Comments | weasleysweaters: Rowan Felted Tweed substitution?

lizzlemermaid in weasleysweaters

Rowan Felted Tweed substitution?

Apr 04, 2007 22:28

Hey everyone, I decided that for the premiere/release of the new Harry Potter book/movie, I want to knit a Weasley Sweater. The only problem is that to make it my size, I'd need to spend $90 on the yarn ( Read more... )

requests, knitting, resources, sweater-weasley, yarn

Comments 14

crayolaab April 5 2007, 03:34:35 UTC

I think there might be a yarn at www.knitpicks.com that could work. Or, for a sturdier/scratchier but still tweedy look you could try Peace Fleece www.peacefleece.com

I am sure there are lots of other options but that's what's coming to mind right now.l

lizzlemermaid April 5 2007, 03:38:47 UTC

Thanks for the quick reply! I'll definately look into those. :D

I figured I'd ask the knitting communities to see if anyone had any wisdome on this...I've been searching all kinds of websites but just don't know what would be comparable.

firewhiskywench April 5 2007, 05:09:32 UTC

There are a bunch of tweedy yarns over at yarn.com on sale, perhaps one of them would work? I made one out of Colorado Durango which is a worsted weight ( I used this pattern and as an aside it came out way huge, lol) but I know that the cranberry tweed is no longer available, since I ran out and had to scour the web for more. However, have you considered the fact that the movie is coming out in July and you may melt in a sweater? Though those theaters can get kinda cold . . .

lizzlemermaid April 5 2007, 17:00:35 UTC

Hm, that pattern looks pretty similar to the one I linked to above. It's a shame that the cranberry you mentioned isn't available...I really want to make it maroon. ;)

And yeah, I thought about the fact that it'll be July, but I tend to be cold all the time...and I figure that I'll be going to a midnight book premiere (where people like to dress up), and probably a midnight movie premiere, so I'll probably be OK.

firewhiskywench April 5 2007, 17:24:56 UTC

I should also add that the sweater was a gift for a friend and I was not smart enough to get enough yarn for 2 sweaters and now I don't have one and probably never will, lol. I was adamant about it being machine washable so it's a 50/50 acrylic/wool blend. Just trying to make you feel better about it not being around anymore :)

djinnj April 5 2007, 05:20:34 UTC

From what I understand of RFT, it's got a texture which is pretty hard to find in other yarns. Also, tweeds are less common overall. If exactness isn't critical, you can pretty much sub anything you like as long as you can get gauge and like the drape. And the designer has suggested working the stitch requirements of a smaller size when using heavier yarn. It's a simple drop shoulder sweater so there's no complicated shaping, and the results are intended to be a bit rustic.

According to yarndex it's a wool blend DK with 191yds/50g. The yardage is much closer to that of a sport weight yarn as a result of how it was blended and spun so going by the recommended gauge (22-24sts x30-32rows) in picking a near sub is easier. In which case, pretty much any listed DK and even a few light worsteds will work ( ... )

djinnj April 5 2007, 05:37:23 UTC

Solids are everywhere. For an inexpensive worsted weight wool with a handful of nice heathers, I'd suggest elann's Highland Wool (109yds/50g and $2.25/ball. If you need 10 of the RFT, you'd need 18 of the HW, but it's still half the cost.

There's also Cascade 220 in solids, which HelloKnitty has for $6 a hank and flat rate shipping. It's 220yds/100g worsted weight wool, and you'd need 9.

Or if you would like something a bit thinner, knitpicks Merino Style (the website is acting up for me, so this links to a cached version of the page) is a heavier DK in lots of bright colors. If you need 10 of the RFT, you'd need 16 of the Merino Style, but it's $2.49/50g ball, so it would still be about half the cost.

Meanwhile, Brown Sheep makes an 80/20 cotton/wool blend in DK and sport weight called Cotton Fleece/Cotton Fine (solids only, sadly). It's not as inexpensive as the other two I've mentioned, and it would look very different (it's got quite a bit of cotton's sheen to it), drape differently, and some people find it irritating ( ... )

djinnj April 5 2007, 05:44:40 UTC

Oh, one last thing, Webs carries the RFT, and it's discountable. Which means that any order over $60 gets 20% off. So, while it's still not cheap, it's not $90. I just tested it and shipping would be about $6 in the US. So, $9.25 each and 10 of them would come in at $80 including shipping.

lizzlemermaid April 5 2007, 17:03:30 UTC

Wow, that was awesome! I don't even know where to begin! Thanks so much! All this is beyond insanely helpful.

iangelofmusici April 5 2007, 06:17:17 UTC

I used Cleckheaton 8-ply Country Naturals for mine. I picked out a nice tweedy navy with a cream colour for the intarsia, but they had a really nice rust colour, too. I'm happy with the way it turned out, although I've never actually used Rowan Felted Tweed to compare.

lizzlemermaid April 5 2007, 17:05:07 UTC

Ooh! Those are nice! Thanks!

knit_ten April 5 2007, 16:53:49 UTC

i don't have any yarn recommendations but... your icon makes me giggle like a little girl.

lizzlemermaid April 5 2007, 17:05:46 UTC

:D
I love this icon! It usually takes people a minute, but the response is classic!
Your icon is rockin!