Friday, November 24, 2006

Sheep Confessions:

I am one of the pale people. I hide from the light and all that it reveals. I knit behind closed doors, away from the prying eyes of the other stitchers. I carry in my heart the secret that is kept by so many of my compatriots...one that we grudgingly acknowledge only with great justification.

Perhaps you are one of my kind. You know who you are. You might be a new knitter, unsure enough of your skills that you will go to the dark place where knitting is less risky. Your holiday project is, mayhap, intended for one who harbors an intolerance for wool or wool-like substances. Or, maybe like a certain Sheep, you have suffered something of a reversal of fortunes of late and are concentrating on the paying of the bills rather than the enhancement of the stash.

Whatever the reason, it is time for us to walk proudly among our fellow knitters. I stand before you to make a declaration. OK, I'm actually sitting. I can't type and stand. It's a metaphor or something, people. Work with me here...I'm having a moment.

Where was I??? Oh, yeah. The knitting confession. I like Caron's Simply Soft.

There. I said it. The world did not end. One or two of you may need oxygen, but you'll be all right after a minute. And I'm feeling pretty darn liberated right now!

Simply Soft, a very reasonably priced acrylic yarn, is readily available to me. It knits up well, with a rather nice drape and has a sort of sheen to it that is most purty. Best of all, it doesn't do that "squeaking" thing that acrylics do after a while. You know what I mean... All in all, it is a fun yarn and one that I purchase often for small projects like scarves.

So it is with head held high that I present:






A nice, even fringe....

And a finished acrylic scarf.
I'd like to say that this is the last time that I will feel the need to offer a lengthy explanation for my having knit something in budget yarn. But it's probably not. My superhero name is actually, "The Justifier." I can leap tall buildings in a single excuse. You won't be seeing much of me in hero-mode for a while since I ate so much at Thanksgiving, though. I sort of can't fit into my cape at the moment. But I'll be back and with an overwhelming need to feel better about any and all decisions that I make. Meanwhile, acrylic knitters, unite! We'll be starting up meetings in WalMart parking lots all across this great land of ours and spreading the word one knitter at a time. And we'll be serving coffee with that white powdered stuff in it. I like that, too.
How about tomorrow I post a picture of the Feather And Fan Scarf? That's in merino and should restore my good standing in the eyes of the other knitters.
I hope.
SA

19 comments:

Anonymous said...

Nice scarf, I love that pattern. And who cares if it's acrylic if it's warm and soft?!

catsmum said...

hey kiddo if you checked back to the post about my YH one-row scarf, you'd find that it's acrylic too ... nice and not particularly budget acylic ...but acylic nonetheless... and yes, I felt the need to justify that fact to the knitblog readers of the world.
I prefer to knit with wool. Who doesn't? but we can't always have what we want.
Anyway, we don't have almarts here so I'll organise the local meeting for the K-mart carpark ok?

catsmum said...

What happened to my W in Walmart? It was there a second ago. I know i typed it in there!

sheep#100 said...

I'm knitting something for the Neatnik in acrylic. Can't reveal too much right now since it is tomorrow's blog fodder, though! Oh, yes, and Lady Eleanor is 80% acrylic and 20% wool.

sheep#100 said...

At least, I think it is acrylic...

Anonymous said...

I agree with Brenda. No need to justify the make-up of the yarn if it's warm and soft. Your scarf looks great!

Anonymous said...

Your scarf is lovely! That squeaky feeling does get to me, so I'm glad to know that Simply Soft doesn't do that. While shopping at WalMart the other day, it almost went into my cart because it's soft and the colors are great. Now I can go back and get some!

April said...

Well now I know where I can send all my Simply Soft to. =)

Julie said...

I knit baby stuff in acrylic.

And I have some eyelash in the Yarn Closet that's half knit into a sweater.

We all sneer at synthetics (I do quite a lot) but the fact remains, that for some things, it's just fine. Like, oh, soft, fuzzy scarves.

Anonymous said...

I think we all have to take the yarns as individuals...some are perfect for the right project. I like the fun fur/acrylic for cat beds, and I know those who knit for babies say machine washable is the way to go...if you find that the yarn holds up well then it's a good yarn...enough said. :)

catsmum said...

and I just reread my post and realised that I missed the r in acrylic ... twice!

Mia said...

OHH, hey, I LIKE that scarf! What stitch pattern is that?

And yes, dear sheepie, hold your head high.. I too actually wandered over to check out the acrylic at Walmart yesterday..

God.. why do I feel like I just admitted to smoking crack or something? ::laughing::

Knit on sheepie!

Anonymous said...

nice scarf. sorry it's been so long, please check e-mail.

Anonymous said...

sorry, i was "anonymous at 9:02", still finguring out this blog thing.
lell

mrichme said...

Would the sidekick to "The Justifer" be "Dee Nile"?

Cathy said...

I need a new afghan for the sofa. One that is impervious to puke (who the heck is eating the birdseed?) and caffeine and lots of hair and fiber (which is hair but you buy it instead of being gifted it). And is machine washable and dryable. Looks like the secret acrylic yarn stash has a job to do.

Anonymous said...

I do this too! Feel the need to justify my less than expensive yarn. But a girl is on a budget and bit of yarn feels like splurge even if it is cheap. Ghetto Knitters unite! :)

Anonymous said...

Brave indeed!!!! The scarf looks great though, love the color too so what the heh....who cares what it is made of.

Huggs, G

MsAmpuTeeHee said...

You know what? Acrylic aint what it used to be. I bought 2 skeins of that a couple of weeks ago because I wanted to knit a couple of hats for charity and they want them to be machine washable and durable (and in my mind add affordable to the list, because that means I can make more to help from the same budget).

And then I cast-on, and I actually like the stuff.
Does not pay to be a presumptuous yarn snob.