Shokay Shambala in Alpine.

This past weekend I worked pretty diligently on my first pattern for Shokay. These first 2 projects are intended to debut at the TNNA fashion show in June which in and of itself is thrilling.

Now I promised I’d share my thoughts and I have tons to say about this yarn. When it first arrived and I got to handle it I had several impressions. The yarn has a flattened look in some places as opposed to looking plump all over. As I wound it on my ball winder this decreased somewhat and I’m wondering if it wasn’t a little “tired” from it’s trip.

The yarn is put up in 164 yard hanks and the label gauge says 4-4.5 sts per inch on size US9. I usually always go down a size so I did so here and the gauge was right on. As I knitted it up the flatness dissappeared and the stitch definition was lovely I read that splitting might be a problem, but I didn’t find it to be a big problem. I split only a few stitches and then it was only when I broke my rhythm. I was working with my Knitpicks Otions which do have well-defined points so I suppose using bamboo would nulify the problem somewhat. The yarn was definitely soft and comparable to cashmere but it also reminded me something of a cotton. What I mean by that is that it is a very clean, smooth yarn. Unlike alpaca which is a bit furry this has no fibers sticking out or creating a halo. In that aspect it is very much like a cotton. It does not seem to have the weight of a cotton or the heavy drape of an alpaca. It is not “sproingy” like merino, but it does have a similar crimp when you look at the yarn closely. I am anxious to see how the finished item will behave. The softness which I only briefly touched upon is really nice. It is comparable to cashmere in softness, really.
I will also say that I am EXTREMELY sensitive where itch-factor is concerned. I have been known to itch with alpaca which I adore, angora can bug me if I’m not careful and I have been known to avoid wool entirely. Sometimes merino can even be scratchy. So far I detect no itchiness here. I haven’t worn a swatch for a long period of time against my neck, wrists or waist, but from what I can judge by touch it doesn’t seem to itch.The feel of the yarn once it is knitted reminds me so much of a beloved t-shirt that has been washed until it is on it’s last leg. I still need to thouroughly check out the washability of this yarn. The label says dry clean only, but I know it can be wet blocked. I am going to hand wash it thoroughly (with glycerin, of course) and see what I find out. I also plan to test it out for machine washability. Supposedly buffalo yarn is washable and I’m not entirely convinced that isn’t the case with this. We’ll see. I know I have only given a basic overview but as I get better acquainted with the yarn, I’ll have more for you. 

TELL ME A FUNNY…

“My first attempt at a sweater went horribly awry. I did my math wrong and made the neck much too small, when i was blocking the the front and back, i decided to try it on. i noticed it was a little hard to get it over my head. when i was ready to block the rest i could not get the sweater back over my head!!!! after much struggle and help from my mom, i had to frog the entire sweater, AS I AM WEARING IT! it took hours and hours to spin around and untangle myself. i’d show you the pictures, but i am much too embarassed. good thing it was cheap yarn. i keep it in a shoebox to remind me to ALWAYS DOUBLE CHECK YOU KNIT-MATH!!”

Courtesy of Manni @ http://knitting-penguin.journalspace.com