Thursday, May 28, 2015

Yarny Prizes from the hkkal

So I was one of the lucky winners of a Grand Prize during the Holla Knits KAL earlier this month, and that prize arrived at my door today!

I picked the Lion Brand gift prize, which included a couple of balls each of four of their yarns.  I've never used Lion Brand before, so I was excited about this package.  I did a bit of research, shot off an email with my colour choices, and then promptly forgot about it.

Until today.

Lion Brand Gold Leaf
I chose white gold for the LB Gold Leaf after stalking the projects made from this yarn.  The silver grey was decent looking, but I thought that the lighter colour would look nicer.  I admit, it's a bit ugly - the gold leaf is pretty gaudy, more so in person than in the photos (it actually looks pretty good in the photos).


I suspect it'll look better knit up, and I think I'm going to knit up the Vermonter, a chunky hat pattern I've been eyeing up for ages now.  And I'll probably knit it up pretty soon too, because I'm curious if this yarn will look nicer in a project than in the ball.

Lion Brand Baby Alpaca
I chose two colours for the LB Baby Alpaca with the intention to reknit a hat for a friend.

Fornicating Deer Orgy
I'd knit yet another version of the fornicating deer toque for her a couple of years ago, but the colourwork was too tight making the hat too small, and the wool in the original hat was too itchy for her.  I'll have to adjust the pattern a bit to account for the finer yarn, but this stuff is beyond soft and fluffy, and the cream should pair well with the cowl I knit her this Christmas.

Lion Brand Superwash Merino
For the LB Merino Superwash, I decided on a bright read with the intention to knit more red accessories for next winter.  I'm loving red right now for winter things - my favourite winter boots are red felted wool, my car is red, and I'm itching to knit a pretty hat from this gorgeous tonal red a friend sent me for my birthday.  So maybe a pair of mitts and a matching scarf/cowl?  Something fun, anyways.  This yarn is quite soft and cozy, if much brighter than I expected.

Lion Brand Silk Chiffon Ribbon
The last yarn was the LB Silk Chiffon Ribbon yarn.  This stuff is a little weird, and is made up of shredded strips of chiffon.  Though despite the 100% silk label, I really suspect this is polyester.  (ETA: Silk it is!  It didn't feel like what I think of as silk, more like poly or rayon - but as Karlie mentioned below, it's illegal to misrepresent the fibre content, and a burn test suggested by MrsC confirmed it.  Thanks ladies!)  The odd part is that this 'yarn' doesn't have any colourways.  That means that what they have is what you get, and I don't think you get any say in the matter (not in ordering online anyways).  I requested whatever they decided to send me!  It's odd, but like the gold leaf, I'm itching to knit it up and see how it looks.

I'm thinking a small cowl or something.  Maybe the Three-Turn cowl?  It has to be a small project, because I only have one skein of this yarn.  I want something simple to let the 'yarn' shine, but I don't want just plain stockinette.  

I think, as of now, I am on a yarn diet.  I don't actually have any more places to stash all of the astronomical amount of yarn I've acquired lately.  I am working on it - I've started two projects lately that is using yarn that's been in the stash for over a year now.

Are any of you on a fabric/yarn/craft supply diet?  If so, do you count prizes/giveaways/presents in that diet?  I think those should be exempt, eh?

4 comments:

  1. Can you do a burn test on the yarn to check? Also the smell can give it away. Silk has that dry, spicy old books smell whereas polyester smells sour and chemical. Pretty yarns, love the gold. I love anything bling!

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    1. Hmm, so definitely not polyester. Maybe it is silk? Or possibly rayon? I can't tell you how many 'silk' scarves I've bought that turned out to be rayon. But it does say silk on the label, so I should probably trust it. :)

      Heh, would you like a gold leaf something? Toque? Cowl? Mittens?

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  2. OMG I love that. Seriously. That silk yarn is so fricking cool. Not so much the gold leaf though lol! It's illegal for them to claim the fibre content is different than it actually is, so as long as the fibre content section says silk it is! They can name a yarn "Silk scarf" or something and then list fibre content as rayon, but as long as that small print by the gauge and such says silk it is.

    Yes BTW to a cowl with it, I think that's a fantastic use!

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    1. Good point on the fibre content thing. I've been caught out on the "SILK SCARF!" when it's really not. Silk it is then! I'll go correct the post. :)

      I'm pretty stoked to knit these up, actually. We'll see how they turn out!

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