With all due joy
Tuesday February 05th 2013, 11:48 pm
Filed under: Family,Friends,Knitting a Gift,Life

I like the fact that when you knit from a cone, you only have to weave the beginning and the end ends into the fabric. No joining of skeins in the middle.

It’s not that the skein lengths are the problem: it’s my memory of the baby quilt a friend lovingly made my youngest. It was a great quilt, bright and cheerful and colorful and with little shiny slippery ribbon ties all over. (With, thank goodness, a cotton batting inside that could never bunch up.)

John at a year old discovered that he could undo those red ribbon ties. I would put him to bed and he’d work his fingers carefully into those little knots and tug here and there and pull. Great dexterity very young, interested in fibers, clearly a future knitter. (I’m still waiting.) Once he was asleep I would take it away from him, retie all the ties (0r at least the ones he hadn’t pulled all the way out) so that it wouldn’t become a game with Mommy to him because then we’d lose them all, and then cover him back up again with his favorite blankie.

I know what little fingers can do to ends.

My daughter-in-law would like a baby blanket made out of a soft synthetic such that it can be dragged around and abused and used without her wincing or gasping over what her little boy or the laundry might do to it. But I just wish I knew how to find a baby-soft worsted synthetic/blend on, you know, a cone… Any suggestions?

And yes that is an announcement. We are starting into the third trimester now. Parker is going to be a big brother, and the new baby boy is due on my husband’s birthday.


17 Comments so far
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I don’t know about acrylic on a cone but have you tried the Russian join? It makes the yarn a continuous length and the proof is in the pudding. Moose’s entrelac blankie had a yarn change at the end of every new block row and it has held on through laundry and dragging through the house. I love this technique for an absolutely invisible join but I don’t separate the plies, I use all the plies. You’ll understand when you google it.

Comment by Jody 02.06.13 @ 5:54 am

I hit send too soon…love to fetus and family! I’m so excited for all of you.

Comment by Jody 02.06.13 @ 5:55 am

Congrats! Very exciting. But not a clue what to suggest. I do love Encore by Plymouth, but I don’t think cones are an option.

Comment by Channon 02.06.13 @ 8:08 am

No suggestions, but isn’t this fun?

Comment by Sherry in Idaho 02.06.13 @ 8:52 am

oh, how exciting! (nope, I’m not matching you this time — no new baby here — for now anyway)

Comment by bev 02.06.13 @ 9:58 am

Not on cones but different companies have “pounders”.I am thinking Lion Brand and Bernat, maybe Patons and of course Red heart.Congrads on soon to be here grandson.

Comment by kris 02.06.13 @ 11:29 am

COngratulations Gramma!!
Sorry I can’t help on the fibre front – I am natural fibre girl…
What about a sewn blankie with Minky or some such thing?

Comment by Sandra 02.06.13 @ 11:41 am

I can’t help either. But I see that you have a few suggestions.

Comment by Don Meyer 02.06.13 @ 12:41 pm

I will second Jody’s suggestion of the Russian join. It works well, even with acrylic, and I also use all the plies. This way, you can use whatever yarn you find that you love (my fave for babies is Caron Simply Soft), and not have to deal with ends until, well, the end! Cograts to the whole family, BTW!

Comment by Pam 02.06.13 @ 2:34 pm

*Congrats…silly fingers!

Comment by Pam 02.06.13 @ 2:35 pm

Squeee!!! More babies to love and hug!!! I use either Vanna’s Choice, or Bernat for baby stuff, then for the join I just hold the two strands together (overlapping) and knit three stitches with both strands. Three seems to be the magic number – not so many so it makes a bump, but enough to keep the join from pulling apart.

Comment by Pegi 02.06.13 @ 5:16 pm

Yippee! So happy for your growing family! Best of health to all. And I second Pegi’s 3-stitch overlap method. Allthough untested by baby fingers, as far as I know, yet has served well on various fibers and finished items. Oh, I forgot I knew the Russian Join ( just looked it up), I use that for fine crochet or tatting, lovely. Hadn’t thought about it for heavier fibers, but it should work equally well.

Comment by DebbieR 02.06.13 @ 8:39 pm

Such wonderful news for you all! Best wishes for a healthy and easy pregnancy. 🙂

Comment by Suzanne from Montreal 02.06.13 @ 8:46 pm

Yay! Parker is going to be a wonderful big brother!

And you know that cashmere comes on cones – and it is washable and dryable if it is good quality. Swatch some and see!

Comment by twinsetellen 02.06.13 @ 9:14 pm

Congratulations! So happy for you and your family. Do you do eBay? I’ve gotten coned blends there before, but it’s been a while and it’s hit or miss. You might also check with Elann and Webs.

Comment by Debbi 02.07.13 @ 4:39 am

Let’s go to Toronto. Romni Wools is the only store I’ve seen that sells yarn on cones. You’d rather not miss Stitches West? You could email them to see what they have on cones. Jonathon@romniwools.com.

Comment by RobinM 02.07.13 @ 12:13 pm

I’ve never of acrylics on cones…but feel certain you will find an appropriate yarn for this wonderful project. Oh, I mean the blanket that YOU are making, not the rather fun project your son and DIL are cooking up. Congrats!

Comment by Ruth 02.07.13 @ 12:37 pm



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