Moving To Andalusia

Yarn

As I mentioned before, buying wool out here in La ALpujarra isn’t easy. I’ve been here for a couple of months now and there are some shops peddling wool, but still, it’s nothing to get very excited about. Do I generally get very excited about wool, you may ask? Well, actually, I can get pretty happy about certain types of wool. Knitting with a pretty, soft wool for me makes all the difference. I’ve tried knitting with cheap wool, and it’s just no fun at all. Whatever you make, however cleverly you make it, it’ll still look nasty.

So I order on the internet. Be VERY CAREFULL when you do this! The advantages are great: it’s usually a lot cheaper than buying in a shop, the choice is magnificent and they bring it right up to your door! What’s not to like?

Well, it can be hard to judge colours from a tiny picture on the web. Also, it’s difficult to tell the feel (obviously!) and the structure. Also you don’t know how trustworthy your supplier is.
You may want to start with just one or two balls of yarn. However, don’t be too stingy. I am stuck with half a cardigan because I’m waiting for the rest of my wool, and out here in the mountains it can take weeks!

Check the gauge, it’ll tell you how chunky, or not, the yarn really is. I prefer to knit Sirdar denim ultra chunky yarn on my 10mm circs, but everyone has their own preferences. If your unsure you can always ask te seller!
I buy on eBay, mostly from thewoollyjumper.com. Lakedistrict has a really nice selection as well!

December 31st, 2008 | Tags: buying yarn online, circulars, knitting, Wool, Yarn | Category: Knitting for dummies, Shopping | Subscribe to comments | Leave a comment | Trackback URL