Hannah Pauly asked this month’s star
question. Hannah wins the yarn to knit
this lovely jumper or top in Stylecraft
Naturals Orghanic Cotton, in a colour
of her choice, courtesy of Stylecraft.If you have a question, email
[email protected]
or write to Ask Sarah, Knitting,
GMC Publications, 86 High Street,
Lewes, East Sussex BN7 1XN.YOUR VIEWSIS THE PRICE RIGHT?
Knitting magazine has lightened my
lockdown, and I eagerly awaited each
issue, not only for the patterns but the
articles and advice. I try and eke it out so
that it lasts most of the month.
The only problem I have, and it
was brought to light by another craft
magazine, was the price of some yarn.
While I do appreciate that special yarn
gives such a great finish, a pattern I saw
in another magazine that calls for yarn
costing over £100 to make a jumper is well
out of my reach, and I suspect many other
people’s. I would love to make the jumper,
it was oversized and looked fantastic,
but that is what it is, fantasy. Apart from
the cost, I would think it would need
hand-washing in a delicate detergent and
drying flat. To give such a garment to
my daughters who are both busy mums
would be also making work for them.
This is a general comment, as I said,
and your articles on substituting yarn
is very helpful. And I can understand a
designer making a garment in a beautiful
yarn. I wonder if it could be possible to do
a best, better and reasonable yarn choices
for some garments?
Carol Yore, by emailEd says: Thanks for your comments
Carol. We try to include a broad price
range for our knits in Knitting, but we do
love to support and highlight innovative
and sustainable independent businesses,
and because these are often tiny artisan
operations who can’t make economies
of scale their luxury products can be
expensive. If you do find a design you
love but need to use a different yarn for
any reason, I recommend yarnsub.com,
which offers a comprehensive range ofTwitter: @KnittingMag • Pinterest: knittingmag1 • Facebook: KnittingMagazine
Instagram: knittingmagazine • Email: [email protected]
Post: Christine Boggis, Knitting, GMC Publications, 86 High Street, Lewes, East Sussex BN7 1XNSHARE YOUR THOUGHTS THROUGH FACEBOOK,
TWITTER OR EMAIL FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WINYOUR LETTERS
Show us what you’re knitting on Favourite Make Fridays at facebook.com/KnittingMagazine.STAR LETTER PRIZE
organic cotton yarns, especially if they
have been produced to the Global Organic
Textile Standard, which guarantees that
the cotton has been produced sustainably.
Finding out if a yarn has GOTS certification
can take a little research, because this is
awarded to the cotton producer rather than
the yarn company.
Among the other plant-based yarns,
linen and Tencel are regarded as some of
the most environmentally-friendly. Linen
uses less water and pesticides than cotton
and is also a crop that can be grown in the
UK and other parts of western Europe – so
potentially has fewer yarn miles than cotton
and bamboo. It can be processed using
traditional, low chemical methods, but this
can make it more expensive.
Tencel, otherwise known as lyocell,
may sound like a manmade fibre but it is
in fact made from eucalyptus, which is
a sustainable crop that is lower on water
consumption than some of the other plant-
based yarns. You are seeing more Tencel
appearing in yarns, both on its own as an
alternative to cotton or in blends with wool.
This should give you a few options to try.
ASK BRONAGH
STAR LETTER PRIZEalternative suggestions for nearly all the
yarns you will find in our pages.SECOND SOCK SYNDROME
I read with interest Sarah’s response to a
question on how to overcome ‘second sock
syndrome’ in Knitting 216. I also suffered
from this. I have quite a lot of requests for
socks from family members and also gift
for birthdays and Christmas, so what I’ve
started to do is to knit the first sock for a
variety of, say, six pairs – and then when
anyone asks me for a new pair or a birthday
is coming up, I already have one of the pair
done. It seems as if I’m casting on for a new
sock every time thanks to the delay between
the first and second one.
Lorraine Muggleton, LeicesterEd says: Thanks for this fab tip, Lorraine!ST
ARLETTERCarol Yore is this month’s Star
Letter Prize winner. Marion wins the
Stockholm luxury interchangeable
knitting needle case from Danish
brand Muud, worth around £70. The
case is made from real leather with
room for 12 sets of needle tips sized
from 2.5-8mm, three compartments
for wire and a big zipper pocket for
extra accessories such as scissors and
measuring tape. muudstore.comCourtesy ofYarns made from fine fibres and dyed by
hand can be pricey – but they’re well worth it,
like these skeins from Irish Artisan Yarn