Not Your Mama's Acrylic!

I am a yarn snob!  I am not embarrassed or ashamed.  I am proud.  I love fine, expensive yarn.  I love natural, yummy fibers.  You have read all of this before.  One day when I was working at Ann's By Design, Ann came up with a ball of yarn and said, "This isn't selling.  Why don't you use it and make a sample."  The yarn was a very beautiful teal.  When I touched it, it was soft.  Then I looked at the label.  EEEEEKKKKK!  ACRYLIC!  Was she really asking me to knit something using acrylic?!?!?!?!  I equated acrylic with squeaky, rough, not even real yarn. Then I started working with Cascade North Shore.

These are the colors I chose.  Do you notice it has a rainbow thing going on?  Now what could I make with these great colors? I thought back to things I've made.  Which pattern would showcase the colors, be fun to knit and make people do a double take.  Then it came to me, Hazel's Grandma's Hat.

You remember Hazel. . .

and Hazel's Grandma. . .

and Hazel's Grandma's Hat, don't you?  I love this pattern.  Here it is made from Twisted Fiber Art's Roy G Biv but what if I made it from the rainbow of North Shore?  I found the pattern (No small feet!) and was on my way.  North Shore really doesn't have the feel of acrylic yarn of yesteryear.  If you close your eyes and don't read the label, you can almost believe it is a natural fiber.  

Well, here it is.  Hazel's Grandma's Hat knit in Cascade North Shore.

 Pretty cute, huh?  I decided to do a little research on the benefits of using acrylic yarn.  There really are many.  Who knew?

Acrylic yarn is generally less expensive than natural fibers so you can knit the same project for less money using acrylic yarn.  Acrylic yarn is literally indestructible.  It is resistant to moths, mildew damage, chemicals, oils and deterioration from sunlight.  It is machine washable and dryable.  For those who are allergic to many natural fibers, it is nonallergenic.  It does not stain.  It will not shrink or felt.  When you put these together, it reminds me of the Stephanie Pearl-McPhee quote, "The only things that will survive the apocalypse are cockroaches, twinkles, and Red Heart 
Supersaver."  

There are a couple of considerations when using acrylic yarn.  You really need to use wood rather than metal needles.  I tried using my beautiful stiletto double points on this hat.  All I did was pick up stitches that slid off each end of the needles.  Really the stickiness of bamboo is perfect for acrylic.  Don't, don't, don't use acrylic yarn for dish cloths, wash cloths or towels even though you can just picture the beautiful colors in a dish cloth.  Acrylic is not thirsty.  All you get done is pushing water around.  Acrylic doesn't breathe like natural fibers so if you are a hot body like me, be prepared to sweat.  

Cascade North Shore has put a small chip in my yarn snobbery.  I must admit that there is a place in the world of knitting for Cascade North Shore.  The first week Ann's By Design was open, someone came in asking for yarn that was hypoallergenic.  At that time we really didn't have anything.  Cascade North Shore would have fit the bill perfectly.  It just shows that you are never too old to learn something, change your paradigm or eat a little crow.  I just did each of those.