I’ve been wanting to know this for quite some time but have been too embarrassed to ask. I’ve looked all over the internet and can’t find the answer… possibly because its such a dumb idea. Ok…. here it goes….
When you look for yarn on ebay, etc. often you find these folks selling huge spools of yarn for machine knitting. Frequently, when you look at the yarn content, yardage, etc. its quite a deal. But, its for a machine. So… (I’m sure you can see this coming), can you hand knit with those big spools? Is there a reason one shouldn’t hand knit with such a thing? Am I a real ninny for even thinking such a thing?
If this is knitting heresy, please forgive me…. I couldn’t take it anymore and I have to know the answer to this!
In other news, I’m tired and a bit bored but can’t knit due to lack of concentration. Why? I was up much of the night due to the insomnia. I fell asleep around 2, woke up again at 6 and then fell back asleep at 7:30 and slept til 9. I hope Dana isn’t reading this or I may never live this down…. I’m going to cut back on the diet cokes. Its never interfered in the past but things change with age and maybe they’re getting to me. If nothing else, atleast I’ll eliminate that as a cause. (If it is a factor, I, of course, will not be admitting it!) My usual insomnia pattern is this:
1. Fall asleep without trouble
2. Wake up around 2ish and run to the bathroom or whatever
3. Can’t fall back asleep
4. Give up around 3 ish and start watching T.V.
5. Fall back asleep at 6:30 and catch a few more minutes before time to get up at 7.
6. Process repeats again in 5 days to 2 weeks later, give or take.
This thing of not being able to fall asleep at all is weird. Even weirder is that I feel like I can’t keep my eyes open. Its impossible for me to knit, I can’t read due to seeming like I’m dozing off, but when I turn the light out nothing happens. So… no caffeine after 3p.m. We’ll see.
Right now I’m groggy, yawning, and I can’t fall asleep to take a nap. Oh well. This too shall pass.
You can hand knit with the coned machine knitting yarns, but often they are very fine. You could hold several strands together if you are looking for sweater-weight yarn. You should also DEFINITELY knit a test swatch and wash it, because often the machine knitting yarns have the spinning oils left in from the mill. This makes it easier for the machines to knit the yarn, but until the oils are washed out, your test swatch may be stiff and scratchy, and look straggly. Washing makes the yarn bloom, and will radically change the gauge of the yarn. Not all coned are yarns are like this, but wash your swatch to be sure!