I got cascade pima tencel to make Sahara, the color is a gorgeous bright red & it is soooo soft, but I can't seem to get anywhere with it.
So far I have gotten the six inches done on the back & started working on the front sides, but here's the problem - IT HURTS!! I can't work on it for more than 30-45 minutes at a time, my hands ache & start to cramp, the yarn slips all over the place (in my grip, it's fine once it's on the needle) and I get seriously frustrated, so of course then I put the project in 'time out' for a few days until I give it another go, and then the same thing happens, so I just can't get anywhere with it!
Can anyone give me any tips or tricks to make it easier to knit with slippery yarn? Thank you!!
5 comments:
I tend to like to use bamboo or rosewood needles to knit slipperier yarns. It may change your gauge though (it makes mine one needle size tighter - ironically I usually hit the gauge exactly with wood needles but go down one size on addi turbos) so you might have to start over.
Do you tension your yarn by wrapping it around one or two fingers? If not, now is a good time to learn. If you already do, try adding another wrap or another finger to the tensioning. This will help you control the yarn better but it will also tighten up your tension. You will have to do another gauge swatch, likely going up a needle size.
I was going to suggest both of the previous suggestions. Use wood or bamboo needles to stop the yarn from sliding all over metal ones and if the problem is in slippery yarn on finger wrapping, wrap once more around the pinky. Don't forget to keep shoulders loose to keep tension out of there which can directly affect your hands as well. Good luck, I love the red!!!
I second the finger wrapping tension trick previously mentioned. This may be easier to do as a continental knitter....so if you knit American, this might be a good time to learn continental.
I made a baby kimono out of Pima Tencel a while back and I hated the yarn all the way through. It DID hurt, no matter what needles I used, altho the bamboo were the best and were the last ones I used to finish the project.
I also wasn't too happy with the finished fabric with the tencel so you need to take a really good look at your fabric so far to see if the sts are even and the fabric looks neat.
JMHO
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