Did you get your fiber today?

I mean yarn. Before you knitters and crocheters buy that yarn for holiday gifts keep this in mind. Not all fibers are the same and each one behaves differently.

First a short and quick fiber lesson. Basically there are several types Man made or synthetic fibers and natural fibers.
Natural Fibers are:
Animal fibers: like wool, mohair, alpaca and so on.
Vegetable fibers, Like cotton, soy, bamboo, etc.

Man made or synthetic fibers are:
Synthetic: Include nylon, acrylic, polyester, etc.

It is important to pick the right yarn for your project. Yarns made of wool are stretchy, but
cotton is not. Some yarns, like chenille and decorative novelty yarns, may have no stretch at all.

Learn from my story. If I knew back then, what I know now I'd have a much happier
knitting experience. Well here's my story. I found this pattern in the Vogue Knitting magazine of a cute summer top. Well I went to the store and fell in love with this cotton yarn. It was really soft and I loved the hand dyed colors so I bought it and rushed home to start my project.
 After making my gauge swatch, I started my knitting. It took me a while to finish the top as I was an advanced beginner to knitting. I followed the directions to the letter. When my top was done I tried it on. I was very disappointed. The top didn't fit right and the yarn had no give to it, no nice drape like it should have. I was heart broken. I thought I had done something wrong. So in the back of the closet it went.

It was wasn't until years later that I found out about cotton yarn and the fact it had no stretch and no drape. Then I realized it wasn't me, it was my choice of yarn. So when you are substituting one yarn for another pay attention to your yarn choice.

I hope my lesson will show you knitters and crocheters why it's so important to pick the right yarn for your project. That's my daily dose of fiber for you.:)