Jumping the Turnstyle

Life is filled with surprises. Like this funky mohair stuff from Lion Brand. I can’t tell you what attracted me to it or what made me decide it was a good idea, but I don’t regret it.

Okay, maybe I did have some regrets when I made a huge mistake and didn’t register this is a size 5 (bulky) yarn and not a 4. I first warped my 7.5 heddle with it hoping to make a dense cloth for a hand bag or a sample for a coat. It was a nightmare, the mohair like texture makes this yarn super sticky and it was almost impossible to weave. I struggled through and the finished cloth was wonky and didn’t lay flat. I was about to give up but…

Luckily I had one more ball left, so I tried it in a 5 dent Heddle and it worked beautifully..

Turnstyles as warp and weft makes a funky, chunky balanced weave. with subtle color variations.

But sadly, with the small 100 yard ball and some miscalculation, I didn’t have enough yarn to use for my warp and my weft. But that turned out to be a blessing in disguise. I pulled some scraps of other yarn to see how they would work together and the results were so fun and quirky.

Weft = unlabeled single ply acrylic (I think it’s Red Heart Unforgettable)

I especially loved the hand dyed Sugar and Cream weft with the Turnstyles warp. I can see this cloth as a thick and easy coat (like this jacket from Cris Wood Sews). The cotton adds just enough structure and combats the itch from the wool in the yarn while letting the color variation come through.

With cotton Sugar and Cream yarn- I loooooooove those dashes of peacock blue!

The finished scarf was a sampler turned funky and fun accessory! I love this yarn and I am so glad I tried it. I don’t know how much longer Lion Brand will carry it as it’s now on clearance, so it might be a good time to load up on a few balls for winter weaving.

The finished scarf

The Break Down:

Use a 5 dent heddle if you use Turnstyles as a warp!

Pros:

• The colors: I love the mix of subtle earth tones and pops of bright colors, every color way in this yarn has me drooling.

• 5 dent = quick weave!

• Thick and warm

• It has a really awesome unexpected texture, it’s unusual. For a large brand this almost has an art yarn quality.

Cons:

• A little itchy- I wouldn’t recommend this for a scarf if you use it as both warp and weft

• Only 100 yards/skein - you will need many balls to make a sizeable project, the scarf shown used a full ball.

• I have a feeling this will be discontinued at some point, buy it up now if you want it!

That’s all I have to say about this one! Happy weaving!