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Aug 31, 2014

Spotlight | Four Seasons Yarn

If you're a regular reader, you know Four Seasons by Classic Elite is one of my go-to yarns. When the company decided to discontinue it, I was relieved to have a significant quantity safely ensconced in the stash.

Four Seasons had many desirable qualities. The 70% cotton and 30% wool blend combined the silkiness of fine cotton with just enough wool to offer the springiness and memory I need. It came in a wonderful range of colors, and as an added bonus, it was well suited to myriad projects, producing a worsted weight fabric that was comfortable to work with and use year round.

The differences between Cotton Fleece and Four Seasons are subtle but real, akin to the way cake and bread flour are similar but different. Cotton Fleece works well for many things, but there are times I want that extra bit of woolly resilience and loftiness that made Four Seasons a must-have staple.

With that context in place, let's take a quick look at a few projects.

Afghans
                       
Colorado Baby
(This is the only photo I have of a small blanket for a friend's first grandchild.)





Dishcloths, Coasters & Placemats



Hot Shot Kitchen Set





Red, White & Blue 


When you're knitting from stash, it's crucial to mix and match yarns to make the most of what's on hand, so some of these projects also appeared in the Cotton Fleece round up. The Twegen Berry fluted rib afghan is a good example: the colorful strips are Four Seasons, while the cream-colored seams and trim are Cotton Fleece. 

These projects are representative but by no means all inclusive, particularly where cloths, coasters and holiday knits are concerned. Unfortunately now that Four Seasons has been discontinued, my supply is rapidly dwindling. There are a few skeins of red, white and blue, but the rest has been reduced to partial skeins and scraps.

You don't have to be psychic to know one day soon, I'll be desperately searching for precisely the right cotton-wool yarn for a new design or familiar favorite. Frankly, I'd rather avoid that crisis by starting the search for a substitute now.

So, tell me: Do you have a favorite cotton-wool blend? What do you like and dislike about it? What have you made with it?

Share whatever details you feel are pertinent, and together, perhaps we can discover fresh yarns that suit projects we've longed to make or those we have yet to conceive.

25 comments:

  1. I like Sierra from Cascade. I always found Cotton-Fleece too textured for my liking.
    I don't even know if it's around anymore, but I loved Sierra for both knitting and weaving.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for the suggestion, Jess. Will check out Sierra.

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    2. You're correct, Jess. According to Ravelry, Sierra has been discontinued, so the search for an alternative goes on.

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  2. What a pain! I hope you find a good substitute soon.

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  3. Hate it when a favorite yarn is discontinued! Watching with interest for reader's suggestions: Cotton Fleece is a staple, but it's nice to have some other options on hand too.

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  4. That pink is fabulous! I love the stitch definition.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks, Darcel, you make a great point: Four Seasons has really great stitch definition ... yet another reason it's a great go-to yarn.

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  5. I have no suggestions for the yarn, but just wanted to say the photos of those gorgeous blankets really gave me the urge to knit. And since I already was knitting, that was kind of weird...

    *knits harder*

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for the compliment and the chuckle! Have had the same thing happen to me.

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  6. I still really like Cotton Fleece. I also find that it can be washed on delicate and dried flat, even though it says it must be hand washed. And if you have a hand wash cycle on your machine, even better, but I have washed this for five children over nine years, and it is still in excellent condition: Little Boy Green. I've also made several other projects recently, which get much more washing, one even goes through the dryer, and are still doing fine.

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    Replies
    1. Great first-hand info on your Cotton Fleece experiences, thanks for sharing that, Renee. Your Little Boy Green sweater is lovely and equally important, it's lasted through five children. Remarkable!

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  7. Also, I'm curious about the pattern for those sweet hearts. Are they online?

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    Replies
    1. The Sweet Hearts are my own design. I've had several requests for the pattern, so it's on the To Do list.

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  8. Okay, here is what I found on a couple Ravelry searches with the same fiber composition and gauge: http://www.ravelry.com/yarns/library/jaggerspun-cotton-wool-11-3nm

    http://www.ravelry.com/yarns/library/dyepotcom-4-seasons

    http://www.ravelry.com/yarns/library/green-mountain-spinnery-cotton-comfort

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  9. And this: http://www.ravelry.com/yarns/library/rosarios-4-oceano which matches the Four Seasons rather than the Cotton Fleece.

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  10. Am looking in to some of the references that Ranee gave for substitutes. Must say I have not used cotton and wool together and I am not even a new knitter. !

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    Replies
    1. Have fun, am willing to bet you'll discover something you simply must try!

      (I confess, I've enjoyed every cotton-wool blend I've tried.)

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  11. Replies
    1. Glad you like it, Beth. (Don't tell the other afghans, but it's one of my favorites, too.)

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  12. Beautiful projects all together. I really don't use cotton much.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks, Andrea. Why knit with cotton-wool when you can knit with your own lovely handspun alpaca?!

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Thanks for stopping by! I read and enjoy each and every comment. If you have questions, share those too, and I'll do my best to respond.
-b