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| Quotidian DK |
I am a bank auditor by day, specializing in Anti-Money
Laundering Program audits. In the
Anti-Money Laundering and banking world there is a concept often referred to as
KYC or Know Your Customer. Basically,
banks are supposed to assess a customer’s risk of conducting money laundering
acti Well, I believe this concept
should be applied in the knitting and crochet worlds as KYY or Know Your
Yarn. By understanding the qualities of
different fibers and fiber combinations, you can assess whether a yarn would
work with a pattern you wish to make.
Especially with The Happy Buffalo’s unique approach of equalizing the
prices so that you can consider the qualities rather than the price of the
yarn.
vity through their institution by know who they are, what they do, what products and services they use, and what level of activity they expect to conduct.
The Knitter’s Book of
Yarn by Clara Parkes outlines several qualities to consider when choosing
yarn: Fiber Content, Spinning Style, Coloring Technique, and Ply. All of our yarns are milled by our supplier
and spun using the worsted method, and coloring preferences are unique to an
individual person’s taste, so I will focus on Fiber Content and Ply to identify
the qualities of The Happy Buffalo’s yarns; however, I would highly encourage
you read Parkes’s book if you wish to know more about different fibers,
spinning, and coloring because this is, by no means, a comprehensive
description.
This month I’ll outline the qualities of The Happy Buffalo’s
Quotidian Yarns. Next month I’ll cover
Amorevolous, and in April I’ll cover Grandiloquent. There are three yarn weights in the Quotidian
group: Sock, Sport, and DK. The sock is 80%
Superwash Merino and 20% Nylon, while the Sport and DK are 100% Superwash Merino. Let’s go through Sport and DK, and then we’ll
cover the unique qualities of the Quotidian Sock.
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| Quotidian DK - Black Licorice |
Sport & DK
Fiber Content: As I noted
above, Quotidian Sport and Quotidian DK is 100% Superwash Wool. The key qualities of Superwash Merino are its
softness and ease of care. Merino is
considered one of the finest sheep’s wools because it’s fibers tend to have the
smallest diameter. Fiber diameter is
measured in microns, and the lower the number the softer the fiber. Merino fiber diameters averages in the low
20-microns range, while other wools can be upwards of 30 microns or
higher. Additionally, Merino tends to
have smaller staple length, which is the length of individual fibers. The shorter the fibers, the softer the yarn, but
also the more likely it is to pill.
Finally, Merino has tiny wavelets along the length of the fiber. This quality is known as crimp, and the
fibers with the tinier crimps, such as Merino, tend to have more bounce and
warmth. Now, the additional Superwash
quality of the fiber is due to a chemical process that removes the scales found
on animal fibers to keep the yarn from felting in the wash, making the yarn
machine washable! All of these qualities
make Merino an ideal fiber for everyday items such as sweaters, hats, and blankets
– hence the name Quotidian.
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| Ashburn by Melanie Burg in Quotidian Sport |
Ply: Quotidian Sport
is a 3-ply yarn, and Quotidian DK is a 4-ply yarn. Yarns that are 3-ply are higher tend to be
quite stable and well balanced.
Additionally, each additional ply adds strength to the yarn, making it
ideal for hardwearing projects lick socks and mittens. These yarns tend to have more visible ply
lines than lower ply yarns, as well as better stitch definition, making them
good for cable and colorwork patterns.
Sock
Fiber Content: As
mentioned above, Quotidian Sock is 80% Superwash Merino and 20% Nylon. This yarn has all the same qualities over
Superwash Merino described above with the added benefits of nylon. For starters, Nylon is strong, stretchy, and
mold-resistant. However, Nylon doesn’t
breathe the same way wool does, so the presence of the Merino in our Quotidian
Sock allows the yarn to have the breathability of the wool and the strength of
the Nylon. In other words, it helps
prevent your socks from wearing out too fast in the heel!
Ply: Quotidian Sock
is a 2-ply yarn, which makes in oblong shaped diameter. The shape created by the ply helps hold the
fabric open, which makes it ideal for lace patterns where open stitches are
popular.
Summary of Quotidian Yarns
Quotidian means every day or common, and that’s exactly what
these yarns are made for. All three
weights are strong and durable, good for every day wear items – socks,
gloves/mittens, hats, sweaters. Plus, the
Merino is soft against the skin, as well as warm.
