Eleanor has asked me to knit her a pair of socks similar to the
Sugar Frost Socks which I'd knit her for Christmas 2017. She wants the same pattern and is happy with the West Yorkshire Spinners Signature 4 ply that they'd been knit out of so I showed her the other colours I've got in my stash. She's chosen the Blue Lagoon colourway but, being striped, they knit up much nicer if the heels are knit out of a contrasting colour so that the stripes aren't interrupted. I don't have anything which would go with this colourway so I've ended up resorting to buying a ball of the Blueberry Bonbon colourway from a seller on Ebay. I was flabbergasted when it came.
It had been vacuum packed, all the air had been sucked out of the packaging and it was just millimetres thick. I suppose this cuts down on postage costs.
You can see what a difference it makes when laid next to the ball of Blue Lagoon from my stash. It's quite comical actually.
I was very surprised when I cut into the package, the yarn sprung back to how it should look immediately without any help from me. I really didn't think that it would.
Now to get on with the sock knitting. My first cast on of 2019.
Oh well, never seen flat pack yarn before, love the colours.
ReplyDeleteMe neither. I was surprised at Eleanor's choice as she doesn't often go for blues but I think this yarn will make a nice pair of socks.
DeleteI bought some yarn from ebay a few years ago and like you I was horrified to see it squashed flat in a vacuum pack! But it just springs back to normal as soon as you open it. Needless to say I invested in some vacuum bags for under bed storage- brilliant! Looking forward to seeing Eleanor's socks. Best, Jane x
ReplyDeleteI couldn't believe how it sprang back as soon as the packaging was cut into, a great space saver.
DeleteLove the colourway and good thinking on cheating the postage by the seller :-) The difference in cost of Large letter to small parcel is ridiculous but it's a good job the yarn sprang back.
ReplyDeleteI agree, postage charges are getting out of hand so I don't blame sellers looking for ways to save. I had my reservations about the yarn springing back, I was so surprised to see that vacuum packing it hadn't affected it one bit.
DeleteI have seen this before and it always pops back! It is cheaper to send a thinner package and it goes through peoples letterboxes, which is why they do it. Ingenious isn't it!
ReplyDeleteIt's such a good idea, I've never had wool delivered in this way before but it seems more convenient, and cheaper, for everyone.
DeleteThat's an ingenious way to pack yarn - and what a bounce back it has from those confined quarters! Postage costs can be crazy - sometimes it's quoted as just as much or more than the actual item! Those are lovely colours. I'm excited to be starting my first pair of socks with a contrasting heel/cuff - just picked the yarn out of my stash yesterday.
ReplyDeleteI never expected it to bounce back as it did without any help at all. I really don't blame sellers looking for ways to cut down on postage costs, it's getting out of hand now, as you say, it can cost more than the item you're posting. I think socks with contrasting heels and cuff look lovely, I'm just not so keen on the extra ends which need sewing in.
DeleteBlue Lagoon knits up wonderfully, I made the SO a pair of socks with it ages ago and added bright red heels and toes.
ReplyDeleteI bet they looked very snazzy with the red contrast. I'm a big fan of West Yorkshire Spinners, it wears and washes so well.
DeleteWhat a grwat idea and quite satisfying for the customer to see it springing back to life again! Even the colour looks different. Happy knitting.
ReplyDeleteIt's a brilliant idea, I couldn't believe that it sprung back to how it should be as soon as the packaging was cut open.
DeleteLovely colors!!!
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I agree, they look even better in real life.
DeleteIt's a great way of packaging wool to post. My friend actually keeps a large amount of her stash in vacuum packed bags, in order to save on space. It also means she can buy even more! X
ReplyDeleteHa ha, that's a great excuse for buying more yarn.
DeleteWell you learn something every day - lovely colours x
ReplyDeleteIt's a good way to save on postage. I'm looking forward to casting on now.
DeleteBeautiful colours, they go so well together! I love West Yorkshire Spinners yarn X
ReplyDeleteI'm a big fan of West Yorkshire Spinners, I've never had any problem with it and it wears so well.
DeleteFunny you getting just one ball of wool like that, but it is probably more economical. I posted a large quilt to Sydney recently & the Post Office advised if I did that it would fit into a smaller package & not cost as much, which we did. It looked sort of screwed up, but evidently popped out quite well. Very pretty colours in the wool. Take care.
ReplyDeleteBeing so thin, it can be sent through the post as a letter rather than a parcel and will save quite a bit of money, especially for small companies which send out lots of single balls of yarn. I wouldn't have any reservations about buying yarn which is sent in this way in the future, it really makes no difference to it once the package is open.
DeleteI've received a flat pack ball of yarn and was very impressed with it, a clever idea to save on postage. Nice choice to match the striped wool.
ReplyDeleteThere's a few different colours in the yarn which could be picked out as a contrast but I decided, with Eleanor's input, to go with a darker shade. I think it should knit up well.
DeleteAmazing what can be done to save on the cost of postage and thankfully the flat pack didn't damage the yarn. Eleanor will be pleased with her socks when they're knitted up.
ReplyDeleteI had visions of the yarn being a tangled mess but, thankfully, it's none the worse for wear. Eleanor's got another week at home before she returns to uni but as the socks aren't even cast on yet, she'll be going back without them. I'll be able to send them onto her though once they're finished.
DeleteConfession time-that’s how I store quite a bit of my stash! I got the idea from how we store the moho bedding when it’s stored in the house for winter. Beautiful colours you have chosen.,
ReplyDeleteIt's such a great idea and I'm certainly getting to the point where I've got enough stash myself to store in this way. I'm looking forward to seeing the yarn knit up, it's a self striping colourway.
DeleteWOW....that's a huge difference. I'm thinking of the space it would safe in stash storage situation...hum. Might check into that. Love the two colors together. Will be anxious to see your socks progress.
ReplyDeleteSandy's Space
reminder to leave your name and url so when I click on your comment I can get directly to your blog instead of your profile page. It's so much nicer and faster that way.
It does make a huge difference, I can imagine how much space this could save if used for storage.
DeleteI'm afraid I don't know how to leave a name and url in a comment as you've done here, it's only an extra click to get from the profile page to the blog though.
Love the colours - happy knitting.
ReplyDeleteAll the best Jan
I love blues, I think this will be really pretty when knitted up.
DeleteNow that vacuum packing is a surprise! I had never seen that before and, like you, was sceptical about whether the yarn would recover. Such a relief for you that it did. I suppose you are right about cheaper postage - smaller size and not paying for the weight of air trapped in the fibres. Now that it is all back to the right size, I look forward to seeing it transformed into socks.
ReplyDeleteIt was a surprise to me too, I wondered what I had ordered when it was delivered as I wasn't expecting a ball of wool to be in such a flat package.
DeleteIt's hard to believe that it's the same ball of wool, you'd think it would be a little squished.
ReplyDeleteLovely colours.
xx
It's very hard to believe that it sprung back to normal as it did, I'm glad it did though.
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