After finishing a Holland Cowl last year, I had lots of UNIVERSAL YARN Mystical Marl Yarn leftover. And I mean lots – almost 2000 yards worth of yarn!
Two bags worth of UNIVERSAL YARN Mystical Marl Yarn. What will it become?
What was I going to do with it? I didn’t want it to languish unloved in the bottom of my stash, so, I was determined to find -something- to do with this bounty of yarn!
The first thing I knew was that this was definitely enough yarn for a blanket, so, when I found the Sunshine Throw Worsted Blanket, that was an easy choice!
Why a blanket? Well, first, because it makes my yarn math easy. I don’t have to worry about if I have enough yarn to finish a garment, with a blanket, I can knit until it’s as big as I want, or I’ve used all the yarn, which is perfect for a stash busting project!
Second, I wanted a pattern with the same yarn weight just to make my life easier. No having to hold yarns double or worry about gauge weirdness, since I picked a pattern that called for worsted weight yarn the same weight as the Mystical Marl Yarn.
Third, because it meant that I didn’t have to worry about matching gauge exactly, which is always a concern if you’re substituting yarns. With something fitted, like a sweater, I’d have to do a lot more swatching and testing to know that the finished thing would fit properly, with a blanket, if it’s a bit too big or a bit too small, it doesn’t really matter, I’m not aiming for a specific size here! Related to that, it also means I don’t have to worry about hunting down a specific needle size to match gauge exactly, either, which is always convenient!
Fourth, speaking of gauge, the recommended gauges for each yarn are very close. The blanket pattern calls for UNIVERSAL YARN Cotton Supreme, and that yarn gives a knit gauge of 17 stitches and 23 rows over 4 inches on a 5 mm needle. The Mystical Marl Yarn gives a bit more range in its recommended knit gauge: 16 to 18 stitches and 24 to 26 rows over 4 inches, using a 4.5 to 5.5 mm needle. So, the suggested gauges are very, very similar, which is very helpful when substituting yarn. Also, if we look at the pattern’s recommended gauge of 19 stitches and 23 rows over 4 inches; that’s also quite a close match as well. While you’re almost never going to get a perfect match when looking at recommended gauges like this, they are a great way to know that you’re in the right vicinity when looking at yarn substitutions and are much less likely to have problems meeting your gauge.
A close look at the recommended gauge on a ball of UNIVERSAL YARN Mystical Marl Yarn
However, there are a few things that I’ll to want to consider.
First, the blanket pattern as written calls for UNIVERSAL YARN Cotton Supreme, which is a 100% cotton yarn that will behave differently than the acrylic/cotton blend of the Mystical Marl Yarn. This is most prevalent in how I’ll want to block the blanket and I’ll want to block the blanket, it’s lace, so it’s going to need it! I’ve already blocked the Mystical Marl Yarn once before with no issue, but, if you’re unfamiliar with blocking acrylic or acrylic blend yarn, then you’ll want to bear that in mind.
Second, the pattern will drape differently. Acrylic can have an incredible amount of drape, especially after blocking, while cotton usually has less drape. While this is hardly a make-or-break issue, it’s something to be aware of, since it will make the finished object sit differently over a bed or chair (or person!)
Third, the UNIVERSAL YARN Cotton Supreme can go in the dryer, while the Mystical Marl is not supposed to go through a clothes dryer. So the care of the finished object also becomes an issue when you’re substituting yarn, and, for a blanket, you definitely want something easy to clean! That said, I rarely use our dryer, and would very likely be putting this blanket on our big drying rack, so, I’m good there!
There’s one far bigger catch to this, however.
I don’t have enough of the Mystical Marl in only one color. I’ll have to use both colours to have enough yardage to make a decent sized blanket. And that’s what I’ll be getting into tomorrow, where I’ll be planning out how to stripe the two colours of Mystical Marl to make the Sunshine Throw Blanket! Join me.
This is part 1 of 5 in this series
