Knitting with Two Different Yarns

Since I've been crocheting with two yarns at once and getting a good effect, I thought: Why not try it with knitting?   I didn't have to hand knitting needles big enough to handle the project I had envisioned, so I decided to test my idea with cotton yarn and my US 9 needles.  Here is the result, a 12" wide by 18" long dish towel.  The texture is very thick and sturdy.  Cotton yarn is a bit stiffer than wool or acrylic; it tends to fight back.  This made the project quite interesting.

I framed the stockinette knit with seed stitching to keep it from rolling up.  This also produces a pleasing effect.  I used one plain ecru ball and one variegated.  A towel like this could dry a lot of dishes!  Warning: you have to keep your wits about you casting off.  It's a bit tricky.

My ultimate goal is to produce an afghan using two acrylic yarns that combine to produce a soothing, subdued color effect.  I plan to do it in panels, alternating between crochet and knit.  

Someday I may learn the more complicated crochet stitches and figure out how to read patterns.  Right now I'm having fun seeing how much I can do with just plain stitching.

Crocheted Acrylic Yarn Potholder

Acrylic and acrylic-blend yarns are extremely attractive and generally a little cheaper per pound than cotton yarn.  Most of them will machine wash, though you have to check each yarn band for specific instructions.  They can't, however, be expected to work as dish cloths or dish towels.  What they are great for  that you can make easily is potholders.

I made this potholder using instructions from  the video below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=biGbmVULdNw

These instructional videos are a real life saver for a beginner like me.  I was amazed at how many you can find on YouTube.  By all means take advantage of this marvelous resource.

I did, however, make some practical modifications.  Holding two separate strands of yarn under a hook is frustrating and time consuming; I spent a lot of time taking out and redoing bad stitches.  Then I bought myself a US 16 crochet hook.  That  made the job easy.  I also chained 30 stitches instead of 20 as suggested in the video.  My own personal measure for a potholder (or anything else useful) is that it has to be bigger than my hand and handle naturally.

For this potholder, I used one variegated yarn and one black yarn I had bought on sale.  If you use the chunky yarns, you can make a useful potholder from only one yarn.  The principle criterion here is that the hand be protected from burns.

These are easy and make great gifts.