(Sorry this post is so late but I entirely forgot to get a photo yesterday while it was light out!)
I have a finished hat and am working towards a finished second sock!
However, this week I thought I’d answer the question that Jane had about knitting with a strand of mohair… and does the choice of mohair matter! (Hint… the mohair of today is not your grandmother’s mohair!)
I have knit lots with mohair… from an entire shawl with just mohair – which I will never do again – to many things with a strand of yarn held together with a strand of mohair. It is the loveliest addition you can give to your knitting!
But!!! Not all mohair has been created equally. And the choice you make can either make your project sing or not. I hope to share my thoughts on some of the mohairs out there.
I think the first mohair I ever saw (and bought like it was candy!) was Rowan Kidsilk Haze. Yes, the colors are incredible and it feels wonderful when you hold the skein. But… in a knitting application by itself it is scratchy and really not fabulous to knit with (those mohair horror stories you have heard about… I am pretty sure the culprit was Kidsilk Haze.) Add to that… I don’t think it is worth the price for the yardage you don’t get.
I have tried several “indie” dyer’s mohairs and, like Kidsilk Haze, looks and feel can be deceiving. For example, recently, I knit a hat with some mohair (Wobble Gobble Kidmo) that I got from Wool & Honey in Michigan. Yes the color and hand were great but the finished product has almost no halo (which if you are going to strand mohair along with yarn you want the halo to be noticeable!) But the yardage is excellent and I have more than half the skein of the Wobble Gobble left so I am going to try it with some handspun to see if that makes any difference at all (so stay tuned!!)
I have been recently seeing quite a few brushed alpaca yarns and I picked up a skein of Little Fox Nuages and it is a lovely “strand along” yarn. It is a little bit thicker than mohair and has some intense halo! Perfect for the hat I finished this week!
But… my hands down favorite is Floof from Fibernymph Dyeworks. It is excellent yardage and it is silky soft in the skein *and* in the knitted garment. I carried this along in a sweater that I wear all.the.time. Seriously. Most mornings I get up and pull it on over my jammies. It is next to skin soft and so warm and cozy. And the halo. Well… it is just so great! Yes, there has been a minute amount of pilling but I am not sure if this is because of the mohair or the merino lace yarn I carried it along with it. However, Floof is absolutely a yarn I would buy again! Especially if I was going to knit something where I wanted the halo to be noticeable. And yes… I would absolutely use this to knit another sweater!
And there you have my mohair advice FWIW! As always, I welcome your questions and will happily share my very opinionated thoughts!
The reading this week was so so good! (So good it caused a bit of reading induced insomnia!) Just two finishes but they were so good!
The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
A book about a journey, but not where you think it is going to go. I listened to it and I loved the narration… hearing each character share their thoughts was wonderful.
Towles has crafted some incredibly interesting characters and then weaves them into such an intriguing story. I was drawn along to see if wrongs could be righted and if wounds could be healed. I loved the twists and turns and I was surprised more than once! (But really, I just plain loved Billy!)
The ending though… I am still asking myself what??? Which I think is a good thing for a book to have… an ending that leaves you wondering! If you deeply loved A Gentleman in Moscow, you might not love this book as much… but it is still very good!
I highly recommend!
The Black Widow by Daniel Silva
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Wow! Just wow. This book! Yikes!
A new team member? A new chief?
Will these things happen? (especially the new chief part… right?)
Each Allon book shows more character development and in this book it was Gabriel’s turn to shine… and shine he did! I find it so hard to put these books down once I start… and I have many a night that I went to bed way to late because I could not stop reading!
I highly recommend this very smart series. Yes, they are character heavy… but they are such incredible characters! I love this series… so much!
Steve has the remainder of the week off… so I will be back on Monday with some poetry! Tuesday I will have my final word update for 2021 AND next Wednesday I will have a bit of a year end knitting/reading recap. The best of the knits and the reads!
Merry Christmas!
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I was happy to see a completed hat and what I think is a second sock, so hopefully, your finger is starting to heal. I’m happier yet to have you answer a question that I didn’t even think about asking! I have always thought mohair felt scratchy, so I’ve never even considered adding it to a hat. You’ve opened up some cozy new possibilities with your Floof recommendation. Thank you!
Merry Christmas Kat! Glad you were able to finish the hat and get some sock knitting accomplished. Your finger must be healing. Your reading this week sounds so good (I want to read book #2 in the Allon series and Lincoln Highway is on my TBR list). I’ll look forward to your recap of the year next week! Years ago (like decades) I bought a lot of mohair in a gorgeous blue shade. I have yet to use it…and I have a leaflet of patterns for Kid Silk Haze which are gorgeous…Maybe 2022 will be the year I use my mohair?!?!
Great info/advice on knitting with mohair, Kat. I have a fairly big “stash” of KSH that I use periodically (leftovers from a major project I knit a very long time ago). I completely agree with your assessment (regarding value and feel). I may try your recommendation for better mohair – because it really is wonderful stuff when stranded together with something else in a garment. (Did you know that mohair “melts” in the mouth of a naughty puppy and becomes a brick of mohair? So nice . . . ) Enjoy your holiday! XO
I completely agree with your recommendation of Floof as a good and good-feeling mohair/silk! I used to think I was allergic to mohair because it would make me itch, but I think that was just itchy mohair. I’ve used Floof (and another indie dyer’s version, which must be the same base) and not had a problem. I’d also like to try a brushed alpaca at some point.
I hope you enjoy the rest of the week and have a lovely Christmas!
Miss Babs recently added a mohair/silk yarn called Moonglow and I like it a lot. I think the silk is the secret ingredient for mohair; makes it possible to tink back the knitting without having to scream and cry. Also, not itchy to wear and of course since it’s Miss Babs the colors are amazing. Thanks for the info about Floof, will have to try that one out.
My local friend Deb, who is also knitting the mystery gnome, added a bit of mohair to the beard and she must have used the good stuff… it has such a lovely halo!
I did not know that about mohair and I’m glad you told me what your favorite one was, that lets me get on with knitting and not investigating. Lovely knitting and i hope your hand is better.
I am glad to see that knitting progress and hope it means your finger is healing. Thank you so much for the information about mohair. I have looked at KSH in a local yarn shop but like you I find the price unreasonable. I’ll investigate Floof.
I’ve got to admit, I’m not a fan of the mo. But maybe I need to try better mo before I can be sure. I started The Lincoln Highway just last night!
Love the completed hat and the socks look great too. Not much reading going on here, I read before bed and it has just not happened this week. I am knitting blanket squares at the moment whilst a design for a jumper is sorted in my head, I have looked everywhere and cannot find quite what I am looking for so will design my own.