If I weren’t about to embark on a delightful overseas jaunt, I’d be shelling out big time at the brand new Tactile Fiber Arts Store. I will confess to buying a skein of their gorgeous Merino-Tencel Fingering last week, I’m hoping it arrives before we leave next week so I can cast it on during one of our flights.

That said, if I had that mythical million dollars, I’d buy myself some Merino Tencel Roving in Thunderstorm:

And then some beautiful BFL roving in Kelp:

Shockingly, in all my years of spinning and fibre arts, I’ve never spun BFL. I think it’s about time I remedied that situation.

All images property of Tactile Fibre Arts, used with permission.

To be honest, I don’t find cabling with a needle too cumbersome, I tend to use a DPN or a circular needle tip (without the cord) instead of an actual cable needle, but I don’t really find that it slows me down.

That said, when I’m doing a lot of cables, such as recently while making my Mr Greenjeans, I’m glad to know this technique for when I’m on the road and don’t have access to a spare needle.

Don’t be alarmed, this video doesn’t have any sound, but it’s a good representation of how to work the technique.

Three skeins out of five (but only because it’s not really all that necessary).

If I had endless reserves of cash, I’d buy up big at sKNITches.

I recently indulged in a few of skeins of Syncopation when they arrived at TLE. Three skeins, in fact, and I’m glad I did.

I bought Loopy’s Red Socks, a TLE exclusive:

Planetary:

Wildest Strawberry:

The best news, though? The sKNITches Cinema Sock Club has reopened for membership. I signed up quick sticks.

When I knit socks toe up, I use a sewn bind off, but that’s a bit clunky for shawls and wraps, I never seem to be able to estimate how much yarn I will use and end up cutting it too short of too long.

My favourite bind off for larger items that need a stretchy, loose bind off is the Russian Bind Off, illustrated below.

It’s stretchy, loose, easy to remember and execute.

Highly recommended.

Five skeins out of five

Some of our patterns are going to be rereleased on this site, and two new ones are coming soon.

Soaps in Socks

Ralph

Zara

Popcorn

Necking

I just finished organising a group order over on the Aus Knitters Board on Ravelry and if I had a million dollars to spend getting my yarn on, I’d be ordering the following:

Apple Blossom in merino 2/6 (two skeins, to weave a scarf),

Flirt in merino 2/6 to make some gorgous socks (the electric blue slays me) for myself, and

Foliage in BFL sock to make my ma’s Christmas socks.

What would you buy if you had a spare million?

Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m a sucker for indie sock yarns, I CAN NOT GET ENOUGH of them. I actually have around two hundred pairs of socks in waiting (ie. skeins of sock yarn) sitting in my not-stash, being regularly fondled, but there’s definitely a place for the commercials.

I’m unashamed to admit that I have a whole 55l plastic crate dedicated to commercials, from our beloved Patonyle to Online Supersocke, Opal and plenty of Regia.

The Regia Color 4-Ply is a thin fingering, I got 17 wraps per inch, compared (again) with 16 for STR Lightweight and Shibui Knits Sock, 13 for STR Silkie.

The Low Down:

The Swatch:

Using 2.25mm / US size 1needles, I achieved 10 stitches and 13 rows to the inch.

The Knitting:

It’s not the softest to the hand, but it’s comfortable to knit with. Stitch definition is wonderful.

The First Wash:

Yarn didn’t obviously soften or change in any way. Stitch definition is still excellent.

The Wearing:

Absolutely no complaints, after several hand washings and wearing in shoes, there is no noticable wear.

The Price:

I can’t argue with the price. I have sock yarns that have cost me in excess of $30 for a pair’s worth but you can generally pick up Regia yarns for around the $10 a skein mark, cheaper if you catch them on sale.

The Conclusion:

This is a solid, no frills yarn. It may not have the prestige or flat-out yumminess of some other yarns out there, but it’s good value.

Highly recommended for patterns where too much exciting colour will obscure the lace or for gift socks where you’re not sure the recipient will hand-wash, great for use with a CSM.

Four skeins out of five.

STR Silkie, available from Blue Moon Fibre Arts, is a 3 ply, fingering weight yarn, with one of the threads made up of a blend of superwash merino and bombyx silk.

It’s not a huge amount of silk. Let’s be honest, at 19% it doesn’t have the same luxurious cachet as a high percentage silk yarn, but it’s surprisingly soft and delicious. The silk takes dye differently to the superwash only plies, it’s far less saturated, giving a nice heathered effect that I believe goes a long way towards counteracting the horrid pooling that STR is known for.

I purchased my skein in Jade, which has a few shades but is a more tonal colourway than most of the STR stable, which will also help with pooling. My pattern, Zara, made up of a broken rib, also helped to break up the colour runs.

I wear a size 7 shoe and like my socks with a short cuff and had 42g / 1.5oz left over from my pair, which is more than enough for a child’s pair. The yardage, at 329m / 360yd, is a little on the short side, but the yarn is thicker than most fingering yarns in my stash, I got 13 wpi for the silkie, making it closer to a sport weight, compared to 16 for the STR Lighweight and ShiBui Sock and 17 for Regia Color 4ply.

The Low Down:

The Swatch:

On 2.25mm, US size 1 needles, I got a comfortable 9 stitches and 13 rows to the inch.

The Knitting:

People have reported splitting issues and irritations with this yarn. I knit these magic loop on a single knit picks circular needle and I didn’t have any trouble at all, it was actually a pleasure to knit with, soft on the hands and easy on the needles.

The First Wash:

Upon washing (hand washed in cold water with a wool wash and dried flat out of the sun) the yarn immediately bloomed and took on a very slight halo. It doesn’t negate from the look of the socks at all.

The Wearing:

They’ve worn really well, with very little pilling, fading, shrinking or stretching.

Reports on Ravelry indicate that the fabric has a tendancy to shrink and full, but with gentle washing and, admittedly, gentle wearing, I haven’t had any problems in the weeks since they were completed.

The Price:

At $24 for a 100g / 3.5oz skein, it’s at the upper end of the mass-produced indie sock yarns (is that a juxtaposition or what?) and I probably wouldn’t have bought it if I hadn’t been involved in a group order over on the Aus Knitters group on Ravelry.

However, once I started knitting with it, and even more so once I saw and wore the finish product, I really think that this one is well and truely worth the money.

The Conclusion:

I pulled out a few other hand knit socks while I was researching this review, including the same pattern in a few yarns and it has just further convinced me that this yarn is worth spending my money on.

It’s soft, easy to knit, the colour is gorgeous and it’s a nice treat to knit something as commonplace as socks with a beautiful yarn that has a touch of silk in.

Four and a half skeins out of five.