so I wanted to make one of these two: worsted option, aran/worsted option for my father-in-law to be who likes to bike but HATES wool-on-skin feeling I'd like to find a fiber option that doesn't break the bank or upset his ears, while still being sturdy enough to hold up to spring/fall weather in the Far North any suggestions?
i'm assuming he's allergic to wool, so even super-soft wool like merino or alpaca is out? in that case i suggest knitpicks 'comfy', which is cotton/acrylic and extreeeeemely soft. https://www.knitpicks.com/yarns/Comfy_Worsted_Yarn__D5420171.html i made a summer-weight blanket out of it and it's warm enough that it gets used for couch cuddles in the winter.
hrmmm I don't think he's allergic? future MIL has said he's okay with merino and to be fair, he doesn't know the makeup of his clothes quite as well as he knows "I hate this, this is wool, no more wool" he's also had mainly experience with army wool I think, that'd put anyone off it oooh that looks like an excellent option though!! thank you so much!!! his current favorite socks are ones I made out of caron x pantone, so like, bulky yarn you shouldn't be using for socks, but it works because they have "gaps" that keep his feet cool here's their makeup: 60% Manufactured Fibers - Acrylic 20% Manufactured Fibers - Nylon / Polyamide 20% Wool - Merino so I think minor amounts of merino might be a go?
in that case, if you want something warmer than cotton, knitpicks various superwash merino are all non-scratchy and pretty reasonably priced. it's the hand-painted type stuff that's expensive. solid colors are really affordable.
oh perfect, thank you! the other major concern was, uh, cleaning? because biking can be sweaty @_@ also he's a very Plain Colors kinda guy so that ought to work well!!
so funny enough, that's the one I liked best when I went looking on knitpicks, and when I checked the ravelry page....they used swish looks like that's three votes for!!
good and easy but potentially boringly repetitive ETA: if you do go for a scarf use bulky/super bulky yarn. it works up into a decent length WAY quicker and is generally less fiddly for beginners
I always found scarves frustrating because they take a while to work up, but they are pretty simple and you'll learn a lot
i personally like making very wide scarves from lots of bulky yarn bc then you have a blanket half way through making your scarf and can keep your knees warm while you knit :P
Long tail cast on is super confusing if you aren't used to it, it gets less weird the more you practice
I'm about five rows into my scarf project, and it's already nearly 3 inches long. I've barely touched my first ball of yarn, and I have a second one after that. I may or may not have enough yarn to make a cocoon for myself...
I attempted long tail cast on when I started, got deeply confused by it, and promptly abandoned it for the next four years in favour of a much simpler cast-on method. (Literally just creating a slip-knot and then doing yarn-overs until I have enough stitches, then knitting those and then starting the first row from there. Very simple, but not something I'd recommend for a project where the stitches twisting on you is a concern because...this method is very prone to twisting once it gets to enough stitches that using circulars is a necessity. Learning another cast-on was a blessing, honestly.)
I'm a big fan of the crochet cast-on? it's not as bad, I think, and it gives you a good starter for provisional cast-ons https://shop.mybluprint.com/knitting/article/crochet-cast-on-tutorial/
i'm a real fan of long tail, tbh. once it gets to the muscle memory stage it's automatic, your hands just do it. to avoid the 'tail too short what now' problem with very long cast-ons (i.e. blankets and sweaters) use the other end of the yarn ball. i mean, that won't work if your ball is an actual ball, but if you're using a center-pull ball, you can use the outside end for the tail. i use backwards loop for toe-up socks, though, because when you pick up stitches into it, it vanishes seamlessly.