When I cast on for a second "Buttonbox" in Madelinetosh DK, I knew I was taking a risk. I'm always leery of superwash-treated wools, because of the way they don't behave nicely when wet, lose body and crispness, and generally don't have the properties that make me love wool. (It's why so many designers, like Jared Flood, Jo Sharp, and Veronik Avery have chosen not to sell superwash wool). I knew all this when I cast on, but I was in love with the colour, mesmerized by the jewel-like blues and greens. Remember, I'd had a good experience not that long ago with Lanett, a supposedly superwash-treated merino when I made this.
So, I launched in and resolved that before I got too far I'd put everything on a length of waste yarn, wet it, and lay it out to see how it behaved. Well, I did that last night, and guess what? Disaster, of course, meaning a vest of elephantine proportions. Why didn't I test knit a small swatch? Impatience to get on with it, I suppose. Why don't I ever learn? Does anyone want a few skeins of Madelinetosh DK in "worn denim"?
