Sunday, February 25, 2007

Doing The Jitterbug...

Once I finished the Monkey socks, I didn't want to be without a sock on the needles, so I had to figure out what I wanted to do with the Jitterbug yarn, and fast!


The Mardi Gras colorway is very busy and bright, but I didn't want to go with a plain stockinette sock. I wanted something the would give the sock some depth, but wouldn't be overpowered by the bright colors.


I opted for a garter-rib pattern, which I grabbed from Charlotte Schurch's fabulous book, Sensational Knitted Socks. I cast on 48 stitches, and worked this pattern for the ankle, then switched to stockinette for the foot.


I know this is a fairly new yarn, so I wanted to make sure to give my impressions of it, especially since I know many people will be turned off of it because of its relatively short yardage and high price tag.


Pro's:
Beautiful vivid colors
Slightly thicker, so it knits up faster
Soft and very warm
Superwash and merino


Con's:
$24 Canadian
Very strong vinegar smell while knitting (this can be remedied by washing though)

Overall Impression:
I'm really happy with the results I'm getting with this yarn. I used a 3mm Addi to knit with it, and I think that's the perfect size needle for this yarn (for me at least). It's very cushy when knit up, and it feels delightful to work with while slipping through my fingers. It did make me want salt and vinegar chips though, because of the smell.


I'm glad I tried this stuff, but it won't become a yarn that I use regularly. I recommend trying it, but I also believe that you can get similar results and more yarn if you go with a different sock yarn.

I am really glad that I tried it, and I'm sure I will get lots of use out of the lovely socks it produced.

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Finally I think I'm on the mend from this awful cold. I managed to get lots of housework done yesterday, and it didn't totally destroy me, so I'm taking that as a good sign. I'm really looking forward to being back at work on Monday.

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Lately I've been spending a lot of time thinking about what I want to do with my life, and how I want it to look. I'm still not sure about work, but I'd like to do more travelling. Now, I'm not really a travel overseas kinda person. I'm not prone to go backpacking in Europe or anything (I don't even like to have to carry my purse, never mind a huge backpack!).

The kind of travelling I really enjoy is when Stu and I hop in the car and pick a direction and just drive. He really likes our road trips too.

We've done a couple of road trips down to Washington state (which is really not far from Vancouver), and have gone exploring in the smaller towns. We both had fun, and are planning to do more of this type of travel.


We talked about this last weekend, and yesterday he came home with a digital compass for me, because he "knows how much I like my gadgets". I admit it, I really do like my gadgets!

I hope everyone is having a great weekend!

4 comments:

bethc said...

Wow! I love the colors on those socks, they will certainly be fun to wear!

Emma said...

Beautiful colors, but vingegar smell? Eww. I dont know if I could get past that. I hate the smell of vinegar!

Beth said...

Those are awesome colors too! Thanks for the comment on my most recent pair.

Beth said...

Wow, you have a lot of Beths who visit your blog.
I loved seeing the pics of your kitties. I love gray cats the best but your pretty ginger cat is lovely too. The yarn looks beautiful - you took some great photos - but I won't be using it. Too little yarn for too much money. Your review was very good.