Question for Knitters

[neadods]

Has anyone worked with Mission Falls cotton? It's on sale at yarn.com at the moment for a price that makes an afghan a possibility, but I don't want to buy tons and find out that it's a pup to work with, a la the Rowan Tweed. (By the way, I haven't forgotten that some of y'all have expressed an interest. I'm going to be up at the Book Thing next weekend and then seeing what's left and who wants it.)

Comments

[fabricdragon.livejournal.com]

sadly no i havent. have you checked around on ravelry yet?

[neadods.livejournal.com]

I fail at communicating on Ravelry, usually. Mostly just lurk.

[fyrdrakken]

Find the page for the yarn in question, check out projects people have made with it, and keep an eye out for comments in the project blurbs about loving or hating the yarn. (Here are all the types of yarn Mission Falls offers - I note they're all marked as discontinued, but you can still go to the appropriate yarn and see the projects.)

ETA: Whoops, disregard -- I hadn't read down the page to see you've already been given this suggestion and a relevant link.

[faireraven.livejournal.com]

Sorry I can't give you any info, don't know anything about it...

[anon-aspasia.livejournal.com]

The 1824 Cotton? Oddly, I'm working on an afghan with it right now! (I'm making my own take on the Moderne Log Cabin from Mason-Dixon Knitting, which is perfect brainless end-of-semester/beginning-of-break work.)

I haven't washed it yet, but it's working up pretty well, imho. I like the hand on it, and it's a little less tiring than some cottons to work with. (It still is cotton, though, so it does lack the stretch of wool and is a little more work to knit.) In general, though? As long as you're not trying to use too small a needle, I would think that you'll be fine. (The irregularity combined with the lack of stretch would make it a right bastard at an overly small gauge, but you probably wouldn't want such a thing for an afghan, unless you wanted said afghan to be bulletproof.)

Also, if you go into the Ravelry yarn section and search for the yarn, you'll see a lot of examples of different colors and project types; it might help you in making your decisions, with no communication required. Here's the yarn's page: http://www.ravelry.com/yarns/library/mission-falls-1824-cotton

[neadods.livejournal.com]

What I want is to either make another mitered crosses or a log cabin; one requires k2t and both require pick up and knit - as long as neither of them requires a winch and other heavy machinery it'll be okay. (Although if it's springy enough for a center double decrease I'll be delighted. But it doesn't look like a yarn that would tolerate that well.)

Either way, #7 (US) needles, so not too small.

[anon-aspasia.livejournal.com]

Tension varies, of course, but I wouldn't use 7s with this. 8 would be the minimum I'd try, personally. A center double decrease *might* be possible, but I wouldn't count on it; K2t might be a bit twitchy if you're knitting too tightly, but fine otherwise. And I know that picking up stitches is definitely no problem, as I've been doing it repeatedly. (Yay log cabins!)

[neadods.livejournal.com]

I'm thinking of a log cabin after the mitered cross. It's so lovely to have something on needles... although I'd really like to do a scrap yarn triangles one too. (Basically, I want to knit all the quilts that I once wanted to sew.)

[fourzoas.livejournal.com]

I've got a sweater UFO in 1824 Cotton. I like it well enough; the texture took some getting used to, but it has a nice feel to it and knits up well.

[neadods.livejournal.com]

How's the k2t and pick up and knit? (I'm assuming center double decrease is too much to ask for out of anything that isn't mercerized.)

[fourzoas.livejournal.com]

I honestly don't remember--it's been that long. I'll see if I can pull the project out tomorrow and test drive those decreases--I'm making a top down raglan, and the decreases were done ages (like years) ago.

[redpanda13.livejournal.com]

Can't help you on the yarn, but I have some bags and boxes for Book Thing if I could drop them off when convenient for you. Thanks once again for transporting them.

[neadods.livejournal.com]

NOT NOW! Ordinarily I'd be happy to, but right now the entire contents of my library are up to my ears in the living room. Literally for some stacks. It's sorting through that lot that's going to give me the next Book Thing load, and probably the load or two after that.

When I'm not swimming in my own surplus, I'll be happy to take yours up.

[redpanda13.livejournal.com]

Okay, fair enough. Any chance I'd find anything good in your discards, then? (as if I need any more.)

[neadods.livejournal.com]

Quite likely you would; my goal is to cut down by half. Wouldn't mind the company to keep me on track next week as I cull, either.

[neotoma.livejournal.com]

I did my one and only intarsia project in Mission Falls Cotton, back when I was starting out.

As I recall, it was pretty nice to work with -- thick and thin, but not prone to splitting to an unbearable degree, iirc.

[neadods.livejournal.com]

Good to know!

[swallowedbysky.livejournal.com]

I'm a big fan of Mission Falls cotton. I haven't worked with Rowan Tweed and can't comment on a direct comparison, but it's easier on the hands than a lot of the cottons I've worked with. Generally speaking, I find 100% cottons hard to work with for long periods of time 'cuz of hand cramping but when blended with bamboo, rayon, or even acrylic, it gets easier to manipulate. (In the affordable cotton-blend category, I'd recommend KnitPicks Shine.)

Going up a needle size often helps with the hurts-my-hands thing I get with cotton, so if you like the fabric you're getting with a larger needle, it may help.

Your best bet might be be to see if you can find a ball at one of your local yarn shops and swatch with it. You probably won't get the same dyelot as a Webs order, but for a mitred afghan, dyelot's not a huge deal.

[neadods.livejournal.com]

If it's easyer on the hands than most cotton, it's way ahead of summer tweed because that stuff was so stiff it *squeaked* when I tried to knit it on wood. The colors are stunning, but wow! Like trying to knit with twine.

I've got a skein of Knitpicks Crayon running around somewhere; I wonder if that would have a similar hand to it.