Playing with Sticks and String

We've all been to a yarn store, seen a skein of yarn and wondered what it looks like knit up.  Do you ever buy one skein to play with; try different needle sizes and stitches to get a feeling for what the yarn can do?  Kind of like what a sculptor or potter might think about when he/she looks at stone or clay.  What is the hidden potential locked within? That was very deep; don't know where that came from. I do feel that way though.

When we are drawn to a particular yarn it can be for a number of reasons: color, texture, and/or composition, to name a few.  What do you notice first? To be honest, I'm probably drawn to color first, then the feel of the yarn.

 New this fall is Tahki Yarns Aria is a bulky tubiform chainette yarn. Here are the yarn facts:
78% Extrafine Merino, 22% Nylon
108 yards/50 gram ball.

13 sts/4" on a US 10.5
Hand wash cool, lay flat to dry.

There are 8 lovely, jewel-toned colors. 

 

I began my swatch on the suggested needle size, #10.5 (bottom half of picture below).  My immediate first reaction as I knit with the yarn was that it was really soft and springy.  I liked how it felt as I knit with it.

My gauge on the 10.5 was a little tighter than stated so I went up to a #11(top half of picture above).  The yarn has a nice elasticity to it. I liked how the stitches looked.

I really wanted to see what it was like on a #13. 

Here are 6 rows of basic lace.  Below is a textured stitch and stockinette on the #13.

You'll notice I put garter rows in between to differentiate my needle/stitch changes.  I like to look of the garter stitch.

You can see how nicely it takes cables in the Wine Country Cabled Tunic. Personally I liked the textured stitches, cables, and stockinette.