Splitty yarns!

DehbiK

Some of the newer yarns, especially a lot of the gradients, are comprised of multiple strands the thinness of thread almost.  

I'd like to have a conversation about splittiness in yarns.  I have seen much criticism by many different knitters of yarns that they condemn for being splitty.  I have been knitting for my entire life (I'm now a grandmother!), and although I will acknowledge that there is such a thing as a splitty yarn, I think this is more of a user error problem than it is one that cannot be overcome by control (taking care), how the yarn is handled, the type of needles used (sharper versus more blunt), and sometimes the fiber content.

I'm using a yarn now that is somewhat splitty, but I've had very little trouble with it.

I'd love to hear what others think about splittiness and if anyone else has a similar view of how to deal with yarns like this.   

DehbiK

                               
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maryknitter65

                               
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2017-10-18 18:56
I see, when they make all shades of purple it's similar to a gradient.

I think some plied and twis ...

Yes. That's how I was thinking of some of those cake yarns, like Caron, but really only in those monchromatic colorways.    It is all very subjective.  For example, I've knitted for my entire life and can do just about anything, but I really don't like entrelac.  I like the way it looks, but I don't enjoy knitting it.  And lace is o.k., but some of those insanely complicated lace patterns are very unforgiving when it comes to distractions, which I always seem to have.  Not yarns, I know.

And with regard to yarns:  there is this thick chenille yarn...it might be called "Baby Blanket."  It comes in these great colors and is nice and soft, but it is HORRIBLE to knit with.  I made a baby blanket out of it for some people and they and the baby loved that blanket, but I was kicking myself the entire time I was knitting it! Being chenille it had no elasticity at all.  Ugh!

I am not really a purist when it comes to fiber content and I work with everything from nice acrylics (I know...some people think that's an oxymoron!) to some of the nicer, and pricier, natural fiber yarns.  I also like a lot of different blends.  It just depends on the project and the intended recipient. No way will I make anything out of nice fibers for my daughter and her family.  They will listen very patiently to instructions about washing or cleaning and then whatever it is goes into the washing machine.  There are some decent synthetics and blends and I just stick with those when knitting for them.  

Oh, my.  I've jacked the thread I started!  

DehbiK

                               
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jademonkey

                               
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2017-10-19 08:19
>but took them off of the cables for some reason and now can't find them!
I wish I could find an o ...

I own a set of the special tips Cubics interchangeables that came in their own storage case.  However, I have bought a lot of other tips individually so not everything fits in the case although I do store most of my cables in the case.

So I use a storage cube that I think I found at an Army Navy store or at a hardware store years ago.  And just now I checked on eBay and just searching on "storage cube" without the quotation marks pulled up all sorts of auctions for every kind of storage tube imaginable. Most of them cost very little.

The tube in this photo is just under 5" long and the diameter is 1". It fits perfectly in my knitting bag.

A number of people on Etsy sell storage systems for circular needles and those are similar to my Cubics case and work great for keeping your cables organized.  

I hope you can access the images I think I attached here.  Never tried that before in PinDiy!  If you can't, let me know and I'll try something else.

DehbiK

                               
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TheKnitter

                               
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2017-10-5 20:31
The only gradients I've found to be "splitty" are the cheap ones from AC Moore, Michael's and some o ...

I used to do quite a bit of yarn dyeing myself and loved it.  I used mostly cotton/rayon blends as my base yarns. I have a lot of really nice hand dyed yarns by others stashed in various storage cubes, etc. around the house.  I forget what I have!  Those I have bought at yarn shops and sometimes at yarn showings a knitting guild meetings.  

I live in Southern California and all of the good yarn shops here carry Baah! yarns that are dyed locally.  So I have that, Malabrigo, Manos, Koigu, and some other less well-known but still very nice hand dyed yarns.  I have not been to any fiber festivals in a long time.  I did go to a few Stitches conventions but have not done that in a long time, either.  One of my favorite yarns is Cascade Venezia.  It's a silk wool blend. More commercial but really lovely.  I made one stole of some of it and have a bunch for something else in another color.  

DehbiK

                               
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TheKnitter

                               
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2017-10-5 20:31
The only gradients I've found to be "splitty" are the cheap ones from AC Moore, Michael's and some o ...

I don't normally use bamboo....I think it can be a problem with stretching and shape changing, but I have to use something really soft and I wanted a really deep and rich purple for a friend who is allergic to wool in any form.  I don't know how she is with alpaca or any other animal fibers, but this bamboo/cotton blend is really beautiful and very soft. It is a little bit splitty, but as I said, I don't normally have a problem even with splitty yarns.  They just have to be handled differently and with the right tools.

For this yarn, I'm using Karbonz short tips (well, I use short tipped interchangeables for almost everything).  There seems to be less catching than with wood or bamboo needles.  I was using Nova tips recently and liked those even better, but took them off of the cables for some reason and now can't find them!

Thanks for responding.  Is is always interesting to learn about the experiences of others.  

TheKnitter

The only gradients I've found to be "splitty" are the cheap ones from AC Moore, Michael's and some of the on-line retailers.  The ones I've purchased from Indy Dyers, although more expensive, have been wonderful to knit with.  I use Signature Needles with Stiletto points and haven't had a problem.  

I do find Bamboo to be "splitty" which is probably why I don't enjoy working with it :-(

If the gradient had colors I was absolutely in love with I'd find a way to knit with it - perhaps by using wooden needles (Takumi is a brand that seems to have a blunt point).  

I buy most of my yarn at yarn stores or events (Rhinebeck in NY State, Maryland Sheep and Wool, and Garden State Sheep and Wool).  My local yarn store will take the yarn back if I'm not happy.  If it's something I can't return, frankly, I just don't buy it again and struggle through knitting the project I bought it for.

Just my opinion.

DehbiK

                               
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maryknitter65

                               
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2017-10-18 09:31
Katia Spring rainbow, for instance. It's acrylic and cotton. It comes in 150g cakes DK weight.

What ...

Yes.  I was thinking of a particular color of Caron Cakes that is all purples. I am considering that a gradient because all of the colors are in the same family.  But I see what you mean now.  I've not seen Katia.  

I've seen comments about several yarns that are not multi-stranded, though, in the sense of what you described and that some thought were very splitty.  I could understand what was meant, sort of, but I had not had problems with those yarns.  I'll see if I can find an example.

DehbiK

                               
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maryknitter65

                               
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2017-10-8 13:43
Cheap gradients are splitty because the color change happens one strand at a time and the strands ar ...

That's interesting.  I am not sure I've seen any cheap gradients.  All of the ones I've seen, or of which I'm aware, are not really cheap.  I can think of one inexpensive yarn that might be considered to be a gradient but it is plied and twisted.

Can you give an example of a brand of yarn that is like what you are describing?

DehbiK

                               
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jademonkey

                               
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2017-10-19 08:19
>but took them off of the cables for some reason and now can't find them!
I wish I could find an o ...

Jademonkey, I searched using the following words on Amazon.com and found even more storage tubes in better sizes for storing needle tips: "storage tubes with caps small" without the quotes again, of course.

DehbiK

                               
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jademonkey

                               
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2017-10-19 08:19
>but took them off of the cables for some reason and now can't find them!
I wish I could find an o ...

One more thing:  I just received my Knit Picks catalog in the mail today and they have a Needles storage case in several colors for $14.99.

jademonkey

                               
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DehbiK

                               
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2017-10-6 09:42
I don't normally use bamboo....I think it can be a problem with stretching and shape changing, but ...

>but took them off of the cables for some reason and now can't find them!
I wish I could find an organizer for the tips and cables that doesn't cost a fortune!

maryknitter65

Cheap gradients are splitty because the color change happens one strand at a time and the strands are not twisted, it's like working with 4 thin strands held together.

maryknitter65

Katia Spring rainbow, for instance. It's acrylic and cotton. It comes in 150g cakes DK weight.

What do you mean with "might be considered gradient"? Something like Caron cakes, maybe? In my opinion that is self striping, with very long stripes, not gradient.

maryknitter65

I see, when they make all shades of purple it's similar to a gradient.

I think some plied and twisted yarns are more splitty than others. I'm not sure it has to do with the color. Also, give two people the same yarn one tells you it's splitty the other says it's not!