Dawn Brocco's Life & Design Blog

OK - I swatched and washed those yarns.

The Classic Elite Renaissance is a nice worsted wt wool yarn. Ball band gives a gauge range of 4.5-5 sts/1", but the loosest I would go is 4.75 sts/1", not 4.5. Feels nicer than the Peruvian wool in the Knit Picks yarn I swatched a few days ago, but then the Renaissance *does* cost more, and you do get what you pay for.

The Classic Elite Two.Two is a really nice bulky wool yarn! It is from Peruvian Highland wool, like Elann's, like Knit Pick's yarns, but is definitely far softer and nicer than KP's. I haven't tried Elann's yet. It is also very strong - I had to cut the yarn, it wouldn't break in my hands. Soft yet strong - a nice mixture.

The Frog Tree sport weight alpaca felt heavenly in the skein. Not all alpacas do feel this nice. I am always concerned with shedding in an alpaca yarn. The Plymouth Baby Alpaca DK did like to shed, even though I knit is snugger than the given gauge. This yarn, is a sport weight, and is comprised of 2 fine strands plied together, and I doubled it, giving 4.5 sts/1" with a size 7 (4.5 mm) ndl. This was easy to knit, even doubled, with the 7's, and didn't shed SO FAR. Only a larger garment will tell, but I'm hopeful, as this yarn is spun and plied more snugly than the baby alpaca dk. That had a softer spin and twist, which made the yarn feel even more heavenly, but I am thinking that alpaca needs the firm spin to better lock those slippery fibers in place. But, I won't really know until I do a garment and see how it behaves in use.

Still moving things about, so we can get to do more painting this weekend. Saw the ophthalmologist a few days ago and still haven't got a lens for the retina-surgery eye. The astigmatism correction in the lens is still off - so much so that I can read my computer screen better without the lens than with it. So, he's ordering YET another one - this time, I suggested we go for an over-correction of astigmatism in the lens, as the 8.0 diopters it is *supposed* to be correcting (which is what the eye needs) just isn't enough. We agreed it couldn't hurt to try. So, as these are samples, he can order another, no biggee, but I gotta wait another 2 weeks before it comes in. *Eventually* I'll get to see out of this eye!

Well, back to work for me - I'll see how soon I can get those new patterns up....