Embellished with Czech and Japanese seed beads, bugle beads, silver and bronze beads, vintage buttons, embroidery,sequins, tulle, fabric scraps and couching in acrylic yarn and lots of hand quilting. Batting is 1/4" thick and backed with purple and white gingham.
Posted by stprcsm on 2004-06-24 23:52:14
Post Subject: yarn grab bag!
need to clean out yarn stash. almost all worsted weight acrylic yarn (red heart sort of stuff) some full skeins but nothing smaller than a softball. Lots of colors, smoke free home. I will shove as much as I can into a $3.95 priority bag if you cover the shipping. (paypal, cash, check, whatever) Let me know what colors you like and Ill try to accomodate. Any other questions just ask here or email ( in profile)
Posted by stprcsm on 2004-06-24 23:50:14
Post Subject: yarn grab bag!
need to clean out yarn stash. almost all worsted weight acrylic yarn (red heart sort of stuff) some full skeins but nothing smaller than a softball. Lots of colors, smoke free home. I will shove as much as I can into a $3.95 priority bag if you cover the shipping. (paypal, cash, check, whatever) Let me know what colors you like and Ill try to accomodate. Any other questions just ask here or email ( in profile)
Posted by rratstarr on 2005-02-14 15:57:10
Post Subject: Kill it!
This thread might be dead, but just in case:
There is a technique for acrylic yarn called "killing" where you either steam heavily with an iron (not touching the iron to the fabric) or press the fabric with a warm iron (be careful with the iron temp, so as not to melt the yarn). It's supposed to relax the fibers, and make the fabric really drapey. It also makes it shinier (and softer, I think?).
I tried googling it, and after eventually searching "killing iron acrylic yarn" I found some vague references to it.
I personally haven't tried this, but since you've already written this project off, it sounds like you don't have anything to lose.
Posted by ada on 2004-10-18 07:06:35
Post Subject:
It's important for exactly the reason you give - that it helps finish a project.
This doesn't matter much if the project finish is flexible - like, a scarf doesn't have to be certain exact dimensions; a hat knit all in one piece pretty much is fine without blocking.
It matters for anything that needs to be/has pieces that need to be a certain size. If you knit a top in pieces - front, back, sleeves - you need to sew all this together. Blocking lets you shape the pieces to the exact dimensions given in the pattern (it compensates for small variations in gauge that might have happened when you were knitting), so that they all 'fit' together for sewing up.
It also matters to make pieces 'behave' better. Especially with stocking stitch in knitting, the pieces will curl on the edges - if you block, you reduce the curling, and so the pieces are easier to handle and sew up.
That same effect also often makes the item look nicer - the process of blocking smoothes out a lot of the unevenness and odd 'curling' and so on of a knitted item. I'm not sure how to describe this - it's sort of like all the stitches sort of settle a bit, and even out, and just sit better. This is especially useful for colour work - it can help reduce any slight puckering. Also, it can make the finished item (if it's clothing) drape a bit better.
Finally, blocking is absolutely crucial if you are knitting lace. It is only when you stretch out the knitting that you can see the pattern properly.
On your technical questions: I don't really know, I'm very low-tec in my blocking. I just wet the item, pin it out on a towel with my standard sewing pins, and leave it to dry. Sometimes if a curl etc. is especially persistent, I will steam it a bit by pressing it with an iron over a damp facecloth. (If you do this with acrylic yarn, it will totally change texture - it stops being as 'springy' and becomes sort of drapey - this can be a nice effect, just make sure you do it on purpose!)
Posted by sarabell on 2006-11-06 00:47:14
Post Subject:
personally, i like to come up with different or unexpected materials (especially if i have a hard time finding what i'm looking for....)
it really depends on what kind of handbags you're making when it comes to acrylic yarn.... might be really cool, or might not. but on the bright side, there have been amazing strides made when it comes to acrylic yarn - some really neat stuff out there now. if you're making bags, perhaps you could try some other sort of string that you have access to there. my kid's grammie is from PI and she used to crochet bags with thinner crochet thread and line them. or maybe you have some really cool string there that we don't even know about!
Posted by Vigilantesjustice on 2007-05-18 11:42:37
Post Subject: Gettting musty smell out of yarn?
One of the ladies from my craft group showed up last night with half of a garbage bag full of acrylic yarn that she got off of freecycle. She took what she wanted out of it and passed the rest on to me. The problem is that the yarn is kind of musty smelling, like whoever had it before her didn't store it properly (which is probably exacerbated by the fact that some of the stuff seems older than me!). Is there any hope for this yarn? I threw some dryer sheets into the bag, and I'm thinking about febreezing it all. Does anyone have any other ideas about how to salvage this stuff?
-Corinne
Posted by davyse on 2007-01-15 11:54:08
Post Subject: Help, Need ideas for knitting
Hi :)
So today I went shopping in a second hand store and I found 20 balls of a navy blue acrylic yarn, ca 500g. (I have no idea how long it is).
I just learned how to knit and have finished 2 scarfs last month. I'm eager to get started again! :)
Anybody got ideas on what I can try make? :D
Posted by rratstarr on 2004-11-10 14:36:18
Post Subject:
Knitting isn't difficult, but it's one of those things that some people have a hard time getting started with until it "clicks" with them, then they take off. Does that make sense? I've heard of people being taught the basics of knitting when they were 4 or 5, so it's definitely an all-ages craft.
First of all, some types of yarn are harder to work with than others. You should avoid cotton yarn, especially. Wool is usually the recommendation for beginning knitters, but since it's for baby blankets, you need something machine washable. I would suggest a synthetic/wool blend. If you're using donated yarn, then I suggest getting them started with whatever is available, then if a girl is having difficulty you can switch her to an "easier" (i.e. more wool content) yarn.
I taught myself to knit, and originally bought the cheapest materials I could find (Red Heart acrylic yarn); I put it aside in frustration within a few hours, and didn't try to knit again for a few years.
Another thing to keep in mind: the cast-on and first row are *much* harder to knit than any subsequent rows. If any of the girls are having a really hard time getting through those first two rows, maybe a troop leader (or someone else) can get it started for them, then they can keep going from there. Then, after gaining a little dexterity, and figuring out the best way to hold the needles, they might get the hang of casting on for the next block.
Posted by aimesk on 2006-02-10 12:20:57
Post Subject: Acrylic Bikini
Hi everyone,
I'm new to this site.. i'm looking for a pattern for a bikini.. i know there's some already on the website and i've looked at them but i need a pattern for acrylic yarn.
i have the yarn picked up and i really love it and want to make 5 bikini tops for me and my girlfriends to wear at a music festival together. It glows in the black light:D
I'm just new to knitting .. baby knitter.. so i don't really know how to change a pattern from cotton to arcylic.. and what size of needle to use..
Posted by twilight on 2006-12-07 20:46:16
Post Subject:
For knitting:
When I'm on the go I carry a small makeup clutch with knitting essentials. A cloth tape measure, a small notepad, a pen, scissors, a small ball of acrylic yarn for quick fixes and a crochet hook to pick up dropped stitches and stich markers. This is a great knitting travel kit and has come in handy many times.
Posted by delqc on 2005-08-29 09:29:56
Post Subject:
A follow-up on Katrin's method - and one I just learned - is double knitting. Basically you knit in two layers by doing knit 1, slip one on an even number of stitches, then turn, then continue to knit 1, slip 1. This looks like stockinette on both sides, doesn't curl, and is twice as thick as regular stockinette (although also takes twice as long to do since each row is really only half a row).
I'm making mittens like this from some thin acrylic yarn that I found ...
Here's a link to a great tutorial, and to a thread about this technique (and Harry Potter Scarves) on craftster.
But that doesn't solve your problem on flattening your already-in-progress scarf. steam sounds like your best bet :(.
Posted by purple_glitter on 2006-02-11 15:05:42
Post Subject:
craftfetish, you're right -- as long as the yarn is the same guage as the yarn called for in the pattern it should be fine.
aimesk, if there's some kind of wrapper around your yarn or looped through the yarn, it should tell you everything you need to know about the yarn. It will usually have a weight (in ounces or grams) and length (yards or meters) and a suggested needle size and guage. If the weight/guage of your acrylic and the cotton called for in the pattern is the same, you'll have no problems. If they're a bit different, you'll have to play around with needle sizes to match the guage called for in the pattern.
Acrylic yarn sometimes has more "give" than a cotton yarn, meaning that it might stretch a bit. But if you're only using the tops for a few days, it probably won't matter.
Posted by xuli on 2006-11-06 05:23:24
Post Subject: Re: thanks!
I guess I have a lot of yarn search and study to do.
Got another question - personally, do you think acrylic yarn would be OK to use for handbags?
Like others have said, it depends on the bag pattern and on the yarn. Since you aren't going to wear a bag, some cheaper acrylics might be a good choice (those same cheap acrylics tend to be sweaty and often scratchy for garments).
One thing to keep in mind is that there are a LOT of threads on the crafty board along the lines of "I'm thinking of using X yarn for X ... any thoughts?" Once you have a specific yarn and a specific pattern picked out, you might try posting one of those questions. Chances are, someone will have some good input for you.
I buy a lot of yarn online, without feeling it first. I know that's a yarn sin, but I just haven't been happy with my yarn store. And I'm an experienced enough knitter that I have a pretty good sense for fiber behaviors, what gauge to look for, etc. It hasn't been a problem for me.
Posted by peenkfrik on 2006-11-05 21:53:54
Post Subject: thanks!
I guess I have a lot of yarn search and study to do. Thanks for all your help. I'm just glad to be part of getcrafty.
Quornflour, I did think of that (not being able to touch it) and that's one thing I'll have to risk if I order online.
Sarabell, thanks for your opinion on the peaches and creme yarn. The last thing I want would be the color fading too fast.
To my_small_space: As for shops in Manila, I'm not so sure if there are those who specialize in yarn. I came across a blog by a Manila-based crafter who has also got problems looking for yarn. Cebu actually has a lot of Chinese traders but sadly most of them just sell the acrylic type.
Xuli, thanks for the list of online stores. I did check all those websites and I think the one I like best is Elann. I tried their shipping calculator and I guess the charges are way lower than that of other online stores. The next thing to figure out would be which type of yarn be most suitable for my projects. Wish me luck.
Got another question - personally, do you think acrylic yarn would be OK to use for handbags?
Posted by sarabell on 2005-10-24 16:34:42
Post Subject:
oohh--- i really don't know if you're going to have much luck with that yarn. i have a very hard time using my bond machine at all with just acrylic yarn and had a hard time using anything with much of any texture at all with the really nice (super expenside) professional punch card brother machines back when i was in school. honestly, i'm surprised that you've been able to get the yarn to work at all!
(i abhor my bond machine and am contemplating ebaying the sucker myself!)
Posted by midnightandlulu on 2005-02-17 03:28:21
Post Subject:
hi,
wow! just wanted to say your work is beautiful!
my grandma used to be a speed hooker (haha!) back in the 70s. but that was that awful 70s scratchy acrylic yarn.
I've just done a bit of hooking, with recycled shrunken wool sweaters, burlap and a hook. here's a couple photos-
http://www.getcrafty.com/pictures.php?user=midnightandlulu&album=recycled+sweater+projects&picture=808
and I spin, but haven't done a rug with handspun yet.
Posted by baltica on 2005-02-17 13:22:52
Post Subject:
I agree, totally gorgeous stuff!
I've got The Rug Hook Book by THom Boswell (ed.) and one of those Reader's Digest mega craft compendiums that includes a section on hooking. That's really all I needed to get started.
I've only made a couple of rugs, probably because it takes forever using a manual punch tool. Maybe someday I'll invest in an automatic one. I could also use a rug cutter; right now I use the hated 70s acrylic yarn as my medium.
Posted by Craftasaurus Rex on 2006-08-09 10:02:26
Post Subject:
I've been avoiding the two major yarn shops in Philly, Rosies and Sophies, because I've heard a lot of snobbery goes on there. I had a friend who went to a knitting circle at one of them, and they didn't say one word to her. Not even "hey, welcome!" And forget it if you bring something to crochet, or if you have acrylic yarn.
There's also a teacher in my area that a lot of people go to for lessons, but she's a TOTAL snob. She won't teach you unless you're using 100% wool yarn (it doesn't matter to her if you're allergic). She actually berated one of her student in front of the whole class for not using 100% wool yarn.
Sorry, this is a bit off topic, but the snobbery thing is something that really puts me off to shopping in yarn stores.
I work in a bead / yarn store in south Jersey, and sometimes it's the customers that bring in the snobbery ("I don't need any help, I've been knitting for 15 years thank you").
Posted by amygdala on 2006-08-09 13:09:54
Post Subject:
I've been avoiding the two major yarn shops in Philly, Rosies and Sophies, because I've heard a lot of snobbery goes on there. I had a friend who went to a knitting circle at one of them, and they didn't say one word to her. Not even "hey, welcome!" And forget it if you bring something to crochet, or if you have acrylic yarn.
I refuse to go to Sophie's. EVERY SINGLE TIME I went there they ignored me. Rosie's, however, I've had good experiences with. There it just depends on who is working at the time you go there - some of their employees are really nice, others not so much. My problem with Rosie's is that it is way too small - if anyone is hanging out and knitting, you can't get to half their yarn.
There is another yarn store that I frequent - Loop on 19th and South. They're pretty relaxed - they'll help you out but they're not pushy. And they always offer to swift your skeins! I do most of my yarn-buying there now, expecially since I live around there. The drawback to Loop is that they only stock nice yarn. I don't think there is any acrylic in that whole store, which is fine for me but tough if you don't want to spend money on yarn. Their yarn is reasonably priced for what it is, they just don't really stock any of the budget brands. Nangellini at 9th and South also sells yarn, though I don't know if they're snobby. They don't seem to have a lot of different yarns, though, at least not judging by their website.
So anyway, try Loop if you want. They've been really nice to me.
Posted by Katrin on 2005-03-09 01:39:06
Post Subject:
I knit a lot with acrylic yarn, mostly because I have a lot of it. Last year my mom donated massive amounts of her extra stash to me, and it was almost all acrylic (I didn't expect her to part with the really good stuff, did I?).
Actually she makes some lovely throws and afghans with soft acrylic bouclé yarn, so some of what she gave me was leftover skeins of that. But a lot of it was also the old cheezy '70s Red Heart stuff that she just wanted to get rid of. I decided, so what? It was free, and I'll revel in it.
Around the same time I also found a bunch of cheap old acrylic yarn at thrift stores, and I just got into my head that I wanted to make some fun, cheezy, ugly sweaters to practice my sweater-making skills. In the grand tradition of those old-skool knitters that S'nB makes fun of, most of my sweaters have featured lots of green, orange and brown. Since I don't have a full sweater's worth of most colors, stripes are a main theme too. My latest project is a ribbed sweater in Easter-egg-colored stripes (lavender, yellow and peach with some rainbow-variegated accents) - I'm trying my hand at my own design without a pattern.
Eventually I'll use up all this acrylic making oddly striped sweaters or blankets for homeless cats or coffee-cup holders or whatever, and I'll buy some more "serious" yarn for serious projects. But for now, making things that are intentionally goofy and tacky and not pretending to be anything else is part of the fun.
Posted by Athos on 2004-10-22 01:49:52
Post Subject:
oh hodge, you'll make me blush! glad to be helpful.
and crochet was my gateway craft! i always thought knitting was too hard, and then i got hooked by crochet. hee hee. i realized i needed to learn knitting in order to have a full range, so i did.
i made a few scarves and hats with no pattern in crochet just by trying different things to see what would work. i don't know if you celebrate christmas, but there are tons of crochet christmas ornaments. many are cheesy, but could be varied to be cool. you'd get a lot of practice reading patterns, and you'd only need to buy a couple skeins of cheap, yucky acrylic yarn in three or so basic colors to have tons of variety. you could give the ornaments to a nursing home or other center if you won't use them yourself.
is there a specific pattern you want to try from the interweave knits mag? i could look at it (xuli kindly lent me her copy) and let you know my thoughts about the difficulty. also, check out the thread on the second knit project on the craft section to get ideas about choosing projects. lots of great advice there.
Posted by Ann Berry on 2005-01-13 14:17:03
Post Subject:
I like using acrylic yarn for blankets--totally washable (there's some great soft ones out there) or how about an acrylic blend--Sirdar Snuggly Baby Care DK is a cotton/acrylic soft blend.
I'd make a hat too--they're so useful.
I agree with the ready made meals for her freezer--a friend did that for me and it was sooo thoughtful. I'll never forget it. Chicken, mashed potatoes, jambalaya, pasta bakes are good ones.
Posted by stella on 2004-10-26 13:18:31
Post Subject:
i hate working with, wearing, and washing acrylic yarn (squeaky, static-y, itchy...) so i make baby gifts out of washable wool or even hand-wash wool. my cousin's baby has a hat i made her out of regular, hand wash only wool, and she loves it. a hat doesn't get barfed on or anything, so i think the washability is less of an issue.
EZ has a long and compelling argument about why it's best to dress babies in wool in The Knitter's Almanac. and now that there's wool you can throw in the washing machine, and lay flat to dry, why bother with nasty synthetics?
Posted by Miss M on 2004-10-26 11:14:00
Post Subject:
I would suggest acrylic - only because you can wash AND dry it without worrying about it shrinking, etc. Just think of the horror of ruining a favorite "blankie"! Plus, even after only washing, they are almost dry before they hit the dryer, which means you can pull them out before dry time is over for the rest of the load to give to a kiddo.
Just hit the yarn isle of your favorite craft store and take the time to read the labels carefully. These things - esp. the blanket - will potentially be run thru the wash hundreds of times!
My son has a blanket made from acrylic yarn (made by my mom) - he's 3 now and he's used it since birth. It still looks great and believe me, it's been peed on, pooped on, barfed on, dragged through the dirt, sand, grass, thru airports, train stations, on car trips and everything else you can imagine and it still look pretty darn good!
Good luck with your projects!
Posted by bessiemae on 2007-02-12 12:57:58
Post Subject:
So who won the Crown?
Sash?
Tiara?
Let us not lose our sense of humor nor perspective. Could negatively impact one's Craft Karma, dooming one to avocado and harvest gold acrylic yarn. And no one wants that.
Posted by Christy Petterson on 2007-02-12 13:37:35
Post Subject:
thank you for the humor bessiemae....yes, avocado and harvest gold acrylic yarn would certainly be horrible!
thank you Dave and Demetri for working on this...we all know it wasn't on purpose and Get Crafty is not in the business of spamming anyone. In fact Get Crafty is quite ANTI-SPAM so apologies to everyone!!!!!
Posted by sarabell on 2005-06-22 22:26:33
Post Subject:
hmmm. haven't seen one of those. looks way old school! i posted the square version i have in my blog. wasn't pleased with the result, definitely needs to be a patchwork thing with many similar pieces, like a scarf or something.... will monkey around with it when i'm willing to touch acrylic yarn (temperature permitting.) i'm wondering if the original post was related to your device or the circular version of mine.
if it's like mine, you should be able to figure it out by looking at a finished daisies. i've seen some on the website of a fellow craftista.....
has anyone seen any of the circular looms in craft stores lately? i want one and i want it NOW!!!! of course, i've yet to look..... craft store is 45 minutes away unless i want to settle with walfart.
Posted by athena on 2005-03-04 16:32:26
Post Subject:
acrylic yarn is great for baby stuff because you can throw it in a washing machine and not worry about shrinking. some brands are better than others. lion brand is the best quality, IMHO. and caron makes a really soft acrylic (i forget what it's called, maybe "simply soft?") that really is soft. i bought skeins of the caron at a.c. moore for $1.88!
Posted by terravita on 2005-03-08 23:43:21
Post Subject:
Ok, here's the shawl. Now, this was not done in acrylic yarn, but the majority of it is a blend of mohair and something synthetic, and one of the novelty yarns was based on an acrylic, I think. Oh, and ignore the goofy look on my face....I was mid-sentence when the picture was taken. :-P
Posted by Knits4Fun on 2005-03-08 20:41:48
Post Subject:
Personally, I love ALL yarn. Acrylic or not. Believe-you-me, I can be a real yarn snob at times, especially if I want a nice cozy mohair or wool sweater etc.
But acrylic has it's purpose. I'm even planning on making my husband a sweater out of acrylic yarn--already have the yarn for it too.
I mostly make baby blankets from acrylic because it's so durable and easily washable--BELIEVE me I know how important that is . . .
Posted by anthrogirl on 2006-10-24 12:05:02
Post Subject:
I find that kind of advertising offensive too, even though I understand it.
What annoys me about it is that so many of today's needlecraft projects in those kinds of books are tacky, stupid, useless, or downright ugly. Yes, a granny square rug made from cheap acrylic yarn in eye-shattering colors is pretty ungly, and many grandmas made things like that. And I don't like toilet paper cozies make with cheap doll torsoes. But do we really need an entire book of cross-stitch patterns with says meant to 'sarcastically' offend the reader? Is the world a better place because someone has come up with a pattern for knitted robot shapes? Is a crochetsd or knitted lettuce decorating a dishcloth really more ugly than a carefully made pattern of a skull and crossbones on a potholder?
Many of the new patterns scream 'I'm a big dorky kid' to me. They are still centered in the idea that consumerism, particularly indiscriminate, mindless, selfish, disposable and wasteful consumerism, is an ideal. However ugly that cozy might have been, it sat in the bathroom for years, had a certain inoffensive charm (tasteless though it was), and did its good work without complaint. How long will it take for a person to grow up and get tired of skulls, snarky sayings and robot pillows, so that a new set of everything has to be made- creating more waste?
And the way things become passe- I've seen books making fun of 60s and 70s fashions. Well, those fashions weren't considered ugly at the time by the people who wore them. They weren't necessarily dorky. The same is true about clothing now. A lot of it will look very dorky in 20 years. Can you imagine about what teens will say when they come across pictures of their parents with piercings, trying to look cool? About the same thing teens say now when they see photos of mom in tie-dye and dad in a macrame vest. Fuddy-duddyism is that the next generation thinks the last generation was.
As an 'older' crafter myself (I'll be 45 soon), I already find a lot of the patterns in these books and magazines to be idiotic and self-conciously hip. They are narcissistic and reflect the lack of taste and herd mentality of youth, just as those awful tie-dyes and jean bags did when I was a kid. They have no staying power. My desire is to actually learn victorian crochet patterns, which are often extremely complex and can be adapted into truly unique and beautiful clothes and accessories. Nothing ages a woman more than walking around in skull covered shirts and clothes with rude sayings once she hits 30, and I have no desire to age myself. Instead, I want to create items I can't find for myself in stores, because our present youth-oriented culture has made it almost impossible for me to find beautiful, timeless, and yet avant-garde clothing at an affordable price, so that I can look like the person I feel I am inside and not like an aging circus clown.
Funny that craftfetish should be mentioning crewel. I was predicting the same thing the other day. We haven't even gotten near the crest for crochet, though. Even needlepoint is still a drop in the ocean.
Posted by Katrin on 2004-09-30 17:27:20
Post Subject:
Snuggles is such a wonderful idea! I was just looking at my overflowing basket of mostly-cheap-acrylic yarn and wondering what kind of worthwhile project I could make to use some of it up. I've found a participating shelter near me in their directory, and I'm going to get started on some kitty blankets right this minute!
Posted by naomi on 2004-10-26 12:16:00
Post Subject:
Oooh what wouldnt I wish for?! A craft room that is beautiful and well organized, and very well stocked with all lovely beautiful things, all the time I wanted to spend in there, and a craft store nearby that sells more than just acrylic yarn! And more importantly, the discipline to finish one project before leaping onto another one! Big wishes, but I agree, why not wish big?
