I was greeted by a UPS box swen I went to get the mail before we left for Cape May on Thursday. I had placed on OldNavy.com order and thought it was that. Since I ordered fall clothing I almost didn’t even open it. But boy was I glad I did. It was my Webs order!!!! Amazingly, the person who took my order must have went back into the warehouse right then and there to pick my order.
So you know what came with me to Cape May, right? Yup, a cone of Donegal Tweed in grey heather.
It’s a gorgeous yarn that reminds me alot of Rowan Felted Tweed. The big difference between the two is that the Donegal is a much harsher yarn. The alpaca in the FT makes for a very soft hand.
I swatched and washed on Friday morning. I got perfect stitch gauge the first time round after washing! Here’s the swatch:
I’m not sure how obvious it is in the pic, but I was a little concerned about being able to distinguish texture in this yarn. The swatch is done in double seed stitch and it’s not that clear. It looks sorta bubbly but you can’t really see the texture clearly.
I cast on and decided I’d see how it looked after a few rows. I got through about 10 rows when I finally had to concede. It just wasn’t showing the texture of the cables enough. I think it’s a combo of the darker yarn plus the tweed that’s just too much to show off cables.
I did go into Cape May’s LYS — Fiber Arts Yarn Shop. I’ll write a full review (probably tomorrow) but for now I’ll tell you that while they did carry a few contenders I couldn’t find a color I liked that had enough stock. This sweater takes a ton of yardage!
So yesterday I decided to stop by another LYS and purchased a yarn I never would have expected for this sweater — Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool. I also thought this yarn felt too silky for my taste, but the store had a sweater sample and the washed yarn was beautiful! I wasn’t concerned about cables showing clearly in this yarn since that’s what Elsebeth is known for. I went with a medium grey (big surprise, right?). Here’s my swatch:
The texture shows up much better in this yarn. In its prewashed state it felt very airy, but it bloomed alot once washed. The yarn is lightweight and spongy. I’m very happy with it.
Once I finished swatching I did cast on for it again, but I only got through a few rows. I’ll post pics later in the week once there’s something worth showing.
Cape May
We had a great time! I took some pics and I’ll get together a mini-album of them later in the week.
I love the look of the Silky Wool. I never would have guessed…although I was groping it at my LYS Friday.
Great minds and all…
I cast on last night. Just 2 rows, so not much to show.
The Silky Wool looks fabulous, the stitches really pop! Way to think outside of the box!
After 2 weeks Webs just today said they are doing our order : (. I’ve learned they are hot and cold.
Much better in Silky Wool.
Glad you had a nice weekend.
is the donegal really harsh? (are we talking rug yarn harsh?)
Oh, I hope not, but now that I hear your thorough analysis I’m not so disappointed my webs order hasn’t arrived yet.
The silky wool is very pretty!
I just got my Donegal tweed from Webs yesterday–linden green. Did your swatch soften up when you washed it?
I’m not doing St. Brigid, but I did want to make an Aran-type pullover–my cone is only 1.8 pounds, though. Do you think that will be enough for a woman’s size large sweater, or should I make something with less texture?
Interesting.
Very informative, this was just the information I was looking for. You are dead on the money.