Review List
Tosh yarn has changed dramatically!
Tosh yarn has been one of my top favorites for many years. Now the names of lines have changed, as has quality if Farm Twist is representative of the current lines. This is a loose twist that splits if great care is not made to avoid it. It does not have the soft handfeel or knitability that I associate with Tosh. My guess is that some company has bought the name but not the characteristics of Madelinetosh yarn. I am deeply disappointed and saddened by the change.
By onmyneedles on Dec 24, 2020
8 found this review helpful
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Just knit - no row counting, minimal ends-weaving
I knitted two ponchos for great granddaughters, using the free pattern for the yarn. The first poncho is too tight to fit around the shoulders and bunches up around the neck, so I added to the second poncho shoulder shaping at midpoint between front and back increase rows - two more every-other-row increases for about four inches - that added six inches total width and fits smoothly. It was fun, mindless knitting, but I decided that I like to decide when to change color, as well as what colors to use. The yarn is Encore, which is available in a huge selection of colors and my choice for blankets. I consider it more DK than worsted weight - or at most a light worsted weight. I used two cakes for each, cannot imagine having enough yarn in one cake for a poncho any size above that for a small toddler.
210 found this review helpful
Excellent economy-conscious needles
Despite nearly 80 years of knitting experience, I never mastered double-point needle knitting for anything but Icord. The advent of knitting socks with long circular needles was a magic miracle for me. I was perfectly happy with it until I found myself without the right size long needle but with three of the right-sized 16 needles. I used two as holding needles and the third as working needle. Voila! No more long stitch slides! I accumulated sets of three 16 low-priced needles in every size and lived with the tips/cable join snags. A few were lost through the years, and I discovered the Knitter's Pride Zing needles priced even lower than the ones on hand and no discernible join snags. The only reason I'm not switching to Zing for all circular needle purchases is the very slight tendency for stitches to not slide smoothly on the needle tips. The colored metal is not shiny or slick. That may be preferable to many knitters. For them I rate Zing five stars.
12 found this review helpful
Pretty, as well as practical
Although my favorite Addi Rockets circular needles are getting hard to find, the SmartStix turned out to be a good substitute. Points seem to be a bit less pointed than those of the Rockets but are pointy enough, and they are so visually beautiful. Inches are marked along the tips and cables. Tips/cable joins on my needle did not snag the yarn used. The major difference I sensed between the Addi and SmartStix in the knitting process is the lighter weight of the SmartStix needle tips. That may be an advantage to those who have not used Addis as primary needles for longer than 40 years, and cost comparison makes SmartStix a wise buy - and a pretty one.
19 found this review helpful
The best choice for hand-washed fingering weight merino yarn
Virtually all commercial hand dyers of merino yarn now are using machine-washable base yarns. Koigu seems to be an exception. Because the process used to render wool yarn machine washable compromises the elasticity of wool, and because I hand wash any item knit of animal fiber yarn, I use Koigu KPPPM or KPM yarn as my first choice. At one time, KPPPM color blends were exquisite, but that has become less true through the years. I now tend to use the tonal blends of KPM for most projects. I returned the yarn listed for this review because it was so different from the skeins of the same shade color that I already had on hand. The color difference between dye lots of Koigu can be very dramatic, so alternating skeins each row may not work as it does with alternating skeins of the same dye lot. That said, Koigu fingering weight merino yarn has a tightly twisted ply that washes easily and does not pill nearly as much as single-ply or loosely plied merino. It is soft but not fuzzy soft. I always swatch, but a washed and dried swatch of Koigu yarn always seems to be the same size as the unwashed swatch. I have bought Koigu since the early days when it was a small family business in which they raised their own merino sheep, spun the yarn themselves, and one artist did the yarn painting. That yarn should be in a museum. I yearn for those days, but they are long gone. Today's yarn still is a good choice, although I heartily wish Koigu would switch to 100 gram skeins.
59 found this review helpful
My go-to yarn for blankets and afghans
When I originally reviewed Encore, I included it as good for children's garments. Now that machine washable merino yarn is widely available, I now use it for children's garments for its better stitch definition. Most of the blankets I knit are garter stitch patterns for density and warmth Encore is fine for garter stitch. Stitch definition of Encore-knit stockinette stitch-based designs are less fine but are acceptable for blankets and low-cost children's garments. This yarn wears like iron. I have blankets knitted 30 and more years ago that show no wear despite multiple machine wash and dry loads through years of keeping me warm through countless frigid and long upstate NY winters. I am sensitive to all wool except merino, and the 25% unspecified wool in Encore passes the itch test. Too, you can't beat the color range of this yarn!
70 found this review helpful
Addi circulars can't be beat
I now select Addi Rockets each time I order a new circular needle. Points are described as sharp, but they are tapered just enough to easily pick up each stitch of any yarn. For decades, my only complaint about Addi circulars was that tips were too blunt. Rockets was the perfect answer to that problem. Addi circulars are the only brand I have found to have a true snagless join between needle and cables. In at least 30 years of buying Addis, only one snagged yarn. Another very popular brand comes close but isn't there yet. For me, Rockets are compatible with any yarn I use - mainly wool but occasionally cotton.
25 found this review helpful
Excellent choice for DK cotton yarn
I preface this by admitting that I abhor knitting with cotton or cotton blend yarn - any yarn with no elasticity - and articles of all but very small sizes end up weighing a ton. That said, I am knitting baby bibs, and my beloved wools really don't work for bibs so cotton it has to be. Another reviewer complained of knots. Thus far I have used six balls of this yarn - two more to go - and have not encountered a single knot. Much difficulty finding the end of yarn to pull out, yes knots, no. The yarn is evenly spun and has four discernible plies, but splitting is not a problem. Somewhat limited color selection, but colors are clear and attractive. For those knitters who want a good quality DK cotton yarn - even if you don't like knitting with it - this is an excellent choice.
162 found this review helpful
Single ply yarn is not for me
This yarn reminds me why I have not used single ply yarn for decades. I generally love Madelinetosh yarn, and I selected this rather than the fingering weight sock yarn that I considered because the yardage was higher and I assumed the yarn would be a little thinner. Wrong, but I needed it for a gift deadline. The yarn is very uneven in thickness, and it shreds to fluff during tinking. It may be fine for straight stockinet stitch, but I am using it for brioche stitch cowl. The yarn is exceptionally soft, and the color is perfect. For those who like the uneven thickness of single-ply yarn, this would be a good choice. I just wasn't a good choice for me.
309 found this review helpful