| Author |
 Topic  |
|
draymer
Permanent Resident
USA
1481 Posts |
 Posted - 03/17/2005 : 09:30:20 AM
|
I know, you all know better than buy yarn which costs $2 for 8 oz. I made an entire sweater for my daughter for $4! And she likes it (it is a horrid baby blue and pink) and it will wash wonderfully (but probably pill like crazy, but she will grow out of it before then). So I should be happy, right? NO! I have never had plain old worsted that tangled this badly. I bought it to take to a conference, and I was rolling it into balls late the night before, and I thought I would lose my mind!
But, it was worsted weight, so it knit up fast, and it washes and goes in the dryer. And I made a sweater for $5 (including the zipper)So I should be happy, right?
Debra |
|
|
mokey
Permanent Resident
15375 Posts |
Posted - 03/17/2005 : 09:35:42 AM
|
LOL! Nope! My son also likes some yarns I can't stand working with; luckily I have a knitting machine for those.
P.S. - Welcome back! Have you been in hiding during tax season?
"I firmly believe the Bible is the misinterpreted word of God." Mokey
www.femiknits.blog-city.com |
 |
|
|
fmarrs
Guardian angel
USA
9776 Posts |
Posted - 03/17/2005 : 09:59:50 AM
|
Relax, it hardly pills at alls...........don't ask me how I know...LOL.
fran |
|
|
|
draymer
Permanent Resident
USA
1481 Posts |
Posted - 03/17/2005 : 10:39:38 AM
|
Oh Fran, you are so funny! I guess I will have to look at that sweater for a long, long time!
Debra |
|
|
|
cats
Gabber Extraordinaire
USA
503 Posts |
Posted - 03/17/2005 : 11:23:32 AM
|
| She likes it - that's the main thing. Better than knitting with some expensive yarn and her wind up not liking it. |
|
|
|
Licensed2Cook
Permanent Resident
USA
3554 Posts |
Posted - 03/17/2005 : 3:28:15 PM
|
I was asked to make a school colors hat and scarf for someone and the color was absolutely the most important factor for the woman but sadly I ended up having to knit a green and gold scarf and mittens set and I hated every stitch of that "No Dye Lot" Red Heart yarn my fingers were moved to tears in their own way. Never ever ever ever again.
I guess in the end if the recipient is happy then the goal was exceeded.
Dee
~Licensed2Knit
www.Kneatles.com
|
|
|
|
fmarrs
Guardian angel
USA
9776 Posts |
Posted - 03/17/2005 : 8:46:57 PM
|
I use a lot of Red Heart for my grandkids because they have no respect for clothing. I know it can be laundered every week and still come up looking brand new, even in hot water and hot dryers. (But I don't recommend that) It can take, mud fights, wrestling, and even running through corn fields. Cat fights do leave a few pulled threads but they usually go back by stretching them out. I call it the IRON yarn because I think it is made of steel wool. None of my granchildren have ever been able to wear it out. Fifty years after I die, little multicolored children's sweaters will still be floating around over the earth.
Now, for knitting, I prefer Red Heart Soft, to regular Red Heart. It has all the characteristics of regular Red Heart, except that it is softer and more pleasant to work with.
fran |
|
|
|
Busyhands
Permanent Resident
USA
1496 Posts |
Posted - 03/17/2005 : 9:21:22 PM
|
"Fifty years after I die, little multicolored children's sweaters will still be floating around over the earth." Fran, you crack me up! I'm with you, though - I've got crocheted afghans out of this that are, oh, at least 15 years old now and still look like the day I finished them. Come to think of it, my mom's got a couple twice that old and they don't look half bad, either! Although personally, I wouldn't want to wear it next to my skin - steel wool sounds about right. It fit my high-school and college budgets just right, though!
Lin |
|
|
|
GFTC
Permanent Resident
USA
6331 Posts |
Posted - 03/18/2005 : 06:44:41 AM
|
This yarn sounds as though it might be bullet proof 
GFTC of NYC |
|
|
|
JaniceV
Chatty Knitter
USA
338 Posts |
Posted - 03/18/2005 : 07:49:16 AM
|
LOL GFTC, as I was reading down this tread I thought the same thing. "Good Heavens is stuff is bullet proof." and at the end there was your comment. I have said from time to time if you knit with some Red Heart Yarn you didn't need to fold it to put away, it stands up in the corner on its own.
Janice |
|
|
|
mokey
Permanent Resident
15375 Posts |
Posted - 03/18/2005 : 08:57:42 AM
|
I echo draymer in that I hate working with that yarn. I'd rather not knit anything than have it as my only choice.
"I firmly believe the Bible is the misinterpreted word of God." Mokey
www.femiknits.blog-city.com |
|
|
|
jaw
Seriously Hooked
USA
669 Posts |
Posted - 03/20/2005 : 08:30:02 AM
|
| I use this yarn for the vary reasons some of you hate it. It stands up well. I make hats, sweaters and baby blankets out of it and it comes out of the dryer soft. I have had many compliments for the items I have made. I make many things for donation and feel this is perhaps the best yarn as I doubt many of the receipients will have the time, energy, etc. to do more than throw it in the washer and dryer. That said I realize that many do not like to use the cheaper yarns and if they come from Wal-Mart they are suspect. To each his own and as long as you enjoy what you are knitting good for you. |
|
|
|
Catladyknits
Gabber Extraordinaire
Canada
368 Posts |
Posted - 03/20/2005 : 11:15:55 AM
|
I agree with Jaw. The cheaper acrylics are great for knitting kids' clothes, as they grow out of them so quickly and the clothes are put through a lot of wear and tear. I like just throwing them in the washer/dryer and having them come out looking new again. For kids, I don't want to fuss with the handwashing and drying flat - easy care all the way!
|
|
|
|
sewserious
Warming Up
90 Posts |
Posted - 03/20/2005 : 11:27:31 AM
|
quote:
Originally posted by Catladyknits
I agree with Jaw. The cheaper acrylics are great for knitting kids' clothes, as they grow out of them so quickly and the clothes are put through a lot of wear and tear. I like just throwing them in the washer/dryer and having them come out looking new again. For kids, I don't want to fuss with the handwashing and drying flat - easy care all the way!
I completely agree. There are some VERY nice acrylics out there (I've seen some that were REALLY EXPENSIVE, put out by the companies that most yarn snobs prefer! Imagine that! Price isn't everything, is it?) |
|
|
|
blwinteler
Permanent Resident
USA
3145 Posts |
Posted - 03/20/2005 : 3:50:17 PM
|
Unfortunately, I am lucky if I can get my hands on anything other than the cheap stuff. I can't afford much more than that. I only have a small basket full of yarn, mostly the red heart no dye lot stuff. I have a few more fun things, like the light and lofty, but still cheap stuff. I eagerly await the day when I can afford nice yarn to work with, and can build a stash that will allow me to make anything I want. In the meantime, since I haven't really worked anything else, I can live with red heart no dye lot and be content.
Take care!
Brandy
see my completed works here: http://blwinteler.tripod.com/projects
|
|
|
|
momma22wildfires
New Pal
47 Posts |
Posted - 03/21/2005 : 08:31:34 AM
|
I'd love to be able to afford some of the "nicer yarn" as well, but as a woman who does 2-3 loads of laundry a day, I need something that's ultra-washable, too!
momma22wildfires
______________________
A baby, a preschooler, and knitting, oh MY!
I'm blogging, too! |
|
|
|
draymer
Permanent Resident
USA
1481 Posts |
Posted - 03/21/2005 : 10:25:22 AM
|
I agree with the usefullness of the yarn for children's clothing - but the combination of the acrylic and baby blue and pink (it is genetic, because I have never in my life worn either baby blue or pink!) is just too much. I don't have anything on my needles now (I'm not counting the stitch holders on the 15 WIPs hung up in the closet) because I need a break. And I have library books due!
Debra |
|
|
|
Knit kitty
Permanent Resident
USA
1383 Posts |
Posted - 03/21/2005 : 3:07:59 PM
|
As much as I dislike working with this stuff, it is good for baby blankets BECAUSE it is indestructible. That said, you still have to be careful about the colors even though it claims to be identical. My sister made a pink blanket 2 skeins of it, and the color difference was very noticeable where they joined.
~Rebecca
"Divide your life into 10-minute increments, then see to it that you waste as few of them as possible" |
|
|
|
book-worm
New Pal
USA
12 Posts |
Posted - 03/22/2005 : 10:46:32 AM
|
I hate Red Heart acrylic! I knit a bright orange sweater for my mom's dog and it was so scratchy and arcylic-y that I took it off almost immediately after I put it on. She's never worn it since. Though it does have one good use. I use Red Heart to knit hats for the homeless. It's cheap and, since it's thick, they go fast.
"It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it." -Aristotle |
|
|
|
sewserious
Warming Up
90 Posts |
Posted - 03/22/2005 : 12:33:26 PM
|
quote:
Originally posted by book-worm
I hate Red Heart acrylic! I knit a bright orange sweater for my mom's dog and it was so scratchy and arcylic-y that I took it off almost immediately after I put it on. She's never worn it since. Though it does have one good use. I use Red Heart to knit hats for the homeless. It's cheap and, since it's thick, they go fast.
"It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it." -Aristotle
Its such a shame that you hate it so much you won't let a dog wear it but you have no problem giving it to homeless humans! Why don't they deserve the better stuff too? (Try Caron's Simply Soft or Softee Chunky, they are acrylic, wear well, and are very SOFT! Not to mention inexpensive.) |
|
|
|
knitdamsel
Chatty Knitter
223 Posts |
Posted - 03/22/2005 : 9:41:31 PM
|
The only Red Heart yarn I have found to be stiff and scratchy is the multi-colored variety. It must have something to do with dying process. But I still crochet afghans with it, because the colors work up so well.
http://www.knitdamsel.blogspot.com
|
|
|
|
Topic |
|
Topic Locked
