Product Review - Hand Painted Soft Washable Worsted

About 3 years ago I purchased this yarn from See Jayne KnitYarns on Etsy. When I received the yarn I fell in love! The color, the texture and the drape were wonderful. However, it sat in my stash (don’t tell me you don’t know what I’m talking about) until I wanted to work on a project and found it once again.

When I decided to do a review on the yarn, I went to the shop and found that this amazing yarn is being discontinued by Jayne. Imagine my dismay! Here I wanted to send everyone to her shop for this luscious yarn and there are only a few left. I decided to do the review anyway and let you decide if you’d like to get this particular color or others before they are completely gone! This particular yarn is "Hand Painted Soft Washable Worsted" and it's called "Dad's Famous Chili" in a mercerized wool

I love yarn when the colors speak to me. I don’t care what the content (unless I have a definite project in mind) as long as it’s wonderful to the touch and when I work with it, I don’t get that stressful feeling. This amazing mercerized wool is perfect. Not only are the colors vibrant, but the gentle glide of the yarn between your fingers is so easy you want to keep going and going on whatever project you choose to create. I used it for a crochet scarf (as seen in the photo) and the drape is amazing, therefore I’m sure that when knit it gives a lovely motion as well.

If you’re like me and you like soft, smooth yarns that work up easily, you’ll love See Jayne Knit Yarns on Etsy, they are amazing! You better hurry, I'm not sure they'll last much longer and once they're gone. . . they're gone. . . of course there are other lovely yarns to choose from . . . .

Yarn Characteristics

Not long ago I ran a poll on this blog asking readers to tell me which yarns they looked for when purchasing their handmade items. The results weren't very surprising, most people listed wool as their most desired yarn with just slightly under that being no preference. Personally I have no preference which yarns I use to create projects as long as they feel good to my fingers, and glide easily on my hooks/needles.

There is a place where I do discern yarns and that is in their characteristics and how it will play into the piece I'm creating. For example, if I want to create a light airy piece for Summer, I'm certainly not going to use a wool yarn for that. Nor would I use a ribbon yarn to create a sweater intended to warm for the Winter. You get my meaning. If you're a yarn / fiber artists you may already know the characteristics of yarns, but if you're a purchaser of items, this may be very helpful to you when deciding on a piece.

Wool:: (this scarf was made with 100% wool)

Wool can have different characteristics depending on it's breed of sheep. It's warm, insulating, breathable, water-repellent, dirt-resistant and naturally flame retardant. It can absorb up to 30% of it's weight in moisture without feeling wet, but it's weaker when wet than when dry. Some wools are made machine washable by being treated to a superwash process. Some popular items for wool include sweaters, hats, scarves, gloves, coats, jackets etc.

Cotton:: (these washcloths are 100% cotton)

Cotton is usually machine washable and stronger when it's wet than when it's dry. It's heavy, absorbent, inelastic and unlike wool is non-insulating. Cotton has a tendency to stretch and/or shrink when washed. Some popular items for cotton include washcloths, tops, accessories etc.

Synthetics:: (this neckwarmer was made with 100% acrylic)

Synthetic referres to yarns that have been manufactured and have no plant or animal origins. Since they are created to mimic the characteristics of natural fibers they are usually durable, water-resistant, and strong. They are also non-breathable, and non-insulating. Many are machine washable, but very sensitive to heat. Most popular items such as sweaters, wraps, hats, gloves etc. can and are created with synthetics.

As a fiber artists it excites me to have the various options because the diversity allows me to make items for anyone. Some have plant allergies, some have wool allergies, some can't stand the feel of acrylic, some just want a blend that has the best of both worlds and some just want a great looking piece that works. Because I have so many options I can accommodate all.

Now you can make an educated decision on content based on your personal needs.

Stella McCartney

Do you know this designer?

I didn't. . . duh!

She is Stella McCartney daughter of former Beetle, Paul McCartney, and clothing designer extraordinaire! I went to her website and this Fall/Winter collection is full of felted wool designs!!! They are very nice and so inspiring! When I read a bit more about her I found that she is a vegetarian committed to animal-product-free clothing so she doesn't use any leather or fur in her designs. That just tells me that she probably wouldn't purchase yarn from farms that don't treat their yarn producing animals with care as well.

Check out her designs, they will inspire you, I've already been inspired!