Chat Back for March 12

Responding to comments left since the last time I did Chat Back.

Shirley asked . . .

Which cotton yarn would you recommend? I have never used cotton but do like the Swish DK. I am working on "Metro" but may try a gansey pullover next.

Swish DK would make a nice gansey.

I've knit several Ganseys with Knitpicks Cotlin, a cotton linen blend. Cotlin softens with washing and holds its shape. Heavy cables don't work with any cotton blends, but the knit/purl Gansey stitch patterns have adequate stitch definition. The best yarn I know of for hot weather Ganseys.

Any cotton yarn, including the blends, are going to be hard on the hands and shoulders when the stitches are knit snug enough to be Gansey worthy. Wool is much nicer and gives the best results.

Don't buy the Knitpicks Comfy, a cotton acrylic blend. It's too soft for decent stitch definition and it pills without provocation.

The cotton/wool blends would probably work well and someday I plan to try one.

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Kathy B. asked . . .

I love brown on grey haired people....are you sure?

Yep, I'm sure. I have very light skin coloring.

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Laurie asked . . .

No crimson and gold for John this year? I hope he hasn't given up on our Redskins.

John never gives up on the crimson and gold and is training his daughter in Redskin ways. (This picture is two years old. Sydney is over four feet tall now and finishing up Kindergarten.)

John has been a Redskin fan since he was a young boy. No idea why. He was born and raised in Michigan. He even wore a Redskin coat one winter when he was (I'm guessing) about ten.

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Judy S. asked . . .

Did you make the sampler in the Gansey book? It's quite an intriguing book; thanks for suggesting it!

Judy is talking about Knitting Ganseys by Beth Brown-Reinsel, a tutorial and pattern reference for knitting gansey sweaters.


When I first got the book I was knitting wool toddler sweaters for Children in Common, so I jumped right into the kids ganseys. I've knit those three patterns or a variation multiple times each.

I always thought it would be fun to knit the little sampler sweater, but it wasn't needed to understand the toddler sweater patterns and I'll probably never get around to doing it.