One of the pleasures of my job is testing new yarn. Obviously, there are some duds out there. But for the most part, dyers get their base yarn from a small selection of mills and distributers, making their base yarns very similar. Then you see how durable the yarn still is after dyeing- I've tested some that were obviously treated too harshly either by chemicals or temperature and pill right away or bloom too much and are too easily pierced by sock needles. And then there are the sparkles that fall out of the yarn or wash away. Then you want to feel the hand of the yarn overall- how wonderful it feels slipping through your fingers and creating stitches. And while I know we all love things that smell nice, I don't want a scent when I'm knitting- no vinegar and no scented wool wash. If I want that, I'll put it on myself. I don't expect tens out thousands of knitters to like the same smells I do, so I don't want a scent on the yarn I'm selling. No essential oils in your rinse, please!
Seeing how the color distributes itself as you knit is always a little adventure. Obviously, striping yarns are going to stripe. But you want to see color all the way throughout and not a bunch of white between color changes. What colors are put next to each other matters so that you don't get four muddy colored stitches when the two colors meld. One stitch of an odd color in a stripe is fine, or one without color where ties held things together tightly, not allowing dye to saturate the fiber as well. But many, well, that just makes for a less pleasurable knit.
Today I start testing out a new yarn from Miss Babs. I'll be honest, her yarn doesn't need testing. I already ordered it a month ago and gave her free range on half the colors. After a decade of doing this with her, I trust that base yarn she picks (and I think it's the same base yarn as this) so I know it's great. And her colors, well obviously they are fab. I decided to take a plunge into a color combo that I don't usually do (pale/brights on one and maroon on the other), so the two skeins she sent me to test I'm instead going to offer in a contest to you tomorrow. So check back for the contest tomorrow and this new base, Estrellita, next week.
I'm pretty sure I'm knitting this. Girl from the Grocery Store by Joji. Though I completely reserve the right to tear it out if someone suggests another two-color project that I like better!! My FIRST sparkle shawl!!! Woot!