Experienced knitters, advice needed please

Ok so I have only ever knitted a few scarves here and there. Recently I decided to make scarves as presents for my husband and mum. They have turned out really well. So I decided to treat myself to some alpaca and wool mix yarn, and knit one for myself.It’s divine yarn, but I’ve tried to cast on 3 times and half way through the yarn kind of just breaks off, or slips off like its not been spun correctly, it seems to be from holding the yarn in my right hand. The seller (ice yarns from ebay) said it’s because it’s soft alpaca and you have to knit very gently with it, do you think this is correct? or are they trying to pull the wool over my eyes , pardon the pun :smile:

Suzanne

Hi Suzanne. I buy quite a lot of yarn from them and never had a problem with their alpaca mix yarns.

1 Like

I’ve knitted with a number of alpaca and alpaca blend yarns (but none from ice yarns) and I’ve never been particularly gentle with any of them whilst knitting. The only time I’ve experienced anything like what you’ve described was whilst knitting with a pure silk yarn which had a very low twist (I think it was hand spun). Does the ball you’ve got look like the ball that was in the picture? Was it described as low twist and does it look consistent through out the ball?

1 Like

Thanks for your replies @SashaGarrett @beaniehats It does kind of look handspun,kind of rustic looking but I really wouldn’t know, it doesn’t say on the listing. It’s a 40 % alpaca, 50% virgin wool ( whatever that means) and 10% acrylic, so you would have thought it would all hold together well ? I’m using 6 mm needles so it’s quite chunky. I’m really disappointed and also doesn’t sound like they want to replace or refund, as they are saying it’s my knitting :neutral_face. I will try another of the skeins an see if it happens again.

Hi @WashedandFound I knit a lot with Alpaca and wool mix yarns and have never had that problem. The wool feels softer due to the alpaca but it’s strong because of the wool mix. It should be even stronger with acrylic in the mix too.

Even when I’ve knitted with pure alpaca yarn, I’ve never had any problems. I’d contact the seller again, it sounds like you have a dodgy ball, as it shouldn’t be doing that (I’ve never knitted with that make though).

Good luck!

Natalie xx

1 Like

I have knitted with several types of yarns and I don’t find it normal for yarns to brake so quickly and three times. Are there any reviews online about the yarn you bought? Maybe try contacting the yarn company…or is it Ice Yarns make? If you find more information from users of this yarn, you might have a case about returning it? What exacly is the yarn company’s return policy?

I had alpaca / new wool blend yarn brake but I pulled it too tightly. It was the first time I was knitting with it and it only broke once. That yarn was very fine, not chunky. I never had chunky yarn brake…it’s too thick.

1 Like

Hey!
I’m new here but I’ve been making mermaid tail blankets for years now and have experience in most yarn types if you want to chat :heart:️Xxx

1 Like

Thank you @MoreTeaVicarKnitwear @BelaFarCrafts and welcome @papertipi :slight_smile: . With all of what you have said I’m inclined to think it’s too loosely spun. It’s an Ice yarn make, they have been selling on ebay a long time .I’ve sent them another message explaining that I think it’s a faulty ball or batch. I will try one of the other ones and see if it happens with them.

here is a pic of the yarn

1 Like

Oo er! That does not look particularly robust yarn just from the pic. I don’t think the company should be stating that you need to knit “gently” with the yarn either, because the tension of the knitting is determined by the pattern, and if you knit too loosely it will loose its shape and leave you requiring a lot more yarn than is stated. I haven’t got any experience with Ice yarns but I have knitted with lots of different yarns, both cheap acrylic and much softer and more expensive types and never had any trouble with breakage.

From my beadweaving I also know a bit about thread of all types. All thread except the very strong nylon fishing line sort is made from shorter fibres spun together. The force that keeps the fibres from separating and pulling apart is mere friction, but don’t worry-friction can be very, very effective (think of velcro) in forming a strong bond that will last years. All the fibres listed are suitable for yarn. If you imagine traditional spinning, the yarn is first spun into a single ply thread and then that thread is spun back on itself to produce a two ply yarn. If the initial thread is not spun tightly enough then there is not enough friction to hold the fibres together and you end up with the same result.

I think you are well within your rights to ask for another batch of wool. You need to make sure you have all your balls of yarn replaced because they need to be matched and dye colours can sometimes vary between batches, leaving you with obvious blocks of colours that are slightly different.

There are some spinners on Folksy who might be able to give you more insight into the process.

From a legal perspective, any product sold to a consumer has to be “fit for purpose.” If you can’t knit with it, then the company does not have a leg to stand on.

Sam x

2 Likes

I have bought a similar one from them only in a different shade. last year I had no problems knitting with it but found that when you came to sew up with it you couldn’t pull the yarn as tight as you do acylic or it would break.

2 Likes

@SamanthaStanley thankyou for the info, it’s a very soft yarn and kind of slightly undoes itself (becomes wider) as you are handling it .I tried knitting with it ridiculously gently, I managed to cast on but half way through the first line it did the same thing.

The thing is if I have to return it it will cost me quite a lot in postage, then they will probably deduct their postage. I have sent them another message saying I’m not happy ,but they haven’t got back to me this time/yet. Sadly I wont be buying from them anymore, but they have such lovely looking yarns ! Lesson learned I suppose.

1 Like

Hi Suzanne

For any future wool you want to buy, try Loveknitting or Wool Warehouse, they have a great and legal returns policy and thousands of beautiful yarns, delivery is mega quick too!

Natalie xx

1 Like

Thankyou , I will take look. By the way your knitted items are perfect :slight_smile:

1 Like

This is what I knitted with the same content of wool from them. As you can see it knitted ok so you must have a faulty batch. Perhaps you could use the wool for a fringe on your scarves.

2 Likes

Sounds like they have a problem, and I bet they’re already aware of it.

Frankly, I think it stinks that they are taking advantage of customers’ understandable reluctance to send their bulky products back, because legally, you both should have been reimbursed for the wool and for the initial delivery fees as well. :rage:

Sam x

2 Likes

You should be covered by the Ebay guarantee if you paid with paypal. This is what Ebay say

“We want you to shop hassle-free on eBay.”

“Most purchases go through with no problems at all. However, if your item doesn’t arrive or wasn’t what was described in the listing:
We’ll make sure that you get the item you ordered; or
You’ll be refunded the purchase price and original postage costs if you paid using PayPal.”

The seller doesn’t seem interested in refunding you so I would go ahead and open a case via the resolution centre.

3 Likes

I agree as the item isn’t as described, ie not fit for purpose -you should get full refund - if they want the product back they can email you a prepaid address label or get their courier to collect. Open a case and ebay will force their hand to resolve it.
Had to do this recently with a faulty phone my son bought. Shop refused returns until I opened a case.

2 Likes

Looking at the yarn it looks rather fragile, like some yarn I had once but didn’t like it as it split, frayed and broke. It doesn’t seem to be spun very well.

Mine had alpaca in it and I gave it up as a bad job due to fraying, splitting and braking also I discovered I had a allergy to the yarn as well.

My yarn was a birthday gift from my Sister in Law.

1 Like

Ahh thanks very much @WashedandFound That’s so lovely of you to say :kissing_heart:

xx

1 Like