Marsha
Apr 15th, 2008

Crowdsourcing my knitting

Okay, here’s the deal: Last month, I started knitting a sweater for Sylvia, using yarn that was in my stash. The yarn is Noro New Ruby, which hasn’t been manufactured in at least a decade, as far as I can tell (it’s next to impossible to find information about it anywhere online). It’s a 40%cotton/40%viscose/20%nylon blend, which feels a bit like a cotton-silk blend and also has a bit of a sheen to it.

p4099723sleeves.jpgI’ve just finished the sleeves; here they are, curling like Cathy Overton-Clapham in their unblocked stockinette glory. I love how they’ve turned out, but now I need to figure out what yarn to use for the body.

I’m knitting a simple drop-sleeve pullover (Ann Budd style), and I don’t have enough of the Noro New Ruby to do the front or the back, much less both. (I may use some of that Noro to do an intarsia motif—a big star, perhaps—on the front, or maybe a couple of patch pockets.) I don’t mind using different colors for the front and the back, but I think that each surface ought to be a solid color (i.e., no stripes or all-over intarsia or fairisle). The sleeves were knit on #2 needles (my friend Pat says the Noro is sportweight yarn that would have done well on #3s, but I liked the tighter fabric that #2s produced), and I’d like the body to be knit on #2s or #3s, too.

I was thinking that a sock yarn might work, and so far that only place I’ve really looked is KnitPicks. None of their sock yarns (and sportweight yarns, too) have the same “jewel tone” quality of this Noro New Ruby. I have no objection to mixing and matching yarns, but I do want the parts of the sweater to look like they’re meant to go together. My friend Gina thought that Baby Cashmerino (which I lurve might work, but the colors in that line are too subdued for this project.

Help! Suggestions, anyone?

6 Responses to “Crowdsourcing my knitting”

  1. # Linneton 15 Apr 2008 at 9:35 pm

    Maybe you could use a neutral color for the body? Black would really make the colors pop, or a lighter neutral would tone the colors down. That might open up more yarn possibilities, maybe even the Baby Cashmerino? I think using the Noro on the neckband and other details would pull the sweater together into a cohesive piece.

  2. # Chrison 15 Apr 2008 at 10:30 pm

    Oh, I like Linnet’s idea of black! (That’s probably not a surprise.) Or maybe something like Cherry Tree Hill solids??

  3. # bethon 16 Apr 2008 at 8:14 am

    How about Panda Silk Yarn – 52% bamboo, 43% merino wool, 5% combed silk – there are lots of solids available, but hard to choose from a monitor.

  4. # Carrieon 16 Apr 2008 at 12:49 pm

    Doesn’t Louet Gems have some jewel tones in sportweigth and sock weight? I’ve never used them, I just remember thinking they were very pretty :)

  5. # Deborahon 17 Apr 2008 at 6:34 am

    Linnet’s idea about the black is really good in my mind. It would definitely make the sleeves pop. Or what you could also do is pick your favorite color from the Noro and use that color as a solid for the body. Cherry Tree Hill would be very nice as Chris suggested. I’ve used Louet Gems and it is a nice yarn to work with. I’m not sure I would pick a light color to go with the sleeves though. I think a dark body would help the lighter colors in the sleeves pop more.

  6. # JDon 25 Apr 2008 at 12:42 am

    Maybe Lamb’s Pride Cotton Fleece? It’s a worsted weight, but there are a ton of color options, not to mention a sale from Little Knits (go buy it because I wish I could but am on a strict post-tax budget!).