PLYMOUTH YARN'S
"FLIRT"
As a 3D-Fiber artist, I've been working with designer yarns for over 12+ years. They make the most beautiful, colorful, whimsical hairstyles for my fiber sculpted mermaids, fairies, fairy face pins' and more!
These yarns from Italy, France, Germany, Turkey used to be found in any good, quality yarn shop, and even at shops like Michael's, Joann Fabrics, etc.
I've always had a "huge" stash of the different yarns which I had bought over the years, but it wasn't until recently that I discovered that a lot of the stores/shops I've purchased from in the past no longer carried these delightful yarns. Thus began my search to see if I could find some of my old time favorites, and also some new yarns. I was especially looking for some very unique, fun textured yarns for my new designs of "knit necklaces".
I've spent quite a few hours searching the internet for different yarns and thought I'd share them here with you. If you are a fiber artist, fantasy doll artist, or knitter, you might just find a use for some of beautiful yarns!
Plymouth Yarn's "FLIRT" yarn is a French yarn and is 100% Nylon. It is a fun, wispy eyelash yarn, and it works well for not only beautiful fairy/mermaid hair, but also for my new "knit necklaces" shown in the photo above. The suggested retail price is $9.99 for a 50g ball (1 3/4oz.) Prices vary greatly, so be sure to check around.
Approx. 93 yds. To create the necklaces above I used a Size 8 needle, and straight knitting of 4 stitches.
I believe this FLIRT yarn is being discontinued, so when I found several colors of it at a good price, I snapped it up. Lots of beautiful fairy hair!
The yarns shown below are several I found on the web using the search term "designer yarns". I purchased these yarns from an on-line shop called GOT YARN. (Click on their name to visit their web page) I've ordered from them several times now and was very pleased with the service and the yarns. They have a section of "sale" yarns, for some pretty good savings!
The two yarns above are Karabella Yarns, made in Italy. The name is JEWELS! The unique texture and color combinations are what caught my eye.
The strand on the right shows the texture of the yarn before I knit it into a necklace chain for my "butterfly knit necklace" creation. This yarn has a metallic thread running through it which you can't really see in the photos. This gives it a bit of sparkle.
The necklace chain is straight knitting on a Size 8 Needle and 4 stitches.
In the photo above, is another yarn I purchased from GOT YARN. This fun textured, colorful yarn is an Italian yarn from ON-LINE called Linie 197 - ZARA. This was on sale and there were 4 colors to choose from. I used this yarn to create the "fairy face pin, knit necklace set" shown above.
A lot of rich colors, and fun texture in this yarn!
The photo below shows the texture of the yarn before being knit
MALIBU by BERLINI
I just LOVED this yarn when I found it on the web at NuMei Yarns. (Click on the NuMei link to visit their website). It is so fun and yet elegant looking. It reminds me of a "field of flowers" when knit into one of my "knit necklaces". While it is a bit expensive ($11.79 a ball + shipping), I felt it was worth the price. I've used it for several knit necklaces and also for a fairy face pin.
Fairy Face Pin using Malibu yarn
The strand on the "right" shows you the yarn before being knit into the necklace on the "left". I used a Size 8 needle and 4 knit stitches for the necklace.
PLYMOUTH YARN'S - JUNGLE
Gorgeous wide ribbon yarn!
Now this yarn is truly beautiful! All the vivid colors! It is a extra wide ribbon yarn that is 100% Nylon and made in Italy. 50g ball = 61 yards.
I happened to find this yarn on Ebay when using the search criteria "Italian Designer Yarns". Much to my surprise, Ebay is a very good source for finding designer yarns, and especially some of the designer yarns that are no longer being made. I've spent hours on Ebay searching for yarns that I could no longer find in the shops in my area.
This yarn is very silky in texture and is a bit hard to knit with as it twists and turns. When making my knit necklaces I find I have to let it "unwind" on the needle several times before I can continue knitting. I've heard that you should just knit it even though it is twisted, but I don't care to do that. I want a really even look for my necklaces.
This is one of the necklaces I created with the "rainbow" colored ribbon yarn shown in the photo above. I used a Size 8 needle and 5 knit stitches.
I've found it really pays to spend a bit of time researching the different yarns if you want to get the best prices. The same type of yarns can vary greatly in prices whether it is from an "on-line" shop, or a shop on Ebay! You need to watch that you aren't paying too high a price for shipping. I've found some sellers on Ebay list the price of the yarn low, but than their shipping is ridiculous. The same holds true from some "on-line" yarn shops. I did, however, find that there are also some great yarn sellers on Ebay who have free shipping.
The yarn shown below is a yarn that I've used in the past, but now that it is being discontinued , it is really hard to find. I was so happy when I happened across it on Ebay. This yarn makes beautiful fairy and mermaid hair! So soft and wispy!
ON-LINE LINIE'S "PUNTA" yarn
The yarn has loops of color in it and a soft, wispy eyelash!
This is a "fairy face" pin I made using the "cinnamon" colored PUNTA yarn shown above.
SPELLBOUND by MODA DEA
Spellbound by Moda Dea is another yarn I found when searching on Ebay for ribbon yarns with which to create my knit necklaces. Love the colors, sparkle and glitz of this yarn! It is 92% Nylon and 8% Polyester. 93 yards in a ball.
The necklace is awaiting a butterfly to be made for it.
These are just a few of the yarns that I have found while searching the web for "designer yarns". I found that quite a few of the really beautiful yarns are made in Italy.
While it was rather disappointing to learn that shops in my area are no longer carrying a lot of these yarns, I was happy to see that if one does a bit of search on the web, you can still find some unique, gorgeous yarns.
If you fiber artists, doll artists or knitters are looking for these "speciality" yarns, just put in "Italian yarns", "designer yarns", fancy yarns", "glitzy yarns" as search terms on your computer and I'm sure you will find what you are looking for.
