Last Wednesday I swatched for the Kiri shawl. I need your help deciding what needle size to use.
Keep in mind, I swatched two different parts of the shawl (not smart, I know. I'm not sure what I was thinking.) But it's close enough to get a sense of how the yarn knits up.
Here are the swatches pinned for blocking (US Size 2 on top and US Size 4 on the bottom):
Here are the swatches after they have been unpinned and thrown around a little. The edges are curling some, but the blocking seems to hold up OK. (US Size 2 on top and US Size 4 on the bottom):
The yarn I'm using here is Mystic Alpaca from Peru4less. I got the yarn on eBay ages ago, and the vendor seems to have disappeared from the face of the earth. There is some debate about the yarn's fiber content. After talking it over with the other knitters at Bluebonnet, we think it is a blend of alpaca and acrylic.
I think the Peru4less would be appropriate for a shawl, but I do have another option:
This is the Skacel Merino Lace that I bought at the Yarn Barn in San Antonio. I could scrap the Peru4less altogether and start fresh with this. It's true laceweight, and I'm sure of the fiber content.I'm looking for opinions, so please vote. And vote soon. I want to cast this on to knit on my trip to California.
3 comments:
Just remember: acrylic has no memory, and your blocking might only be temporary. For something like a Kiri, that's a long-term commitment for something that might not hold its block.
Hi Sally - I thought I would "qualify" my comment. I agree with the comment about acrylic not holding blocking, but I also think the multi/variegated might compete with the look of the lace pattern. Either way you go with the yarn, I think the smaller needle size makes the unpatterned area of the shawl look dense enough to offset the yarn-overs, and therefore makes the lacey parts look more obviously...well..lacey :)
I hope this is helpful!
I voted to use the pure merino laceweight because the blocking just doesn't seem to have taken very well on those swatches, but I totally agree with marce that a solid color would be better! or least a less contrasty variegated. Hey, an excuse to more yarn? ;)
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