So close!

First of all, thank you so much for all the nice comments that you all left for Pete and I about the passing of his dad. I really appreciate it!

We have all had the lingering flu for the past couple of weeks. I haven't been up to knitting anything until the last few days, but since they were designated "recovery days" for us here, I finally got some progress made on Clapotis. Yesterday I got so close to finishing! Perhaps tonight will bring me to the end. And I know that people have had lots of trouble with the yarn requirements on this project, but it looks like I am going to make it through with only 6 skeins of the Silk Garden.

In other knitting news, I have become obsessed with several different yarns as of late. Let me know your thoughts if you have used any of these. I haven't, but I am stalking them on online stores and eBay :)

1. Noro Transitions -- So expensive, but so tantilizing! THe Yarn Market has a decent price and good pictures of the colors. I'm usually not a "blue" person, but color 08 looks so beautiful. Anyone know a good place to get this yarn at a good price? And is it worth it?
2. Rowan Kidsilk Haze -- I think I'm way behind the times on this one. Didn't lots of people make a shawl out of this a while back? It seems awful expensive, but Dewberry is my color! Anywhere to get this at a reasonable price?
3. Habu Mohair Tam -- Great colors! (What is it with me and mohair?) And it just looks so pretty put up in those rectangular balls/skeins. I might have a chance to see this in person this weekend on a trip to a new Chicago yarn ship with Theresa. Yeah! Has anyone used any of the Habu yarns yet?
4. Jo Sharp's Rare Comfort Mohair Infusion -- (Okay, I've lost my mind. Another mohair?!?) I've been obsessed with this since I saw the scarf in Scarf Style. But is it too itchy? I just love the color of the scarf in the book -- 617, I think?
5. And finally -- the new KnitPicks yarns -- I've seen a few people around the ring have bought some of this stuff. How is it? What have you tried & did you like it? It's such a great price, that I am tempted to buy a few different things just to try. Let me know your thoughts on this stuff.

Well, I'm off to have my morning latte. Can't wait to hear everyone's opinions!

Comments

[Heidi]

I bought some KnitPicks Andean Silk recently. It's super soft and I'm sure the end result will be very warm--I'm making a sweatervest. It's got a drape to it, so it may not hold its shape as well as something that has more wool content, but it would be great for a shawl or something (it's worsted weight). I also think it might be nice for a baby sweater or blanket if the kid lives somewhere cold. Free shipping for orders over $30 too!

[Jessica]

Kidsilk Haze isn't cheap, but you can get an enormous shawl out of just under 3 balls. I made Birch out of Rowan Mag #34 (I think). If you click on my blog, and then look in my photo gallery (right hand links list) you can see how big it is. Keep in mind I'm 5'10". It's wonderfully soft and warm too.

[Violet]

I have bought Kidsilk Haze on eBay (Dewberry!) for $9/ball. If you check on there, it will show up from time to time. Also, the yardage is absolutely great! Only 3 balls for a shawl.

I have also seen Noro and Jo Sharp yarn on eBay. I have had great luck with yarnsellers there. I just make sure to check the comments on the vendor and I will usually freeze my yarn when I first get it!

[Renee]

The Clapotis looks wonderful!

I bought a skein of Noro Transitions, but haven't knitted it up yet. They had a scarf in the yarn store and it was wonderful!

Rowan Kidsilk Haze is a great yarn. Not at all scratchy, like some mohairs are. It gives a nice, pretty halo and is perfect for a loose knit sweater or lace. It's a lot like K1C2 Douceur et Soie, if you've ever knit with that.

[Noreen]

Julie,
First, welcome back, and your clapotis looks fantastic!
Second, I personally haven't purchased ANY of the yarns you mentioned, HOWEVER, I 'WANT' to... so I'll be watching the comments to YOU!
Hugs,
Noreen

[Eilene]

Beautiful Clapotis!

I'd love to try Transitions. It is very cool how the yarn changes as you knit.

[Jane]

Your Clapotis is just beautiful.

[Stacie]

I'm making that scarf from Scarf Style. I'm not finding the Jo Sharp Rare Comfort Infusion Mohair to be scratchy to work with. I chose the Rosehip color and it's gorgeous!

PS- I heard that Ruhama's next sale is happening soon, Feb. 18-20.

[Anne]

Your Clapotis looks great! I love the check-ish thing happening with the stripes going in one direction and the dropped stitch sections going in another. Beautiful.

I'm making a scarf from some of the Knit Picks Merino Style - I like it so far - it's not the softest Merino I've ever worked with, but it's pretty nice and hey, for that price, who am I to complain? I think it's a good workhorse sort of yarn for things like bags and scarves. Although, I don't know, I'd maybe make a sweater out of it.

I also bought some of the Wool of the Andes and some of the Sock Garden merino, but I haven't tried those yet.

[Bonney]

Welcome back! I'm using Knit Picks Merino Wool and it is BEAUTIFUL! It's a dream to knit and the colors are just lovely. Try it; you'll love it!

[Jenifer]

I just bought some kidsilk haze off Ebay from 4to4, or "Jannette's Rare Yarns" where she has it for $9.00/ball and FREE shipping! I actually had her send it to my secret pal to fool her as to my real identity (tee hee!).

I Just Ordered from Knitpicks ... I just couldn't wait. So, it'll be coming this week and I'll review it.

As a Noro addict, I haven't even tried Transitions yet ... key word, yet.

[mrspilkington]

gorgeous clapotis! glad you're feeling better. i've used the habu mohair, and it's wonderful.

[Annie Driscoll]

Check this site for unbelievable prices on the Noro Transitions. About $9.30 US per skein, once you realize that there's no VAT on orders shipped to the US. Shipping is reasonable, too. Mine is ordered and on the way.

http://www.getknitted.com/index.html

[terry]

Your Clapotis is beautiful, really beautiful. For an alternate lite wt mohair, try the Kid Merino by Crystal Palace Yarns. It's 30 yds at $5 and ? cents. But the closest to Rowan's Dewberry is a lilac (not even close) but I got the lime which is like the jelly color. Something to look into for an alternate.

Hope you can post another pic of the Clapotis - nice yarn colors too by the way!

[Shannon]

The Knitpicks prices were so tempting! I purchased several skeins of the peruvian wool (mittens for my daughter, knitted up well), the merino (poncho for same daughter, I thought it a little too loosely plied but it still knit up well), and others I have not yet knit up - the andean silk (my husband asked what I was making for him), the landscape? sock yarn, the laceweight alpaca (a clapotis?), and the laceweight shimmer mix. The prices were so good I ordered a couple skeins of everything I was likely to use, just to see/feel the quality. I'm happy with my purchases and will definitely buy from them again.

And Julie, based on your recommendation, "Reading Lolita in Tehran" is in my book pile, after I finish "The Dante Club".

[laurel]

That is absolutely gorgeous! I finished mine over the weekend and was able to wear it in rainy Chicago. It's the perfect airplane wrap, as well! I really want to make a lighter weight one as well.

[Anne-Caroline]

I like the Jo Sharp Mohair - it is definitely soft, as far as Mohair goes, and I would wear it to my skin, but it is mohair after all. If you want to see another color knit up in the scarfSTYLE misty garden scarf, you can check out my blog (look under Categories). I recommend it!

[ivete]

I like Kidsilk haze a lot and you can't beat the yardage. Some of the colors are too blah, but some are beautiful.

Transitions, though, IMHO, is horrible. "Sounds" good in the lingo, but each piece of it feels different b/c it's different fibers. So some of it's hairy where the angora is, some of it's thin where the silk is, etc etc. It looks like leftovers. Kochoran is much nicer if you want the same gauge and look, but it's more even and has a wonderful angora halo after washing.

HTH!

[JoAnn]

Check kangaroo.uk.com for Kidsilk Haze around $9 per ball.

[Theresa]

I do love the Kidsilk cardigan I made. It's soft and lofty and you can get a lot of warmth from very little weight, even in a lacy pattern. Just don't try to rip it! Kidsilk is definitely worth it, especially if you get it on sale at Colourway when they are getting rid of discontinued shades.

I wasn't impressed with the Transitions when I saw it in the store. I agree with Ivete that it seems a little bit like mill ends run together. But I haven't knit with it, so can't say more than that.

[chelly]

I bought some Noro Transitions in the color way you'd like to get. The color is intensely beautiful. I love it.

If you enjoy Noro yarns, and adore the rustic look that the yarns generally has, then it is a must to have.

Wonderfully soft stuff.

As for the price, Yarn Market has the best price I've ever seen. I paid 30 buck a skien for my transitions yarn.

[Kimberli]

Your Clapotis is turning out BEAUTIFUL!
I finished mine last week and I warn you - it's a crowd pleaser...people will stop you in the street to tell you how beautiful it is! :-)

[Haitch]

Try ordering yarn from the UK - it is often much cheaper than from US based sites. You don't pay VAT (sales tax) on most sites. I have used yarn-shop.co.uk who were great