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?

[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

[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.

[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.

[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.

[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.