Well, the beautiful Market Jacket appears to be knitting itself.
Just another 6 inches for the body, and then it’s the sleeves and the finishing. I seem to be going through a ball a day without even trying. The pattern is so simple, it’s easy to keep track of, and the yarn… that deserves a paragraph of its own!
I always find it interesting to look at Ravelry notes of projects. So many Ravelers start their notes by raving about the yarn. It makes sense. If you dislike the yarn, you won’t like what you are knitting, whether or not it’s a good pattern. I guess that’s why most of the time I buy yarn, and then look for a pattern. The yarn I’m using for the Market Jacket is Supreme Merino Possum in Moss Green. Every time I knit with possum yarn, I fall in love with it all over again. Supreme is an awesomely luxurious 40% possum, 50% New Zealand merino and 10% silk. It feels sooooo soft and cuddly against the skin. It’s a dream to knit with.
Yarn. This brings me to the subject of my previous post: the dreaded jackets.
I’ve made a start.
Now, I dislike dissing yarn in general. But I have to say I have discovered I.hate.this.yarn. With a passion. Technically, there’s nothing wrong with it if you like brushed mohair. I realise though that I’m just not a brushed mohair/brushed anything kind of girl. I can’t see the bloody stitches. I can’t see the pattern. I can’t see how many rows I’ve done (don’t get me started on row counters). The fluff gets in my eyes, and hurts them. The dark colour probably doesn’t help. I really do not know how I’m going to knit TWO of these things, let alone one! Yesterday, I got to as far as you can see in the photo, and then could not knit another stitch. The very thought of it makes my toes curl. Had I known I would dislike knitting brushed mohair that much, I would never have agreed to this.
I’ve been furiously knitting the Market Jacket, and pondering what I’m going to do. Do you think they’ll notice if I swap the mohair with possum, and pretend it’s mohair? It’s a cunning idea though. I might just have to do it. Of course, after they’ve happily put their jackets on, and marvelled at its softness and warmth, I will tell them it’s not mohair. And they won’t mind. That’s what I tell myself anyway. Possum is far superior to mohair any day of the week. It’s warmer, more windproof, more cuddly. What’s not to like about it? They’ll still get their jackets, and I might just survive the experience, and keep our relationship intact!
What do you reckon!?
(My apologies to all lovers of mohair yarn. I do like it… just not brushed!!)
I feel your pain! I knitted up a cabled sweater in a gorgeous merino/angora blend only to discover at the end that as you touched the sweater, it became so fuzzy that you couldn’t see the cables. And, over time, anything that came near the sweater picked up green fuzz. Even my car seat has little green fuzz bunnies all over it! Major failure!
I’ve never seen possum yarn before. But, now I’m going to look into it. lol.
Hi!
I can understand you so much!! If you know they wouldn’t mind having wool from a dead animal – just give yourself and them the pleasure of possum!!!
This is the only reason one has to take account of by using possum. It is an argument I come across a lot here in Germany. Too many vegetarians…..
make a decision and have fun or just put yourself through!!!
Christane
It’s a difficult topic for non-New Zealanders to understand. I would not condone killing any animal solely for its fur. However, the possum is a serious ecological disaster for New Zealand flora and fauna. Using their fur to me is one way of at least making some sense of this animal’s existence here, while helping to support their removal from our ecosystem. You can read more about it from the Department of Conservation’s website here: http://www.doc.govt.nz/conservation/threats-and-impacts/animal-pests/animal-pests-a-z/possums/
You could tell a white lie and say you had an allergic reaction of that you had to swap as the mohair had moths……..
Swap it. Brushed Mohair is too hot for the NZ weather, It also dose not seam to breath as well as other yarns or furs. Especially when you transfer from the outside to the inside environments. Brushed mohair is a total nightmare to wear. Jan
Show them your Market Jacket and they’ll likely change their mind all by themselves
Or maybe you could tell them ‘the mohair was só thin… it just vanished into thin air..’ and add some innocent and surprised smiling to that…
It is an endless topic of confusion: why take perfectly lovely, long, shiny mohair and abuse it to a fluffy monstrosity? Okay, it’s not always a monstrosity, brushed mohair does have a particular role to play in the world, but still… Also – have you heard that NZ possum is the only WWF approved fur? So I’ve been told!
I had heard that. Unfortunately, I can find nothing to substantiate it, dammit. WWF definitely supports the eradication of the possum from New Zealand, but that’s all I can find out for now. Do share if you come across anything official!
I forgot to tell you when I was visiting, but the lady i visit was telling me how she used to knit lots, but then had to stop because the wool got in her lungs from excessive exposure. She still can’t wear woolen clothing.
Also, I see a shleepy kitteh in the pictures
Oh the poor thing! That must be a knitter’s worst nightmare. May that never happen to me!!! The cute, shleepy kitteh was so cute I had to include him in the picture.
If it’s making your eyes hurt that’s a legitimate reason to change yarns. I’d let them know before they get here though.
Btw, know what you mean about Supreme Possum, I made a shawl from it and if weren’t on a yarn diet……
You are right. It’s not that I don’t want to knit something for them, it’s just that yarn..! I shall have a talk to them.
I would swap it. I like the idea of an allergic reaction.
be upfront, tell the recipients about your eyes etc and then rave about the possum replacement. i have a black half knitted mohair cardigan hiding somewhere in this house. i am absolutely unable to find it……..and i have searched quite a number of times but it has hidden itself really well……that tells me something. i would love it finished but it would be perfectly wonderful in a possum blend, but there are no magic fairies here sadly. maybe i will find it should i have to move….maybe. go for the possum, as i said, be upfront, they won’t want you hurting your eyes you know and that is not a good thing to be happening at all.
Good advice. Thanks Margot!
I don’t suppose you could tell them that the mohair was lost in a terrible “accident” and that you have a better yarn to knit their coats with.
LOL. I would live in fear of the next question though “Well, why didn’t you buy more?” I’ve sent my dad an email politely asking if I can change the yarn. Hopefully they’ll say ‘yes’!
I’m sure they won’t mind you changing the yarn once they know why – unless they particularly love mohair. In which case you can get a brushed merino blend which looks just like mohair but may be easier for you to work with.
Go possum. Tell them you ran out
I learned you can condition mohair because it is a natural fiber. maybe that would help? but life is too short, suggest something else and see if they’ll bite. You are the one doing the “labor”, after all. good luck!
If it was about scratch, it’s definitely an option. In this instance I think I’ll go mad knitting with fluff flying around my eyes and not being able to see what I was doing (those stitches are invisible!) for two garments’ worth!
You should be happy with what you knit with! See how the change looks, if it is that noticeable.