The Darkside of the Yarn

Not long ago, ok maybe before Christmas; in fact, right about the time Hurricane Katrina hit. MAN?! Have I had this stuff for that long?!
Anyway, I bought a whole mess of...yes, I hate to admit it...ACRYLIC YARN! (insert PSYCHO music here)
The cheap stuff, the big 1 pounders you get at Wally World, the gaudy neon orange, neon green, watermelon pink, aqua blue and canary yellow acrylic yarn! I mean, it was on sale for $2.97 a skien, what could I do but buy it? I could have resisted. I could have fought the urge and saved up for some more exspensive yarn from my favorite yarn "dig". I could have handspun my own wool and dyed it whatever color possessed me, but nooooo, I gave in, I was weak, I bought the yarn.

I have been struggling with what to do with these wayward, black sheep, kin of the yarn world, ever since. Finally, I figured it out.

Last weekend while in my favorite yarn dig http://www.yarnstudio.com/ , I bought some long, size 6 (US) birch needles to knit smaller weights of yarn with. When I had used bigger needles with the cheap acrylic yarn it was loose and looked, well, cheap. I decided to see how the size 6 needles would do. PERFECTION! I nice tight knit stitch, with just enough stretch and still look good. Now, to deal with the funky colors. (BTW, I like funky colors so the colors weren't a total issue with me.)
I was taking the yarn ends and twisting them together to see how they would look. (Something I learned in college as a Fibers Major.) I just happened to put that bright neon green and watermelon pink yarns together and twist, when my youngest daughter looked over my shoulder and gasped, "OH COOL! It looks like watermelon candy!" VOILA! Inspiration! Out of the mouthes of babes! I picked up the size 6's and started knitting a "beanie" style cap for my inspired daughter. I finished in 2 days. (gotta do housework and work sometime you know?) I put a spray of braids coming out the center instead of pom-poms (gag) and she is tickled. So am I! Thank goodness she has lots of shirts, sweaters and clothes in these colors.
I am starting on the second one now. This time, a bit bigger one for my oldest daughter. She watched me twist the neon green and neon orange yarns together and said, "I like that. It looks like melon colors. Make me a hat like sister's." so here I go. I would take pictures, but the digital camera's battery is fried. I'll buy a new one Friday.
I guess it just goes to show you...or me in this case...that you can take something that other "purest" knitters, yarn lovers and fiber artists would scoff at and make it into something pretty darn cute. At least I didn't try to make a toilet seat cover from it. Be glad, be very glad!

katcha