Rowan Felted Tweed DK good sub for Jo Sharp Silkroad DK?

[bertha79]

Has anyone here worked with Rowan Felted Tweed DK? A sweater pattern I am looking at calls for Jo Sharp Silkroad DK and I was thinking of substituting with the Rowan, but I've never worked with it before.

The Jo Sharp is 85% wool, 10% silk, and 5% cashmere. The Rowan is 50% merino wool, 25% alpaca 25% viscose/rayon. I read a review of the worsted

Comments

[katinka31]

I've been eyeing that pattern myself! :D

I, too, was thinking of using Felted Tweed, but after using it for some Knucks for my husband, I think it would make the sweater much warmer than I'd like. It also has a different feel from the Kathmandu DK (which I've also heard is the exact same thing as Silkroad DK -- it's got the same content and yardage, at any rate).

If you do decide to go the Kathmandu DK route, Discount Yarn Sale has it at a decent price.

[bertha79]

Ooh, thanks for the lead on the Kathmandu, that is a good price!

[7owti5]

I worked with Jo Sharp, and have a whole bag of Felted Tweed that I've swatched. I think it's a good substitution. Yes, the Jo Sharp breaks easily when you pull, but I haven't had trouble with it (made a hat and scarf). These two are also very close (near identical?) in gauge.

I also used Silky Wool recently and this is a NICE yarn. Also breakable, but softer than the other two. The only problem I see is that the gauge is much finer. I know the label says size 6 needle, but I ended up using size 3 to get the right fabric. OTOH, the Jo Sharp and Rowan were pretty much straight with gauge, using a size 6 needle (my stitches are "loosey goosey", according to a friend).

Hope that helps!

[bertha79]

I know, I *love* silky wool. I used it to make some teeny knitted stocking Christmas ornaments as well as a Branching Out and loved working with it, but it seemed pretty fragile. That helps a lot, thanks for the info!

[omly]

Do you just not like the Rowan Felted Tweed? Knit Happens has it on sale for $4.93 a ball right now!

[bertha79]

No, I've just never worked with it so I wanted to know if it was sturdier than the Jo Sharp which looks nice, but isn't very sturdy. I love the look of the felted tweed so I was hoping it would be a good substitute. Thanks for the link, I might just order some anyway at that price!

[mettle_metal]

I rather like the Rowan Felted Tweed. I used it on my Pumpkin (from Knitty) and rather liked the fabric it created pre-felting. I'd say the stitch definition is a bit better than the Silkroad DK, but it's not as soft. Also, if it's ironed (direct contact, with steam), it produces a wonderfully crisp fabric that looks quite like something you'd buy in a department store.

[bertha79]

Thanks for the info! It sounds like it looks really nice ironed!

[funfairiegirl]

I haven't used it, but I love tweeds. In one of the communities on LJ I read a question awhile back about it, so I read the comments. The question was if anyone else was having issues with the yarn basically falling apart. I think that was the overall thoughts of those using it. It just wasn't knitting up well. But again, I haven't used it.

[bertha79]

Hmm, that is good to know...Thanks!

[splowey]

hmmm, I think I saw that discussion (or a similar one, somewhere). I've been using Felted Tweed for a shawl/wrap thing that I'm making (lace-ish, but intended to be warmer than laceweight or fingering weight yarn would give), and I haven't had any problems with it falling apart at all, but it's a valid point.