My Love/Hate Relationship with Homespun Yarn

In an effort to diminish stash for some reason I continue to knit with Lion Brand Homespun yarn, which is basically a cheap crappy acrylic. It splits and pills and the colors just don't make sense ... but the two sweaters I made with them I wear more often than any others I've knit. They are slouchy and comfy. Now I've completed yet another sweater in Homespun while I have promised myself I'm going to finish my Jo Sharp wool/silk sweater before spring comes. I guess when it comes to knitting satisfaction, Homespun knits up very quick on 10.5 needles, and the colors are just such a surprise that I don't know what to expect as the yarn comes out of the skein. This is a sweater from Vogue Knitting Fall 2006: Cowl Neck Sweater #37. The color I used is Nouveau, which yarndex describles as 338: Nouveau (Chocolate,Gray,Tan). OK, there is a dark brown (which I think all Homespun colors have) but even though all the skeins I'm using are in the same dye lot, as I knit there is a red purple band coming through and also turquoise and baby blue!!! (you can actually see the reddish purple bands in the bottom rib, below the cowl and on the arm) It looks to me like the dye machine threw up on the yarn but every time I wear my other two sweaters I get compliments about how beautiful the colors are in them. Hmm. So why am I complaining so much? I finish them in a wink, they are comfy to wear and I get compliments about how great they look on me. I guess I'm just a damn yarn snob. Now that my Homespun stash is depleted, I wonder how long it will take me to cave and buy more!!! More will be revealed!! Ha ha.

Here are two other sweaters: The cardigan is from an old Vogue Knitting from the 90s and the ring neck sweater is from an Interweave Knits pattern from a couple of years ago. I will double check the issues and get back to you. Also, I'm sorry for the cell phone shots since I leant my camera to my daughter.






Take care, sue