You spin me right round.
The joys of a new knitting tool!
INSIDE: The beautiful bloom of wool, trying out my new knitting tool + handmade center pull yarn cakes.
After my knitting chart shenanigans last week, I completed the face cloth!
It’s very sweet. The free pattern is Banjo by Jenny Williams. I like the CotLin yarn’s softness (both when knitting with it and the final fabric.)
My latest knitted swatch is in Palette yarn (the Finnley Heather colorway, fingering weight, 100% Peruvian Highland Wool.)
I often wonder how they choose the color names and descriptions. Whoever writes them for Knit Picks does a wonderful job!
Here’s what they say about Finnley Heather:
“Finnley Heather is a complex mix of heathered greys that range from cream to a medium ash and taupe grey, along with subtle hints of a darker charcoal grey. Pairing together a warmer cream with a range of greys makes Finnley Heather the ideal, shade-shifting grey that works with a range of colors.”
The thin strand of Palette has tiny fibers that stick out. They show up more when the fabric isn’t washed or blocked.
Having just knitted with the CotLin, I noticed the difference in the feel of working with pure wool. It was rougher, but not unpleasantly so.
Here it after I finished knitting it.
After washing and blocking my swatch, the pure wool fabric is delightful! I love how wool softens and blooms after washing and letting it dry flat.
Here it washed and blocked.
I’m searching for patterns to use up the rest of the ball. There’s only 231 yards, so I’m going to have limited options. Any suggestions?
Now for my brand-new tool…I’ve finally got an umbrella swift! Knit Picks sent me their Birch Swift to test out. I was very pleased.
The swift comes with easy-to-follow setup instructions, and two clamps (one to attach it to the table, and one to hold the opened arms in place.)
The laminated birch is smooth, with a sturdy construction. It looks lovely too!
The operation is smooth and almost silent. It was exciting to hand wind my first center pull cake from a swift! (I used Muse: Aran weight, 100% Superwash Merino, which is next on my yarn tasting list.)
I made a video where you can see the process (part of it is sped up.)
And another question for you: Do you have a craft tool you can’t live without?
Press reply or leave a comment!
Mystery Quote Of The Week
“Knitting is the saving of life.”
Who said this? Comment or press reply! No cheating! 😊
(You’ll find out if you were correct next week.)
Last week’s answer was… Hanabelle Knits!
Comment below if you got it right.
Crafting Trivia Question Of The Week
Where in Denmark would you typically find a knitted Bridal Jacket?
What’s the answer? Leave a comment or press reply! No cheating! 😊
(You’ll find out if you were correct next week.)
Last week’s answer to: which snail is used for purple dye in Mexican fiber arts?
Was… ‘Tixinda!’ That’s Mixtec for purple snail (‘caracol púrpura’ in Spanish.)
Did you get it right? Leave a comment if you did!
What was the last new thing you learned in your craft? What did you enjoy about gaining that new skill?
Leave a comment or press reply.
P.S. Coco & Pepper are excited about what they’ve got in store for Sunday Scroll…
(Disclosure: Any purchases made through links may earn me a commission.)
Before you go…
Thanks! Frog hair is yarn as fine as the hair on a frog 😂
With a triangular shawl, it's impossible to flatten it out to measure the cast-off edge.
With dyeing, you need a certain amount of dye for a specific dry weight of fibre, so you weigh the fibre, then calculate how much dye you need for that amount of fibre, depending on how strong you want the colour.