Friday, November 28, 2008

BFL Ultra! ... 100 gr skeins (new)

Over the past year, I have slowly been changing the skein size on my sock yarns. Knitters and dyers have written that they don't like to spend lots of time skeining up enough yarn for one pair of socks, and that they are willing to pay for a more usable presentation. Too, beginning dyers are anxious to get to the dyepot! And, let's face it, newbies usually do not have all that winding equipment that begins to collect around the workspace as you get more proficient in your dye practices, and need to change from one presentation to another. I have lost count of the different winding devices I have in my own studio!

Just today, someone wrote to me about having to choose whether to spend her money on more yarn or on an electric skein winder. Well, of course, I always want folks to buy yarn! But, I know that we all have stash which would probably serve use for quite a while to come, and then some. A skein winder, on the other hand, is a major step in the right direction of handling your yarn, and I recommend checking out the nice folks at Strauch. Here's their website address:
http://www.strauchfiber.com Tell them that Sheila of Wool2Dye4 sent you. It won't get you a discount, but I like the sounds of that phrase! Reminds me of the commercials many years ago when a famous actor would look straight into the camera's eye, and say, 'Tell them that 'Johnny' sent you!' Who did those commercials, anyway?

But, back to BFL Ultra! and the new size of skeins. Yes. We already have the 100 gram skein in W2D4 Socks 2DYE4 (formerly known as Wool2Dye4 SuperSock, but you know that story ...), and in Platinum Sock, Bamboo Two-Step, and Tencel/Merino. So, when the time came to order in more BFL Ultra! skeins, I decided to toss my old idea of the 8 oz skein being the standard for handdyers, and to move into the new age! Somehow, I had gotten stuck in the 8 oz skein mode, and thought that most customers were used to that format as well. Cost is always a factor, and especially in recent times, and since the more a yarn is handled, the higher the cost goes up, I had stuck to my larger presentation skeins.

The 100 gram skein, as it turns out, is really not that much more expensive, so I went with it, and happy that I did! The 100 gram of sock yarn -- usually anybody's sock yarn -- is just about the right size to look for when you're in that uncontrollable mood to knit or dye a pair of socks.

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