INSIDE: the circle is complete, yarn tasting adventures, trying a super-bulky yarn, purple memories + lifelong learning.
The double crochet circular rug is complete. My husband is pretty chuffed he gets to use it as his meditation mat!
I rinsed it and found the dye ran. This didnāt surprise me. Next time I wash it, Iāll put some vinegar in the water to see if that helps. After the mat dried, itād changed texture (not nearly as fluffy) and the colors slightly changed.Ā
Itās 28 inches across. A perfect size for its purpose. Iām glad I found a practical use for the yarn, and Iām so glad my husband likes it!
My yarn tasting continues! Iāve knitted a swatch of City Tweed DK in the Snowshoe colorway.
Itās a blend of 55% Merino Wool, 25% Superfine Alpaca and 20% Donegal Tweed. Iām enjoying the ātweedinessā and how the fabric turns out.
Hereās how this yarn is produced. It begins with alpaca and Merino fibers dyed two colors and blended together to create a heathered look.
Next, the neutral color, Donegal Tweed, is incorporated into the 2-ply yarn.
Donegal is a series of viscose neps (think slubs) suspended in a fine acrylic mesh. This allows them to be spun alongside the longer alpaca and Merino fibers. In the yarn, you canāt see the acrylic web at all, and the neps appear on the surface of the yarn or spun inside the yarn strand.
Hereās my swatch unblocked.
Itās a lovely yarn to knit with and the fabric has ātoothinessā. The neps add extra texture and visual appeal.
I love this colorway with the natural colors of wool. The Merino contributes to the elasticity and density, the alpaca brings drape.
As itās a DK weight, itās thinner than the Woodland Tweed Bare (80% Merino Wool, 15% Baby Alpaca, 5% Viscose) Aran weight yarn I tried a few weeks ago.
The higher percentage of neps in the City Tweed are noticeable compared to the Woodland Tweed. I like them both!
This is the swatch blocked.
Itās lovely, soft and the fabric has everything I love about Merino and Alpaca together. There are the little alpaca hairs, but theyāre not very noticeable.Ā
Iām playing around with Fluff Of The Andes.
It requires US15 (10mm) needles which I donāt have in my collection. I tried it out on US11 (8mm) and tried knitting with a looser tension.
The label gauge says 2.5 stitches per inch and my swatch is 2 stitches per inch. If I knitted it at my normal tension, Iād have probably reached the correct gauge.Ā
Iāve never worked with super bulky yarn, itās 100% highland wool and would be super warm. It shed fine strands as I knitted. I found the thick strand difficult to maneuver in the English style way I normally knit.Ā
Iāve seen designer Hope Macaulay create garments in super bulky yarn. Her work seems to be aimed at a younger generation. This excites me! It means thereās more of a chance people are wearing garments thatāll last for decades.
The purple colorway, aptly named Sweet Lavender, always reminds me of my Mama (maternal grandmother). She was a thrifty woman who was a genius at reusing fabrics to create wearable items.
She created a Cloche hat and matching scarf from a purple mohair blanket. The lavender purple suited her so well!
I think about her often and know sheād be interested in the path Iāve taken in my life regarding craft. Iām so thankful for the skills she instilled in me when I was younger that I still have today: knitting, sewing, gardening and cooking.Ā
The characteristics of different fibers lend themselves to different projects.
The trend in knitting Iāve noticed in many designs in the past year is mohair held with another yarn type.
I created my Chasing Light Shawl with Merino Silk (75% Australian Superwash Merino & 25% Mulberry Silk) and Mohair Silk (72% Kid Mohair & 28% Mulberry Silk) held together. The resulting fabric is divine!
Iām educating myself slowly but surely about yarn types through my āyarn tastingsā and the projects Iāve completed. How I adore lifelong learning!
And another question for you: regarding your answer, why or why not?
Press reply or leave a comment!
Mystery Quote Of The Week
āReframing your āmistakesā is a great way to become more resilient. Ask yourself, āDid I really make a mistake or did I simply invent a new stitch?ā It's true! Don't be scared of so-called āmistakes!ā Challenge yourself to PLAY with your knitting.ā
Who said this? Comment or press reply! No cheating! š
(Youāll find out if you were correct next week.)
Last weekās answer wasā¦ Clara Parkes!
Comment below if you got it right.
Crafting Trivia Question Of The Week
Which celebrity wore a crochet cardigan that went viral?
Whatās the answer? Leave a comment or press reply! No cheating! š
(Youāll find out if you were correct next week.)
Last weekās answer to: when was the crochet boom?
Wasā¦ the 1960s to 1970s! Did you get it right? Leave a comment if you did!
Whatās your favorite animal fiber to work with? What do you like about it?
Leave a comment or press reply.
P.S. Be here on Sunday for another selection of great recommendations, thanks to Coco & Pepperās hard work sniffing it all out!
(Disclosure: Any purchases made through links may earn me a commission.)
Before you goā¦
The first time I tried it I had problems with the wool. My eyes wouldn't stop watering. Didn't try again for a long time. Did quite a few swatches with different thicknesses held together. I didn't like the feel of virtually all of them.
I hold industrial silk with with my heel turn and toe wool for wear on all my socks. I like knitting multi-colour work as well it's just the different thicknesses for tension I seem to really battle with.
So many pretties!!!