So I went to JoAnn's to find out what in the world Velvetspun yarn by Lion Brand Yarn was all about... and I still don't know! They don't carry it in the store. This made me wonder, as I wandered up and down the aisles plunging my hand into the bins to find the perfect yarn, do the people at LBY keep some of their stock 'in house' so that you have to order it online in order to see what it is like?
Now that may sound silly to some and ingenius to others - to me, it's insanely impractical. As a person with severe allergies and asthma, I have to pay careful attention to what I use in regards to yarn. Nothing, unfortunately, will ever be made out of angora unless I have a death wish. Certain chemicals and dyes from other blends make my hands break out in hives. These are just a few of the issues I have run across over my knitting years. All that being said, it simply means that I will never know about Velvetspun if this is indeed what they are doing. I won't order a yarn I can not feel unless I completely trust the manufacturer and have never had a challenge with them... this is not the case for LBY.
You may notice that when I post a pattern or discuss a yarn, Bernat comes up a lot. That is because I know that every single yarn I use from them is 'safe'. While all of this is pondering through my head, I realized that I had been rubbing this one particular treasure for quite some time. I pulled out the skein and literally laughed out loud - it was an Alpaca yarn by Bernat. Granted, the giggling from the aisle that only held myself made a few turn in opposite directions but I didn't care. I had found Buford!
He is going to born out of Bernat Alpaca Natural Blends in color code 93040 (Ebony) and he is going to be beautiful.
Okay, for everyone making this pattern - the directions for the head are not coherent so I will share what I learned. While you are making it, it looks flat but in reality what you are doing with the p1, sl1 pattern is making a pocket. With the new found knowledge, if you mess up the p1, sl1 pattern anywhere along the way, the pocket will not happen… which is apparently what happened to me at one point during the wee hours of the morning. So, Buford the First was a learning experience and he has served his purpose well. I believe with Buford II, when I get to the part where you shape the head (Row 63), I will switch to circular needles and work him that way until I reach the required 3.5” and then work off the circulars with a dpn for the ears. I’ll be sure to make notes and let you know what I did just in case others have the same challenge with the vague writing of the head segment.
ReplyDeleteUgh - I am already on Buford III and I am bound, bit and determined to get him right so that he can go on his wild adventures with Jack... Buford will come out proper - third time's a charm, right?
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