fibre arts notes
milestones
- 25% - 66 rows
- 30% - 79 rows
- 33% - 88 rows
- 40% - 106 rows
- 50% - 132 rows
- 60% - 158 rows
- 66% - 176 rows
- 70% - 185 rows
- 75% - 198 rows
- 80% - 211 rows
- 90% - 238 rows
- 100% - 264 rows
every 5% is 13.2 rows = 3.3 reps
21/34
need 100g
have 20g x 6 = 120g
each colour should use 16-17g
start striping at 8g used = when the ball has 12g left
end when the ball has 4-5g left
but measure the ball's starting weight in case...
adjusting for allowing solid colours
start striping at 10g used
256 yards for 4 ounces
= 234m for 113g
kerchief requires 210m = 35m per colour / 16.9 grams each
so my calcs are about right assuming my yarn usage matches
1st colour 21.5g - stripe at 11.5g - end 5.5g
2nd colour 20.0g - stripe at 10g - end 4g
65 1 68
vk yarns
- maybe a variegated?
they don't do wool sock gradients...
ozifarmer
- green gradient - minsu socks
- blue-purple gradient - jay socks
- minis - swatching and duplicate stitch
blue barn
- slinky? - swatching/mini wingspan test, possibly 1 black magic, 1 raven to see which looks better
taobao
- conductive thread for gloves
gold cols: 14 + 2
teal cols: 36
blue cols: 48
black cols: 82 - 2
measuring string info
- fold string at middle knot - shorter half is on the right side.
------|------------------------------------|--------------------------|--------
[ a ]
[ b ]
[ c ]
a. ~35cm, remaining length of entry string
b. ~30.5cm (loose), trimmed length of tassel string AFTER tying knot in place
c. for aligning tassel knot
milk cotton: 130m to 50g
3 balls: 390m
9 balls: 1170m
10 balls: 1300m
8.4g for setup rows (first ridge)
37.4g remaining
after row 1:
10.5g
35.0g remaining
2.1-2.4g used
after row 2:
12.8g
32.8g remaining
2.2-2.3g used
after row 3:
14.9g
30.7g remaining
2.1g used
after row 4:
17.2g
28.5g remaining
2.2-2.3g used
after row 10:
29.3g
16.3g remaining
ridge rows: 8.4g
2.3g * 50 rows = 115g
10.7g
7.0g
3.0
RS: K1, Sl1pwif, k1, …, k1, Sl1pwif, k1
WS: Sl1pwif, k1, sl1pwif, …, Sl1pwif, k1, sl1pwif
72.2g
12g required for 1 crochet blanket row
1 full ball = 142g
teal -
21.9
17.5
129.7
1 full ball
-- total 311.1g
blue
18.5
2 full balls
-- total 302.5g
black
84.2
4 full balls
-- total 652.2g
gold
86.9
6.2g
1 full ball
-- total 235.1g
remaining
(assume 1 vertical = 3.6g)
teal 2 + 6 + 6 = 14 / 36 vertical
168g + 129.6g = 297.6
blue 1 + 8 + 8 = 17 / 48 vertical
204g + 172.8g = 376.8
black 1 + 11 + 1 + 11 + 3 = 27 / 82 vertical
324g + 295.2g = 619.2
gold 4 / 14 vertical
48g + 50.4g = 98.4
to add another repeat
teal 6 rows
72g / 13.5g available - needs 1 more ball
blue 8 rows
96g / -74.3 remaining - needs 2 more balls
black 12 rows
144g / 33g available - needs 1 more ball
gold 2 rows
24g / 136.7g available - enough
Documenting my adventures in buying cheap yarn from China. I don't advise doing this since the fibre content for the especially cheap ones is mysterious at best. As a general rule, I prefer to avoid buying wool (difficult to know if it's ethically sourced, though honestly this goes for everything), so most of these are (probably, presumably, hopefully) cotton yarns.
依棉 Yi Mian
Purchased from: https://shopee.sg/50Grams-Ball-4-Strand-Milk-Cotton-Yarn-Crochet-Soft-Warm-Wool-Hand-knitted-Thread-Baby-Sweater-Doll-Scarf-Supplies-i.275897983.12627685594
Cost: SGD $1.45-ish (may have increased) / about USD $1.06
Fibre content: 100% milk fibre? / 4-ply
Yarn Weight: Sport?
Yardage: ?m / 50g per ball
Seller's recommended hook/needle size: 3mm hook
Gauge:
Washing instructions:
- No chlorine bleach
- 120 - 140 degrees Celsius ironing
- Dry clean or hand wash gently
- Dry in the shade
- Dry flat
Purchased on Shopee. Comes with a label but the label doesn't say anything helpful about the yarn's composition. More specifically, it says "牛奶棉100%" (100% milk cotton; afaik milk cotton is a blend of milk fibre and cotton so this isn't specific enough). The page says "Type : Wool Blended Yarn", "Material : 100% Milk Fiber". A mystery yarn.
It's pleasant to use and touch. Has a sort of spongy feel when worked up in knots/thicker stitches.
There are a lot of other milk cottons available out there - this is just the one I happened to pick. Maybe I'll try other ones at some point.
Pros:
+ Cheap
+ Lots of colour variety
+ Very soft and nice to work with
+ There's a surprising amount of yardage in this and I always end up buying too much...
Cons:
- Can be splitty when working with small needles/hooks
- Mystery fibre content
长段染毛线
Purchased from: https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?spm=a1z09.2.0.0.5f9d2e8dl0RQqL&id=655795231543&_u=d3al187r30c9
Cost: RMB 32.90 / SGD $7.05 / USD $5.17
Fibre content: Wool? / Blown yarn
Yarn Weight: ~13 wpi / Sport?
Yardage: ?m / 100g per unit
Seller's recommended hook/needle size: 4mm needles
Gauge:
Purchased on Taobao. Another mystery yarn that's cheap to buy in bulk, but even more mysterious. This one doesn't even have a label on it, or a brand/manufacturer name for that matter.
My main issue with it is that it has a smell that's...not overpowering but strong enough to smell while you're working on it. I got it for doing some cheap experiments, but got turned away by the smell. It comes caked up tightly.
Pros:
+ Cheap
+ Nice looking long gradients
+ A lot of yarn, and if you buy multiple they wind it in the same cake without breakage
Cons:
- IT SMELLS LIKE PEE
- Mystery fibre content??
- The little fibres get caught on the crochet hook
情人棉
Purchased from: https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?spm=a1z09.2.0.0.5f9d2e8dl0RQqL&id=608149029784&_u=d3al187r9e16
Cost: RMB 5.50 / SGD $1.18 / USD $0.86
Fibre content: Long staple cotton, mystery fibre / 8-ply
Yarn weight: ~6 wpi / Bulky?
Yardage: ?m / 100g per skein
Seller's recommended hook/needle size: 6mm needles / 5mm hook
Gauge:
Washing instructions:
- Handwash 0-5 degrees Celsius
- Do not bleach
- Do not put in dryer
- Avoid strong sunlight
- Do not wring dry
- Iron 120 degrees Celsius
- Air dry
- Dark colours may bleed on first wash, can add a small amount of vinegar to fix the colour
- Avoid abrasion (may cause pilling)
Purchased on Taobao. I thought this one was all cotton, but under materials it mentions a type of fibre called 护肤绒 that doesn't point to a specific type of fibre. Googling only brings up a post saying this refers to cashmere, but this is highly unlikely given the price.
This one's very soft and pleasant to touch. I like it a lot. Working it up into a blanket.
Pros:
+ Cheap
+ Lots of colour variety
+ Very soft and nice to work with
Cons:
- Somewhat splitty
炫彩苏棉 Sue Cotton
Purchased from: https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?spm=a1z09.2.0.0.5f9d2e8dl0RQqL&id=600481843811&_u=d3al187rfee5
Cost: RMB 12 / SGD $2.57 / USD $1.89
Fibre content: 65% cotton, 35% acrylic / Blown yarn
Yarn weight: ~10 wpi / DK to worsted?
Yardage: 280m / 100g? per skein
Seller's recommended hook/needle size: 3.25-4.5mm needles
Gauge: 17-18 stitches in stockinette (blocked), 4.5mm needles
Washing instructions:
- Do not bleach
- Dry clean or hand wash gently
- Dry in the shade
- Dry flat
Purchased on Taobao. Weirdly enough, the page contained little to no information about this yarn, which I thought was the most mysterious of these mystery yarns...but the label said everything (in English, even), so it's really the least mysterious. I would've liked to know before buying, but it turned out to be perfect for the project I was planning, so that worked out. I'm only uncertain about the skein weight because I didn't weigh it before starting, but it should be in that ballpark.
Mostly crocheted with this, but it was nice to knit with too. The construction makes it likely for the hook/needle to catch on the mesh, and the coloured fibre often gets caught as well. Dry skin tends to catch fibres too. It's otherwise pleasant to work with and looks nice. Colour variety is ok, not as many options as the others.
Pros:
+ Cheap
+ Nice for a heathered kind of effect, good stitch definition
+ Soft
+ We actually know the fibre content and yardage
Cons:
- Fibres catch a lot
【丝悦】丝光棉
Purchased from: https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?id=566756116788&_u=d3al187r3c8d
Cost: RMB 7.50 / SGD $1.61 / USD $1.18
Fibre content: 100% Mercerised cotton
Yarn weight: Lace
Yardage: 330m? / 50g per ball
Seller's recommended hook/needle size: Single-ply 1mm hook, 2-ply 2.5mm needles
Gauge:
Purchased on Taobao. I was looking for a fingering weight, but it's actually really hard to find anything above laceweight and below sport weight. I'll probably be using this for some small weight tests and tiny amigurumi.
Pros:
+ Cheap
+ We actually know the fibre content and yardage
Cons:
意大利天丝线
Purchased from: https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?spm=a1z09.2.0.0.5f9d2e8dl0RQqL&id=37994968674&_u=d3al187r6e70
Cost: RMB 11.50 / SGD $2.46 / USD $1.81
Fibre content: 60% Tencel, 10% silk, 30% mulberry silk / 4-ply untwisted
Yarn weight: Lace?
Yardage: ? / 100g per ball
Seller's recommended hook/needle size: 1.9 - 2mm needles, 1.5mm hook
Gauge:
Purchased on Taobao. It says it's imported from Italy. Did you know it's cheaper for me to buy yarns from western dyers from Taobao? The yarn price turns out to be approximately the same, but the shipping is cheaper.
Anyway, this is really cheap for Tencel/silk, honestly. The only thing is that I was looking for a fingering weight, so I'll have to ply 2 balls together to make a single fingering weight ball, which mean this technically costs me twice as much to use. Also, the plies are untwisted, so it's probably going to be really splitty. Even so, less than $5 a 100g ball is pretty good.
The yarn is delightfully soft, smooth, and cool to the touch. Also, no unpleasant smells or anything, which is always a plus. It's also very fine, so even with 2 balls plied together, I'm not sure it makes up a fingering weight yarn. It might still be considered laceweight. It has a sheen to it, but not enough to call shiny - it's more of a matte shine, looks very classy.
Worked swatch with 2.25mm needles. Very slippery and kind of hard to tension. Purling is very difficult as it slips and has no stretch. The fabric looks nice and dense, however.
The one real issue I have with it is that the plies are SO LOOSE. This poses big problems when winding balls (as I need to ply them together) - they get mysteriously tangled all the time even though I didn't do anything especially weird. Except perhaps pull out more string than I needed. I don't know.
Pros:
+ Cheap
+ Decent colour selection
+ We actually know the fibre content
Cons:
- Splits, tangles, knots