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EXPERT ADVICE
Alpacayarncanbegreatfor ergictowoolyarns.
Madefromthecoatsofthealpaca,thisyarnisfine,soft,
warmandusuallyfairlyinexpensiveincomparisontoother
moreexoticnaturalfibres.Typically,100gballsofDK-weight
candeliverapproximately250mofyarn,givingyougreat
valueformoneywithyourknits.ALPACA
It’spossibletomakealmostany
plantfibreintoyarnthat
youcanknitwith,soyou
canfindyarnspunfrom
unusualplantfibreslike
soya,hemp,cornand
evennettle.Thesewill
usuallyhavequalities
similartoothernatural
plantfibres,suchas
linenandcotton.They’re
greatforexperimentation,
especiallyforsummeryknits.OTHERPLANTYARNS
Good-quality,blendedfibr s o erthebestfromboththe
naturalandsyntheticworlds.Forexample,blendscanprovide
the hard-wearing qualities of nylon while providing the
softness of cashmere and the economy of wool.BLENDS
If yourelookingtoadd littleglitzandglamourtoyourknits,
metallicyarnsarea hugelypopularoption.Thefibresare
usuallya blendofcotton,nylonoracrylicwithmetallised
polyester.It’salsopossibletoknitwithwireforaccessories
andjewellerythathavea realwowfactor.METALLIC
Oneofthecheapestandmost
commonfibres,acrylics
(nylons,polyestersand
elastane)areby-productsof
thepetrochemicalindustry.
Acrylicsaresoftand
hard-wearing– perfectfor
children’sclothesthatsee
a lotofwearandwashing.
Babyyarnsareoftena mix
ofacrylicandnylon,andare
treatedtobesoftandmachine
washable(sometimestumble
dryable).It maybeharderto
obtainaneventensionwithacryl
yarn,sogofora blendif youneedthe
qualitiesofboth.Thesurfaceoftheknittedfabricoftenwon’t
standuptoironing,althoughit probablywon’tneedit!ACRYLIC,NYLON,
POLYESTER
Great
valueMadefromthesoftcoatofthecashmeregoat,thisyarncan
beexpensive,butit issoft,light,verywarmandkeepsits
shape.Indulgeyourselfbyknittinga perfectpairofsocksfor
a specialpresent– orif youhavemorecashtosplash,makea
classic garment that can be cared for delicately and worn for
many years to come.CASHMERE
ove
TOPTIP
If you’resubstitutinga differentyarntotheonementionedinyour
pattern,makesureit matchesasmanyoftheoriginalyarn’scriteria
aspossible.Lookforthingslikeyarnweight,yarncompositionand
tension,andknita swatchtodoublecheckyourstitchandrowsize.
Checkoutwww.yarnsub.comtoo– it’sa greatwebsitethatsuggests
substitutionoptionsformostyarnsonthemarket.Coolandlight,yarnsmade
fromlinenhavesimilar
qualitiestocotton,but
canbemoreexpensive.
Linenknitsupintoan
easy-to-wearfabric
thatcomeswith
a pleasingdrape
that’llfitinperfectlywith
yoursummerwardrobe.LINEN
Sav the fo
thos pecia
evenin knit
Delicat, wr^
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summer ufferer
superstar!