Have you ever had a yarn related accident?

Have you ever had a yarn buying accident?

I have. I made big Ebay boo boo 🙁

I occasionally sell unwanted yarn on Ebay and often browse the knitting section just to window shop. I need more yarn like a hole in the head 😳

Sometimes, if I spot a real bargain, I’ll put in a bid to see if I “get lucky”.

On one of these window shopping expeditions, I spotted 14 balls of Black Rowan Kid Classic, complete with the pattern book.

“Oh, what a bargain! There’s a super pattern in Kim Hargreaves’ Heartfelt called Emily I can make with that!

I bid, a very reasonable amount and won! I paid and a couple of days later my yarn arrived.

Hmmm….That’s a bit fuzzy for Kid Classic…

The ball bands said Kid SOFT!! 😯

I must stress at this point – the seller (who was completely honest and above board) had described the Yarn as Kid Soft. And shown a picture of 14 balls of Kid Soft. And shown a picture of the Kid Soft Booklet. And the title of the Ebay listing said KID SOFT.

So why the bloody hell did I read KID CLASSIC?? I am an idiot – it’s the only possible explanation!

Here is the mountain of fuzzy blackness…

For those of you confused by the difference between Kid Soft and Kid Classic (or if like me you read them as exactly the same thing!)…

Kid Classic is

• Lightweight Aran
• 70% lambswool, 26% kid mohair, and 4% nylon
• knits to 18-19 sts x 23-25 rows
• on 5-5.5mm / 6-5UK / 8-9US needles.

Kid Soft is

• Heavier than Aran (but lighter than Chunky)
• 35% extra fine Merino, 40% kid mohair and 25% nylon
• knits to 15-17 sts x 20-22 rows
• on 5-5.5mm / 6-5UK / 8-9US needles.

Weirdly, Kid Soft and Kid Classic were launched at the same time (about Winter 2000) – subsequent Rowan magazines are chock full of patterns for Kid Classic but there is not one pattern in the Rowan Mags for Kid Soft?? Why launch a yarn and not put it in the mags?

The extra mohair in the Kid Soft makes is very fuzzy and “mohairy”. The differences with gauge will make it hard to swap for kid classic without getting a very dense fabric. And the fuzz would disguise any pretty stitch patterns or detailing.

I looked through the accompanying pattern book – It’s by Kim Hargreaves too! The pattern book was published in 2000 but as ever with Kim, several of the designs are very wearable – who wouldn’t need a plain fuzzy black jumper huh?

With 14 balls I have enough yarn to make a huge coat and a shorter jumper…I’m going to be knitting a lot of black this summer…