True Love!

[Bikingmomof3]

Wait ,wait! 20+ skeins per sweater?
Or I am going to just want to buy that many just because buying yarn is addicting as my bike stuff is. Oh no! I have so much yarn... oh man!

It is all dependent on what size sweater you need to make and what yarn and pattern you choose. A man's sweater usually takes a lot of yarn.

And yes, it is addicting.

[Kano]

Ohhh the debbie bliss alpaca silk. I have touched that stuff and it is sooo dreamy. I am drooling just thinking about it. I am not aloud I would ruin anything made out of it I am sure!

I did a sweater with alpaca many many years ago, and loved that sweater. It was a bulky yarn, and I was able to toss it in the washer/dryer, gently. I don't know what ever happened to it, but it never got worn looking or stained, or anything. You'd LOVE an alpaca sweater.

I recently bought a new batch of alpaca yarn, and it's heavenly -- beautiful, gossamer, and a delight to work with. The worsted weight alpacas work up nicely too -- and when I felted a project a couple of months ago, the felted stuff is still VERY soft, even though it's firm and thick and has great body.

My current passion is socks -- I've got at least five pairs going, so I can keep moving from yarn to yarn as I get temporarily bored with each of them!

This is really cutting into my sewing time -- good thing it's ski season and my bike is hiding from the chilly air!

Karen in Boise, who's not as tough as Tater

[Kano]

BMo3, or whoever else might have suggestions --

a challenge for me is patterned knitting. Being a lefty, things like cables always turn out WEIRD. Anyplace I can find how to make these turn out well instead of very very strangely?

(upside down, backward, inside out, you name it, the really exciting patterns turn out very very strange)

Karen in Boise

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

I made myself a sweater last year that was about 50% Alpaca and 50% llama wool. It was lovely to work with and very warm and soft. But...it sheds a LOT- blue fuzz gets all over me whenever I wear it. I'm not sure a guy would like that. Mohair yarn sheds the same way. I would recommend "regular" sheep wool for a guy's sweater, in worsted weight. Cascade brand is a very good price.

[KnottedYet]

BMo3, or whoever else might have suggestions --

a challenge for me is patterned knitting. Being a lefty, things like cables always turn out WEIRD. Anyplace I can find how to make these turn out well instead of very very strangely?

(upside down, backward, inside out, you name it, the really exciting patterns turn out very very strange)

Karen in Boise

Kano, I'm a lefty knitter, too. A friend taught me to knit Norwegian style, and that solved all my tension and twist-stitch problems. I can even do pretty cables! (I was twist-stitching on the knits, purls were ok)

Is there a yarn shop where you can ask someone to watch you knit and help you fine-tune your technique?

[Kano]

Kano, I'm a lefty knitter, too. A friend taught me to knit Norwegian style, and that solved all my tension and twist-stitch problems. I can even do pretty cables! (I was twist-stitching on the knits, purls were ok)

Is there a yarn shop where you can ask someone to watch you knit and help you fine-tune your technique?

Thank you, Knotted. I'm finding a couple of references online and want to get the video to show for me at one of them, dang it! The text/graphic illustrations aren't doing the job for me -- I want to see this norwegian thing in action!

I have recently started attending classes and talked with the teaching staff about learning the cables and bobbles and such. At this point I seem to have thrown them-who-I've-found for a bit of a loop with my left handedness -- and maybe even my desire to use texture in my knitting! I think sometimes stuff has to be done in reverse or something to make the patterns come out the way they're supposed to. I may have to find some other teachers too, but what I think might need is like "lefty conversions" or something on that order!

Karen in Boise

[mimitabby]

I'm lefty too, what's the problem? everything's just backwards, isn't it?

(in crochet, i guess it doesn't matter)

[Kano]

I'm lefty too, what's the problem? everything's just backwards, isn't it?

(in crochet, i guess it doesn't matter)

It's been a long time since I bothered trying anything other than the really basic stuff, Mimi -- when cables come out upside down, backwards, and who knows what else, it's a little discouraging!

I want to try again, but I want to have some hope of success...

Karen in Boise