Do you remember the scarf craze? I certainly do. I'm trying to get our spare room under control. I store my yarn there, in file boxes on shelves my husband put up for me. I know my stash isn't as large as many knitters but I'd like to eliminate the yarns which are outdated. Of course that evaluation is often dependent on the knitter. I did use novelty yarns a few times myself. I made some of the scarves as gifts because non-knitters coveted them. I also used them as trims, cuffs and collars and edgings on hats.
When the craze happened (in the late 90s?) novelty yarns were the cause. They were billed as easy knitting since it was all garter stitch, however inexperienced knitters struggled because they had difficulty seeing the stitches. My LYS assisted those knitters who were were dropping stitches or adding extra stitches in but the staff was very frustrated with how difficult it was. Usually when I teach someone to knit I start them with a smooth tightly spun wool so they can see what they are doing. At the time knitters were so happy the yarns were attracting new knitters we just went with it and helped as much as possible.
The shop owners felt the craze was something they couldn't afford to miss out on, so they brought in lots of the yarns and saw a lot of extra customers as a result. Unfortunately later, I remember the shop I worked at eventually couldn't sell off the remainders of those yarns even at a loss.
I've always wondered if the scarves lead to more life long knitters or if perhaps we are a separate category? What do you think? Are any of my readers knitters who started with a novelty yarn scarf and kept on knitting?
I started on Lion Brand Homespun, which was not a good choice for a beginner. In addition to not really being able to see the stitches, you needed to make sure you were actually knitting the stitch and not a weird loop that was kind of attached to the yarn.....when I gave up on that, I switched to Lion Brand Thick & Quick, which worked much better for me and I've stuck with it ever since.
ReplyDeleteI never tried that Homespun but I think I've read about how difficult it can be in Ravelry.
DeleteYes, the scarf craze pulled me in and I moved on to good quality yarn fairly soon! I mainly knit all kinds of accessories, love texture and cables and simple lace patterns. I took the plunge into garments with a top-down baby sweater, so I finally have some idea about that construction. I'd like to knit garments for myself, but I'm afraid of it not fitting and I'm plus-sized so it's a substantial investment in yarn.
ReplyDeleteI hear those comments on garments often from knitters. I'd start with a good basic 100% wool. Maybe something from KnitPicks to keep the price reasonable. Use an existing garment to take measurements off of. A sweater is best so you have some stretch. You could even buy one in a thrift shop and use it to pin things like your preferred should width and hem lengths for accurate measurements. Then compare back to your pattern and make adjustments accordingly.
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