BellaOnline Forums Hobbies and Crafts Crochet hand-dyed yarn question

Hi everyone.
Just found this site and LOVE it. Here's my first post, a question:
I received the wonderful gift of a large amount of gorgeous hand-dyed yarn. To show off the beauty and texture of this special yarn, would it be wiser to use it for knitting rather than for crochet? I'm thinking that crochet, which I happen to prefer, would detract from the thick and thin aspect as well as the unique blending of color changes, etc. of the yarn. I've never worked with "the good stuff" before, and want to use this yarn in a way that will best show it off. (a shawl, actually, which could be knit or crocheted) Any opinions?

Well of course I say CROCHET, you can make some very nice shawls with crochet, have you seen this one http://www.angelfire.com/journal2/donisfuff/croshawl.html It would make a beautiful shawl.

Thanks for responding, Eva. Maybe I didn't make my question clear enough. I was told (by a prolific knitter) that it "would be a waste" to use this beautiful yarn by crocheting with it. Is there some common wisdom about this or some rule (not that I follow all the rules...)--but, I mean, would I be "wasting" this expensive, textured, fancy yarn by using it to crochet a shawl? According to this knitter, the crochet stitches would "hide" the yarn, rather than show off its beauty and unique texture. Maybe it's more than hand-dyed; maybe it's like handmade yarn or something, I don't know. I do know that it is very expensive, very special yarn, and I have never used anything like it before. You know the kind: it's in knitting shops and you "look with your eyes but do not touch," that kind. Would it be a better use of the yarn to knit it rather than crochet it........or is this all just nonsense and silliness? :rolleyes: I would like to crochet a shawl out of it. Is there something NOT okay about that? <img src="/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" /> Btw, I love that shawl on the site you gave, and the other shawls as well. In fact, I enjoyed the whole site; thanks.

In my honest humble opinion, it is silliness. You can crochet just as nice as you can knit. I think that it is really just an opinion and it's a shame that this person hasn't checked into what has been going on in crochet. There are several fantastic crochet designers who use nothing BUT DESIGNER YARNS. When it comes down to it, it is YOUR yarn to do with as you please but I say crochet it, now if you were going to make a sock I would certainly lean towards knitting but if you want me to I will give you a list of sites where you can go looking to show you what exactly crochet is really capable of <img src="/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

Go for it and crochet your shawl. I love both knitting and crocheting. You can make so many differnet thing with both. Just look at the new crochet books. Like aran crochet you can do anyting with crochet just like knitting. Sounds like someone just like knitting. I am making me a scarf in crochet just because I can crochet better than knit. Go for it! Anne :love: :music:

Thanks, ladies, for giving me "permission" to do what I wanted to do all along. I think the yarn is gorgeous and it would still be gorgeous, even if you just tied it in knots. Eva, I've surfed all over for crochet and have printed many free patterns, but I'd love to see where you've been...I'm sure you know about some I don't. So, thanks, yes, I'd love it if you'd post some crochet sites. I'm sure many others would benefit as well. <img src="/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

http://www.bellaonline.com/subjects/344.asp this is a small list but worth looking at all of them.

Oh my goodness, Eva! Those sites are amazing! I thought I had found every crochet site on the internet, and every one of these is new to me. Thank you so much. I know others will appreciate this list also. There is so much on each site, a person could spend days just looking at the sites on this list. Thank you so much! :love: (Have you done any free-form crochet you'd care to post?) <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Why yes I have, I made a halter top and it was in an issue of Craft Magazine. I will never wear it but since it is my first free form piece I won't sell it either. If you want to get a quick course on how to do it I suggest the Prudence Mapstone book on free form and Margaret Hubert has an excellent video. Both are must haves for free form crochet.

Congratulations! I didn't see it because I don't get that magazine, but I know it's a big one. Do you have a webpage of your creations? I'm slightly overwhelmed with everything on this Bella site, *there is just so much here* so you may have things here that I haven't seen. I actually just learned to crochet (from internet tutorials!) a few months ago and am on my second afghan, a ripple design. I can knit, but enjoy crochet so much more. Love the texture, and soooo enjoy the act of crocheting. I am finding so much on the internet that I have only bought one crochet book so far! I'm also eager to try filet crochet--it's so beautiful and doesn't seem too difficult. Thanks for your help; I'll be around... <img src="/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />
:music: