YARN CHOICES FOR THE HORNBAEK CARDIGAN
In order to better explain the very important first step of choosing a yarn for the Hornbaek Cardigan, I have made a series of videos showing the swatches I created. In the series I talk through the various properties of each yarn—fiber, construction, spinning method, palette and ply—to show you how I evaluate both a yarn and a swatch when preparing to knit a garment. I happen to think that all of these choices offer the knitter an enjoyable knitting and wearing experience, but you can also create vastly different versions of the sweater depending on what yarn you choose. Yarn choice is the place to really put your own stamp on a piece, but it can take a long time to feel comfortable with how to go about making that choice. I hope these videos will serve as a foundation for better understanding this concept.
All of the yarns I demonstrate in the videos achieved the pattern gauge, which is always your first evaluation point for a swatch. If the swatch matches the gauge of the pattern then you can begin looking at the other properties of the yarn and how they will work with or against the design. In this case I wanted to provide an easy entry point to this way of thinking and the design serves that; the sweater is so simple-looking and the stitch pattern so structured that you don’t really have to worry about obscuring the stitch pattern or the shape of the garment with your yarn choice (though these are important considerations in many garments). Which means that with the yarn choices I’ve provided, you can relax and focus largely on fiber and palette to create a garment that will fit your taste, your climate and your lifestyle.
