types of yarn

[twouglyducks]

I'm not even close to ready to waste wool yarn yet.... my dog just attacked the yarn I was working on (knitting in the round, had like 5 or 6 whole rows finished. :LOL) and now it's a big mess that's never gonna be workable... good thing it was cheap.
Anyway, I've seen so many kinds... 2ply, 3ply, Lopi? Then all the other stuff... I know what the 2 and 3 ply mean, but what are the pros and cons of each for soakers? And what is Lopi??? Thanks.

[pageta]

Well, if you don't have a local yarn shop (as you've stated in other threads), you could see if your local fabric/craft stores carry fisherman's yarn. Where I live it's $7.99 for one skein which makes about 3 soakers. The only color they carry here is cream (think Aristocrat) so it offers many possibilities in dyeing.

Otherwise, I think the yarn you're asking about is the stuff from fabriconnection, which I haven't had the opportunity to try yet. I think I've heard the 2-ply works well for soakers. She doesn't give much information on her website about gauge or anything, which is why I haven't bought any yarn from there (to be quite honest). I don't think the number of ply matters - it's more the weight (worsted, bulky, etc.) that matters.

To get a good education on yarn, go to www.halcyonyarn.com. They have everything listed by fiber or weight and you can see from the pictures what the yarn looks like. I haven't bought anything from them but I've heard great things about them. Their selection rocks! But look at the different weights and the gauge for them. That's where I got my education on yarn lingo.