Tuesday, November 28, 2006

Pilling Wool

I'm feeling a little blog blah right now. I'm not sure if it's because I'm doing the gift concentration thing. Or that my laptop doesn't read my media card anymore so I have to use a USB cable (and therefore it seems like more work) or if I'm just feeling the impact of the dropped number of hits. I'm wondering if keeping a daily (or weekday blog) is worth it. A lot of readers have moved on (except you, of course). We'll see. Maybe I need to stop trying to blog every day.

So let's see... I got almost all of my shopping done for Christmas yesterday. That's the easy part (gee, I love internet shopping). Now I really need to concentrate on the gifts that need to be finished. Obligatioin knitting is hard. While I like getting things done, I hate to feel pressure. My rebellion personality will be attracted to doing other things. Like cleaning the refridgerator.

Matt wore the Silver Creek Gansey yesterday:
It looks much better on him than it does on me (cream is sooo not my color). I thought I had made the sleeves long enough for both of us to wear it, but they're a little short on him (which I think he actually likes. When you're short, you get used to sleeves always being too long. Too short is refreshing).

Anyway, I will admit that it's pilling pretty badly. I've worn it maybe 3 times. So maybe the Paton's Classic Wool wasn't the best choice? I really don't know. One of the worst sweaters I've knit for pilling was done in Galway. The Cascade 220 sweaters haven't pilled at all (but I usually knit it at a tighter gauge?). So I'm thinking it's just a wool thing.

Janet Szabo says that the Lion Brand Wool is a delightful 100% wool to work with (I think they call it "felting wool"). Good stitch definition and a good gauge, plus some interesting colors (as we now know that cream is ooooo not my color). I picked up a couple of skeins while at Joann's the other day, but I've yet to knit with it. I'll have to give it a try and fingers crossed it'll work (as there's a lovely shade of green. A girl just can't have too much green... right???). Right now, I'm thinking that I should stick to the cotton/acrylic yarns that seem to hold up the best. For example: The Spring Forward Cardigan. Considering how much I wear it and how often it's been washed, the TLC Cotton Plus may just be my all time favorite yarn... I'm going to have to try some Cotton Ease...

So today will be more of the same: obligation knitting. I still need to finish the sample block for the Taste of Aran Afghan class. I have 2 sweaters I want to finish for Matt for Christmas (and I still have to finish quilting the quilt). On top of all that, I need to get grocercies. Ugh. Not my favorite thing to do... and Matt can't help me with it today.

So off to shower, run for grocercies, keep the PS2 turned off and concentrate on some knitting!!!

Happy Knitting!

5 comments:

  1. My Cascade 220 Silver Creek Gansey is pilling like crazy-- but I've worn it pretty much every day since Nov 4! And the gauge is not very tight. I'll have to try some of the yarns you mentioned, because I'd hate to lose my new favorite sweater to pilling! SCG looks great on Matt-- it's awesome to have a partner you can share clothes with.

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  2. Matt looks good in the SCG sweater - it's a shame that it's pilling so bad. It's nice that you can wear the same sweaters. I'd miss it if you didn't blog - I don't always comment but I always read it.

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  3. Anonymous10:58 AM

    I check your blog each day but rarely comment. I'd miss it if you stopped posting. Re CottonEase, it's been discontinued by LionBrand. School Products had some they were selling at very low prices. Don't know if they still have some or not but if you really want this yarn, that's your best place to get some before it disappears completely.

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  4. Anonymous5:21 PM

    So frustrating to finish a sweater only to have it pill (or fuzz). I knit a purple shrug with Homespun and it is a fuzzy disaster at this point. Promise me you will not knit with that.

    I enjoy your blog; who else is going to talk about Floyd with me? :) And when spring starts, and race season comes around again...we can start a spouse support group.

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  5. My FLAK is pilling horribly which is really disappointing considering how much time I put into it (and that I bought enough yarn for two.) It's the Elann Peruvian Highland Wool. It comes in a million colors too. On the plus side, I'm sure it will felt like a dream, but there's a limit to how many felted tote bags one needs. Even for me. :-)

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