Bloomed like a field of flowers, it did
So. Don’t hate me, NaKniSweMo’ers, but this social recluse thing has paid off. All knitted save the button band and collar! I was feeling impatient, so I put the collar stitches and bottom edge stitches on cotton waste yarn and threw the whole shebang in the washer with some Soak.
Oh yes. You heard me. The washer.
(Delicate cycle, I’m not crazy).
My sweater’s knit with Beaverslide 2-ply fisherman’s weight and it is beyond amazing stuff. It seems stiff — practically stands up on its own as you’re knitting it! This is nice for getting your cables good and tight, etc. The yarn is slightly thick-thin, enough to give it some interesting texture and then… pow! you wash it and it goes WHOOSH! and blooms right open and forms the most gorgeous fabric, you just cannot believe it.
It’s drying on my dressform now. I tried it on when it was mostly dry — couldn’t resist — and it is so soft. Much softer than it was before washing. I will get a photo of it tomorrow when there’s proper light outside, and perhaps with a bit of the buttonband knit so you can see the difference between washed and unwashed. There must be some serious spinning oil on there to keep it so compact while you’re knitting it, yet allow it to bloom so fabulously. The only yarn I’ve seen that opens up as much is Noro sock yarn!
(Speaking of sock yarn, River Colors next door got Malabrigo sock yarn in Friday. It’ll be lucky to make it til Tuesday given the weekend feeding frenzy).
Photos to come!