I put together Simply Knitting's Ideas pages each issue, which means finding lots of news stories - not just new products but events, new fibres, charity fundraisers and so on. Sifting through news stories online really makes me aware of all the things knitting can mean – and how often it's used as a shorthand for 'a waste of time', 'nothing'. All too often people in news stories contrast what they're doing with knitting, as though 'knitting' is somehow the opposite of 'doing', and if you're a knitter, you can't possibly have an interesting and varied life. For some reason, this makes me think of all those dreadful tampon adverts, where a feminine hygiene product enables its users to cycle, disco dance and roller skate. Knitting is diametrically opposed to tampons! Ah, now things are getting silly...
Anyway, knitting is all about doing, and when you're a knitter you find yourself creating things at times when other people aren't doing much at all. Waiting for a train, taking a bus journey, watching telly, even standing in a long and tedious queue – I've knitted during all those things, and you probably have too. Knitters are probably the least time-wasting people on the planet, and we've got a huge stack of jumpers and scarves to prove it!
Knitting is many things: it can be thrifty or extravagant, charitable or selfish, comfortingly familiar or challenging and new. However you knit, though, it is definitely active.
Tuesday April 07, 2009 Knitting is not doing nothing!
Sirdar Snuggly Baby Bamboo DK
One of several smooth, multistranded DK yarns from Sirdar, Snuggly Baby Bamboo is made for babies. It’s too good for them, though! I really like this yarn. A mixture of 80% bamboo and 20% wool, it has a subtle sheen and comes in really nice colours. They’re not all pastels: there are pumpkin and denim shades, and some really attractive blue-greens. I have to confess, I like the colours this yarn comes in better than the range for Luxury Soft Cotton DK, which is aimed at adults but contains more sugary shades. Baby Bamboo drapes more than the cotton yarn too.
I used a couple of shades of this to knit a hooded jacket for a friend’s little boy, and was very pleased with the result. The only problem I had with it was that after handwashing I dried it on a radiator and got radiator marks and had to wash it again! This is definitely not a yarn to dry by artificial means, which may limit its appeal to busy mums who need something that's easy to launder and dry.
Because I knitted the hoodie for someone else, I can’t report on how well the yarn wears long-term, but it feels very good quality and the wool content should give it good longevity.
Sirdar Luxury Soft Cotton DK
I used this lovely matt cotton yarn to knit my supersized cardigan - the one that turned out about eight sizes too large and taught me why I need to do a tension square before I start knitting!
Because it’s a cotton, it’s not a stretchy yarn, and the multistranded construction does mean it can be splitty. I tend to look at my knitting and I’m a slow knitter, so the splittiness isn’t such a problem for me, but if you’re fast and like to knit while watching the telly you may not like this. It does knit up beautifully, though, with clear stitches. It’s also got a nice drape.
I made my cardigan a couple of years ago in black, and it hasn’t faded or gone out of shape at all, nor has the yarn won through in any places. It’s smooth enough to wear next to the skin. I live in this cardi all year round, even wearing it to cricket matches (it really keeps the sun off) and it still looks fine.
The main problem for me is the colour range. As it is, I’d only wear Lamp Black and Ruby Red, and possibly Sage and the new ‘Kingfisher’ green. That’s a matter of personal taste, however, and if you like pinks, lilacs, pale blues and browny neutrals, you’d probably find many more colours to love in the range.
Would I use Luxury Soft Cotton DK again? Definitely. I just wish it came in grey!
