:18:13
Speaker
This yarn is from ky and l fibers This is hold on Hold Wait. wait you're not even ready. um This is merino,
00:18:25
Speaker
twenty percent silk and twenty percent yak And it's this color. So hello. I had to buy it. I imagine it feels beautiful. And it's for those of you who are listening to the audio.
00:18:39
Speaker
oh Andrew's eyes are rolling back into his head as he's stroking it against his face. um It's just and it is very rich chocolate brown. And it is. suit Yeah, it looked it looks like it is very soft. Oh, yeah. Show that close up. Oh, yeah. Yeah. My mouth is watering just looking at that yarn. Yeah.
00:18:58
Speaker
This did cost a pretty penny. It was $38 per skein. So, I mean, much more than the average price point, but totally worth it.
00:19:08
Speaker
Plus, I actually got this at the SoCal Fiber Fair. So i um oh I got to meet the the vendors also, and they were super
Financial Aspects of Yarn Purchasing
00:19:17
Speaker
nice. um I told them that I was like gushing over this shade of brown because like nobody makes this deep of brown. like It was so hard to find a brown like this. So anyway, I was just like, also, I mean, on the one hand, I was like, oh, wow, like silk and yak. This is really nice yarn. And then I was like, oh, damn, it's really nice yarn. So it's going to be expensive. oh, I mean, that's kind of the downside.
00:19:49
Speaker
Yeah, I will say that like, I think the fibers that we tend to gravitate towards and the weights that we tend to gravitate towards and the fact that we tend to like, I know that me, I like a lot of hand dyed yarn. I will go commercial as well, but I'm like, I know hand dyers and there are local hand dyers. I go to the fiber festival and there's local hand dyers there. Yeah.
00:20:11
Speaker
It really is like just it does rack up. It does get expensive to buy a sweater's quantity worth of any kind of yarn like that. Like that $38 on our bodies. Like, I mean, like we're yeah I'm not saying like we're we're big people, but like we're not small. Like I wear a size large, so I need a good amount of yarn to like cover this body. um and And so it gets pretty expensive. Yeah.
00:20:37
Speaker
Well, I am large and proud because i you know, I am large because I've put in work to get large. So um I also... um That's true. sweater is going to be... Yes.
00:20:52
Speaker
um But that sweater... So I got a sweater's quantity of this. i had to get five of these plus three other skeins of different colors. um So you can... And one of them also, like this one,
00:21:05
Speaker
This one is wool and silk. So this one was also expensive. And I'm like, no well, I was going to say, when you're already at the point of like getting a sweater's quantity of yarn, it's going to be expensive no matter what kind of yarn you're getting. So it's just like the name of the game, I think.
00:21:23
Speaker
That's true. um Because like, even when I try to go for more like cheaper commercial yarn, if I do need a sweater's quantity worth of it, usually they don't always have that amount in the store. um So I have to like have them order it anyway, but then also I'm like, it does rack up. It does. Cause I mean, even if it's a $10 skein and I need like 10 of those, that's a hundred dollars that I'm spending to make a sweater for Granted, it is not the same as when it's a $30 skein and I need 10 of those. Then that's $300. It's literally three times the price.
00:21:57
Speaker
But in either case, I'm like, well, $100, $300. I'm still spending a lot of money to get enough yarn to make this project for myself.
Affordability of Hand-Dyed Acrylic Yarn
00:22:05
Speaker
So I think sometimes like,
00:22:08
Speaker
Yarn can sometimes be like very cost prohibitive for people. So I know that we obviously talk about like our favorite is working with like the natural fibers, the fancy fibers, all that stuff. And we're like, we all started with acrylic and like, you know, we've grown beyond that. But I will say,
00:22:25
Speaker
Acrylic is still a great option to get access to yarn just because acrylic is always just going to be the least expensive. um It can be mass produced for a very low cost. And yeah actually, okay. So I have a quick little story. When I went to the DFW fiber festival,
00:22:43
Speaker
I didn't buy very much this year. I just, I didn't have, my budget wasn't as big this year as it was last year, but I was still able to buy some things. um But one of the booths that I saw was called, um I looked it up earlier because i wanted to be prepared. It was called Yarn for the Masses.
00:22:59
Speaker
um And it's a yarn dyer out of Colorado and she dyes specifically acrylic yarn. And it's called Yarn For The Masses because she's like, I want, yeah. So she like offers, I didn't get to buy any of it because like I said, it was, I was looking for other yarns that I needed. um yeah But it was hand dyed acrylic yarn. And I think the most expensive one was a $17 skein, hand dyed yarn. And I think that was the goal of it was she was like, I want to offer the hand dyed experience for makers who are on a budget. And I was just like, ah that is such, I think a good like approach because I know a lot of people like I'm even guilty of this too, are yarn snobs when it comes to acrylic, but there are nice acrylics out there. There are soft acrylics. There are, yeah you know, yeah it' high quality premium acrylics. And now we know there are hand dyed acrylics. So like, wow you can get kind of that like quote unquote luxury yarn experience without needing to break the bank.
00:23:59
Speaker
So, yeah. Wow, that is really interesting. I didn't actually know that people did hand-dyed acrylic. ah But you're right about acrylic. ah Any of those, like, baby yarns, you know, like, um anything to make a baby blanket or sweater or whatever with, those are, like, all acrylic blends of some kind, and they're really, really soft.
00:24:21
Speaker
Have you ever had that... um Yeah. Seen that, like, velvet yarn? It's like... um It's like a jumbo yarn, but it's like thin and like, it's not like the blanket yarn. It's like a thinner jumbo yarn, but it's like velvet. That's like the name of It's really know you're talking about.
00:24:41
Speaker
Yes, I know what you're talking about. And I think I've probably stroked and fondled it in the yarn aisle at some point. But if it's jumbo yarn, I'm not going to get it. It's too thick for me. I can't handle that. Yeah, it is. um I mean, it is thick.
00:24:56
Speaker
Yeah. I need it to be are now a little thinner for me handle it. Well, yeah. yeah I mean, but no, I do know that yarn. Yeah. And well, and that's a great thing that you bring up about like the baby stuff. Like,
00:25:15
Speaker
Wool is not going to be a... It can hold up, but it's like there are people with allergies to wool and yeah people with allergies even to like cotton and mohair and
Personal Choices in Yarn Selection
00:25:26
Speaker
like all of that stuff. So I know that like for some people are like, it's a matter of, well, I would love to work with it, but I can't. um So things like acrylic, nylon, are like synthetic fibers are all hypoallergenic. They are all...
00:25:38
Speaker
Like, you know, everybody can use them. They're hard wearing, they can go in the washing machine and the dryer and they'll hold up. It's like, it's, you know, there are pros and cons to all the different ones. I will say, I love my wool and silk stuff, but sometimes it's kind of high maintenance to have to like hand wash it anytime I need to wash it. So yeah. Yes, I agree.
00:25:57
Speaker
Well, you know, like you said earlier about acrylic, like they, they do have a lower price point. And I remember when I first joined my knitting group, I didn't know anything about, uh, wool fibers and that was like I guess four years ago almost at this point and I was just I was still going to Michael's and Joann's and getting just like whatever yarn I thought looked nice I didn't care about fiber content I didn't even know like to look for those things ah Because every time I had gone into like a ah local yarn shop, I was like, these yarns are so expensive. I could get the same thing at Michael's, but not knowing that it's not the same thing, you know?
00:26:37
Speaker
So I think just as you learn more, you kind of like understand and, you know, the guys in the group, they told me, you know, once you make that switch, you're you're not going to go back. And they were totally right.
00:26:50
Speaker
Um, but if you are on a budget, acrylic is totally fine and acceptable. And I mean, we can be yarn snobs all we want, like with each other, but I would never like shame someone for using acrylic. It's just not my personal preference, you know?
00:27:06
Speaker
No, exactly. and And I think that that's what it comes down to is that it's like yarn is a personal experience.
Techniques and Experiences with Wool
00:27:13
Speaker
Just like when you paint, you can do like oil, watercolor, acrylic paint. That's like true. I don't know all the paints, but I know that there's a lot of different types and each one has its strengths and weaknesses. for like yeah And there's like different materials you can work on, like the different types of canvas and all that stuff. But I'm just saying like yeah like any kind of art, it really just comes down to what is the purpose of what you're making? um I know that for my mom, she has these fingering weight socks, like these patent croix, like sock things that are like these juicy fruit looking colors because they're cool and she can get like a lot of them on her budget and she loves working with them. But that's because like she can't really work with 100% pure wool. She has to use things like cotton and acrylic and things like that because of just... her own sensitivities in the way she did. She doesn't like the way even superwash wool does not feel good to her. So she has to use those wool, like, or those like wool free things.
00:28:09
Speaker
But they what she makes is cute. She's like, she's making a cute little like cardigan. As she says, I've not made a single cardigan that fits me, but I still love making them. Oh, man. So she does that. She's made bags. She's made things for like, yeah, my niece and nephew. Like she makes all these cute little things. And it's like and her yarn is perfect for it. Like she's able to capture all that in her work. Whereas for me, I'm looking like I'm making something more raw, like, you know, elevated or refined or whatever. I'm like, well, I want to go with a late. nonmin I want to go with like with the silk in it.
00:28:42
Speaker
But even now, like this yarn that I'm using here, this is Barocco, like Lana's Light. It's just 100% pure on what's it called um non-superwash wool it is rustic like to say the least it is a rough wool um yeah but the goal of it is that i want to create something that's like hard wearing stretchy and everything like that i want it to have that rustic feel i don't want it to be silky and soft i wanted to have some structure to it so but still be really lightweight so you know
00:29:17
Speaker
Even I like will gravitate towards other fibers if I'm like, no, a silk wool blend will not be appropriate for this type of project. so Well, it's OK, because I'm actually really glad that you brought up non-superwash yarn, because I was going to ask you about that. Because I've worked with non-superwash yarn before, too.
00:29:35
Speaker
And I would say, for the most part, I still prefer the superwash. But a huge plus of using non-superwash is that you can spit splice. which is where you take two ends of yarn and you like fray them a little bit. all And the goal is to join the two yarns together.
00:29:54
Speaker
And since it's a non-superwash yarn, what you can do is just fray the two ends, spit into your hand. I know it sounds gross. Or you could also use water. And then you just make a fire with your hands and voila, they are joined together.
00:30:07
Speaker
and you don't need a knot. The only thing is that it'll be a little bit thicker right at that split, ah that splice. um But it's a great way to join yarn and a huge plus of using the non-superwash.
00:30:22
Speaker
This is all interesting. um You're citing the deep magics to me. um i was there when they were written. i have been spit splicing for years and years. Well, you are older, so that makes So when you...
00:30:37
Speaker
but Girl, with age comes wisdom. So, you know, mean, literally everything
Reflections and Learning in Yarn Journey
00:30:45
Speaker
was saying. Much more experience. so ah Okay. Okay. I see. I see that the library is open here. Okay. All right. You know what? i'm I'm going to be the bigger person.
00:31:01
Speaker
um i'm Granted, I'm not bulking like you, so not that much bigger, but I'm going to be the bigger person and move past the insults and say, yes, I do love a good spit splice. I've actually been able to spit splice superwash wool before. Really? Wow. So one of the key things. Okay. Yeah, I know. So the only way I was able to do it really was because I was using singles. So singles with just like that single ply, it's like a little bit rougher. Like there's a little bit more like tendrils to the fibers. So even though like the heat and the moisture wasn't like, you know, doing the same thing as if it was a non-superwash wool,
00:31:40
Speaker
the fibers still got entangled enough that once they were then worked into my work, you, they didn't come apart. Like I, would always do that. Plus also, I always like to indicate that I was like, I drink enough coffee that my acidic goblin breath could spit splice barbed wire. So, yeah Yeah.
00:32:00
Speaker
So I was like, you know what? I could split splice anything, but yes, I will say, oh, do you want to know? Okay. So a way to deal with that thickened part, because you mentioned that it can sometimes be a little yeah thick in that part where you splice. What you do is you unravel the end of the yarn to like unravel all the plies, or if it's a single ply, like the ones I would use, you would just like unravel all those fibers and snip out about half of them on one end and half of them on the other one. then you join them in an overlap.
00:32:31
Speaker
And then when you do your little fire with spit, yeah, it like matches up and then you don't lose that continuity. Wow, that is a pro tip right there. Yeah, well, you do have all of that. Yeah, that was a long experience to many, many more years than me. So...
00:32:55
Speaker
It's true. It's true. I own it. I own these wrinkles. Yes. Oh God. I have spat in my hand so many
Conclusion and Listener Engagement
00:33:04
Speaker
times. And I know like when I do did it in public, it was always like I'm self-conscious and I'm like, be yeah, I would like spit splice in the middle of a Starbucks.
00:33:12
Speaker
But I would always make sure to like, for show, I would put on hand sanitizer after, even though I'm like, I don't do this at home. I actually don't hand sanitize after. I'm like, it's my own spit. The wool is antimicrobial. It's fine. It's all going to get washed in the end. I'm like, my my hook is dirtier than my spit is. so Yeah, 100%. 100%.
00:33:35
Speaker
Well, yes this has been such a great combo about yarn. um I actually learned a few things here and there. um it's about time for us to wrap it up for this episode. So I hope you guys all really enjoyed hearing about yarn. We would love to hear from you in the comments. Like what kind of yarn weight do you guys use? What kind of fibers do you like?
00:33:56
Speaker
And ah are there any fibers that you want to try? Definitely let us know. Yeah, exactly. And we do appreciate you all giving us all the support by watching and following along with us. So definitely make sure you give our episode here a like. And if you can, make sure you go ahead and subscribe and hit any kind of like bell notifications. So that way, you know, the next time we have a new episode. In the meantime, we hope you have a fantastic day. And ah yeah, till next time. byee Bye. Bye.
00:34:30
Speaker
Bye.