When I took up crocheting a little more than 2 years ago, I knew very little of yarn. Didn't really notice the difference between DK and 4ply, acrylic crap and nice acrylic, not even talking about natural yarns!
The learning curve was quick, helped along by jealously looking at the beautiful yarns on overseas blogs.
But we actually don't have reason to pity ourselves any more, 'cause there's been an explosion on the South African wool* front. So many beautiful yarns have become available, and they truly compare fantastically well with the beautiful yarns I've seen abroad.
*Wool. In South Africa, we call yarn "wool". That's in Afrikaans now, because "gare" just doesn't work, that's something you sew with, "draad" is something you mend a fence with. So wool = yarn and it might be...real wool.
I read and read about Stylecraft Special DK, and lusted after it, the pictures looked so beautiful, and I wánted to work with it. Then my sisi sent me a whole pack from Ireland for my birthday, and while nice, I realised it had nothing on our own Elle Pure Gold.
Behold - the queen of acrylics:
 |
| Elle Pure Gold, colour Mist |
I encountered Gold when hooking my second ever big project, my Rainbow Ripple, and fell forever in love. It came in a lovely range of retro, muted colours, now supplemented by bright tropicals, and is the only acrylic I'll touch.
Then I found Vinnis. Oh, Vinnis...one of our favourites.
There are three, the cotton:
 |
| Vinnis Colours Nikkim (Cotton), colour Khaki |
a cotton/bamboo blend:
 |
| Vinnis Colours Bambi (Cotton/Bamboo blend), colour Midnight |
...and the bamboo (Serina), but the above two are my faves. I've previously only used it for smaller projects; beanies and scarves, a stool cover, but just started with a summer throw for our bed in Bambi.
Through Ons Hekel, I met Marlene of One of a Kind yarns.
She colours. She lives for colour.
She also spins and knit and crochet, but. She. Colours.
See?
 |
| One of a Kind 4ply bamboo. |
This gold/bronze can't be captured on photo.
It will become a shawl, maybe Morpho, or South Bay, or..?
 |
| One of a Kind Cotton |
Another shawl? I can't wait to see how this colourway will work up.
 |
| One of a Kind Wool |
There was only one skein of this wool. The colours look so absolutely random and happy, I took it. It might only be enough for one or two baby beanies, so it will go into the beanie project.
See? No reason to complain any more. 'Specially since the OoaK wool is of the same source as Rowan...
And I haven't even mentioned the African Expressions, a whole lot of them, and the workhorse Rustica blend, also from the Elle stable...nope, our Mzansi yarns are A-okay!