Knitting with cable-spun yarn

[rkennell]

Hi--I am in the process of creating a cable-spun yarn; I just finished spinning all 4 singles and plan to ply them in a cabled fashion. For the amount I have, it's probably not going to be enough to do more than knitting a pair of socks, mittens, or a hat. I am leaning towards a pair of mittens since I'm not sure I want to trust this yarn to the hard wear and tear of sock use. But I'd like to know if any of you have suggestions for knitting patterns that would display the cabled yarns in a nice way. Should I incorporate textured patterns, like maybe cables or some other similar ones? Do any of you happen to have a knitting pattern you've used for cabled yarns that you love? This is a super-soft merino/silk combo fiber and I think it would make a lovely pair of mittens! (Any other suggestions are fine. I don't think it would be enough for a scarf. I thought about using it for weaving, but not sure that would showcase the cabled yarn features as much.)

[Char]

I read this and the first thing I think of is “What about weaving a scarf?”

[rkennell]

Yes, I honestly did think of that. I just wanted to make sure it would showcase the yarn well. I don't plan to do a bunch of cabled yarns with spinning (but then again, I may change my mind on that) since it takes more fiber and spinning to produce the same amount of yarn--it's basically a 4 ply. I know in the spinning workshop I took with Sarah Anderson, she mentioned that it is good for sock yarn since it is a sturdier yarn, but I'm a little nervous about this particular yarn being used for socks! I also think it might make a "sculptured" pattern stand out more, so I think I'm leaning towards doing a knitted mitten pattern that looks dressy, with a lot of twists and design in it. But I am going to research the weaving possibility. Maybe our expert weaver DebbiRYarn would have some insight on this since she also has a spinning wheel.

[Carlota]

Hi, I wonder if your handspun cabled yarn is solid, semi-solid, hand-dyed, or has other texture going on before being made into something else. I noticed in the close-ups of Rachel Smith's cabled yarn that it has lots of little color blips that I think would obscure any knitted texture. On the other hand, a cabled yarn is quite round, which to me would lend itself quite well to knitted cables. Rachel says it is very strong, great for toes, heels, cuffs, and collars. This structure is still on my bucket list - good for you making some. Here is where Rachel talks about it.
https://youtu.be/sIhIbiC7gnI

[rkennell]

Thanks, Carlota! That was a good video--I am just ready to start doing the 2-ply, so it was good to hear what I need to be doing here with the overtwisting. Mine is not a solid, but it's a pretty good blend of shades, if that makes sense, so not real variegated either. It has a bit of white silk throughout, so the white is probably the only obvious color variegation and it's not that much. I think it would be treated more as a solid color; pretty much consistent coloring throughout. She does say that it makes it pretty hardwearing for socks, so I might consider it for socks if there is enough to make a pair. It would be incredibly soft! I could also add in some wooly nylon for the places on the soles and heels that get extra wear. I actually bought the fiber at her workshop, sold by one of her sisters, with the intention of making it into socks as a cable spin, but I guess I was getting nervous about it. It's a merino/silk combo, but I think I might still consider the socks if there is enough yarn.

[Carlota]

rkennell It's so neat that you got take a class with Sarah Anderson. I know what you mean about the cautions we hear about merino and socks - well, maybe once your yarn is finished, and you knit a little swatch (and don't cut it off), it will speak to you about what it wants to be - because of the time invested in making a cabled yarn, maybe you will want to make a cowl or hat as you said. Did you see the free patterns on the Harrisville site? Check out the Wren hat.
https://harrisville.com/collections/...hitney-hayward

[mktspahl]

Whatever it is you decide to make, please be sure to post photos.

[rkennell]

I will--although it might be a while! I haven't finished spinning and I have been also taking rigid heddle weaving classes online, so that's sort of been taking my attention lately. But I am eager to finish spinning it up! I'll try to post it as soon as I get it spun.