17 Comments
Mar 10Liked by Jodie Morgan

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.

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Thanks so much for sharing your experiences Sue and for your helpful tip about silk for strength in socks. I can appreciate your troubles with different thicknesses and tension. Me too!

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So many pretties!!!

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Yes indeed :)

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Mar 9Liked by Jodie Morgan

Thanks for restacking my granny square update. I think it did not go over well with most of my audience, because I lost four followers overnight. Who doesn't love granny squares?

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A pleasure. Try not to be too disheartend Jo. People come and go :) I think Granny Squares have had a revival in these last couple of years. People are embracing them in all sorts of groovy designs. :)

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Mar 9Liked by Jodie Morgan

I am going to have to use two strands of yarn together to get through this Dash that I have. I remember seeing a sock pattern that was specific for using up multiple strands of sock yarn to make thick socks.

Do you have projects in mind for all of these swatches?

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Good thinking re multiple strands for thick socks! I'm still working on ideas for projects. Some of the yarns were only very small amounts so really just a taste. Not enough to make anything with :)

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I haven't tried working with 2 different yarns held together yet. Maybe it's something to do with crocheting only, but it's definitely to do with the types of projects I usually make, i.e., not garments. I'll get there. I think it might be hard to catch the stitches properly with the overlay mosaic crochet technique, because I usually use a smaller hook than the yarn requires to get a denser fabric, and because of the way the stitches work with this technique.

Other than cotton, jute and wool, I think I've only tried a blend of merino wool and silk. I got it from the brand a few years ago as a gift for a photo, and the colours weren't exactly right for me. Gave it to my mom, who knitted a few things to gift, like mittens, and they turned out beautiful. The yarn is Balada from Rosários4, a Portuguese brand.

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The way you want the yarns to behave in overlay mosaic crochet to create a dense fabric I agree, 2 yarns held together may cause difficulties. Merino and silk blends are lovely. I've seen crocheters hold multiple strands together (sometimes up to 4 different strands!) for certain projects to get a mutlicolored effect. I just took a look at the Balada brand. They have a lovely range of Ecofriendly yarns. So good that your Mom was able to knit some gorgeous gifts :)

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Rosários4 has very nice yarns, really easy to work with and with lovely colours. I enjoyed just holding the Balada while I had it! Always good to see something nice being put to good use. :)

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Mar 9Liked by Jodie Morgan

Once you get the hang of the chunky yarns they are so satisfying to work with. I use them a lot for beanies, scarves and jumpers. You’ll find you have your end result a lot quicker and they’re super toasty warm. 💚

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That's great! Yes I can imagine they are quick to knit up and like you say toasty warm :)

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The silk rug turned out lovely! I love merino-alpaca blends. They are quite nice to work with. I don’t knit with bulky very often.

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Thank you :) I'm finding it really interesting how different yarns affect how I knit, how much I enjoy or don't enjoy working with them and the variety of textures and feel. I'm having lots of fun on my yarn exploration. :)

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I often work with 2 different yarns held together and really love what can be achieved by doing so. The possibilities are endless and it can completely change the look of the fabric, silk mohair lends itself especially well to this. I don't knit with bulky or super bulky often, it hurts my hands and i wouldn't wear it enough. I do like it for a quick smallish project like hats or scarves.

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Thanks so much for sharing your experiences Heike. The possibilities are as you say endless with working with 2 different yarns held together! :)

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