Tag Archives: wool

Jamiesons of Shetland Fingerless Mittens

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Let’s start with a slap on the wrists for me,  first rule of blogging…. What happens in blog club, stays…. no that’s not it!  Post regularly, that’s it.  Well as I said last week it has been a mad blur of deadlines and now I am able to share some of the exciting projects I have been working on.  I will over the coming days be doing a good old-fashioned show and tell.

Where to begin….

I was an over excited mess when I first saw the cover of issue 84 of Let’s Knit Magazine, why?  Well, not one but two projects on the front cover.

The first were a pair of fingerless (not gingerless as my incompetent fingers just typed) mittens.  I loved knitting these, I must confess it was the first time I had worked with pure Shetland wool.  What an experience,  I can’t recommend using Jamiesons of Shetland enough.  The yarn made working stranded colourwork a total joy, each strand happily nesting down next to its neighbour and staying there, no slipping about.  Working with this yarn I could finally understand how people could be brave enough to cut into their knitting in the name of steeking.

Anyway I digress…..

perfect Plaid knitted mittens jane burns

Perfect Plaid Mittens

Image courtesy of Let’s Knit Magazine

Worked in a monochrome palette with a splash of vibrant blue, why not customise the colour splash to co-ordinate with your wardrobe?

Perfect Plaid mittens jane burns swatch

You can get your hands on the pattern here….

As always I would love to see your finished projects on my Facebook page and on Ravelry.

Happy Knitting X

Daily fibre – Rowan pure wool dk

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I find myself working with Rowan pure wool dk time and time again and the other day I asked myself why.  What is it about this yarn that makes me work with it so often?  It is such a great all-rounder yarn.  My stitches always look even and my colourwork crisp when I work with this yarn. Stitch patterns and cables have good definition when worked in Rowan pure wool too!

Often when I was learning to knit I heard people saying how good quality yarn can make all the difference to the finished fabric.  Most newbie knitters reach for the cheaper acrylic yarns, feeling that their early knitting efforts are not worthy of the pure wool price tag.  I was no exception, my stockinette stitch was uneven and  my colourwork was disappointing.  So many times I told myself colourwork  just wasn’t for me.  But I adore knitting Fair Isle, holding one colour in each hand,  working my way through the chart…. bliss.  I clearly remember working with a pure wool yarn for the first time and thinking ‘why didn’t I do this sooner?’

But the most compelling reason I turn to this yarn,  the colour palette.  I can always rely on Rowan to keep their shade cards on trend.

Oh and if I have not sold you on the virtues of Rowan pure wool yet, being superwash it is ideal for garments, especially kids and those given as gifts!

On my desk at the moment…..

rowan purewool2

Shades; Black, Anthracite, Shale, Enamel, Hyacinth

 rowan purewool shade card

 

 

Available in 26 shades you are spoilt for choice

rowansc

 

Rowan pure wool is also available in 4ply and aran weight.  Do you have a favourite yarn? I would love to hear why.

Waltham Abbey Wool Show, see what you missed!

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Today we got up super early,  8.30am on a Sunday is just unheard of for us.  ‘Why?’ I hear you ask.  Well I had been looking forward to the Waltham Abbey Wool Show since I first read about it back in October.  Doug suggested that we head off bright and early to get there before the crowds.

Being a new show I wondered how well attended it might be and I was stunned by just how many people were there when I arrived at 10.15.  One large hall was home to a wonderful array of stands; designers and traders stood side by side, it was a lovely atmosphere.  Obviously no yarn show is complete until you have encountered at least one ‘mature’ lady muttering, the words ‘manners,  *?!@, again, never, born’.

The Crochet Chain had obviously taken lessons from Black Sheep Wools and were selling full packs of much sought after yarns at greatly reduced prices.  Any of you who have encountered the Black Sheep Wools yarn-dive phenomena will know it is basically a scrum of ‘ladies’ diving into piles of yarn, elbows and handbags flying,  emerging some time later,  slightly dishevelled but beaming with joy at their ‘winnings’.

Some of the exhibitors….

watercoloursandlace

Water Colours & Lace

woolly chic

Woolly Chic

sheeps fleece

The Sheep’s Fleece

never to young

Namolio

(Youngest Yarn Addict Ever?)

jane crowfoot

My Favourite, Jane Crowfoot (Janie Crow)

Jane’s stand is always so colourful and inviting, and her ability to remember everyone she meets is very impressive.

sparkleduck

Sparkle Duck

(I spent most of my money here today)

jan horrox

Jan Horrox

(This was by far Katie’s favourite stand today)

spinning

Spinning Demonstration

knitola

Beautiful kits from Knitola

jeanette sloan

Designs by Jeanette Sloan

So what did I buy today?

  sparkleduckpurple

 Socka – Hand dyed sock yarn from Sparkle Duck,  Who Needs Chocolate?

sparkleduckgreen

Spirit  – Hand dyed sock yarn from Sparkle Duck, Neptune

 debonair

Debonnaire Lace weight yarn, I can not get the camera to do this yarn justice.  The nylon shimmer thread gives the yarn and very delicate shimmer as it catches the light, yet it is still beautifully soft.

namolio

Linen Thread – natural flax wet-spun, 5-ply.  I am looking forward to swatching with this unusual fibre, both knitting and crochet.

As always the best part of any yarnie day out is catching up with old friends and meeting new.  It was really great to meet Jane Lithgow (Jane’s Probably Knitting), I have been a massive fan of Jane’s work since she designed the awesome ‘Cranford Mitts’ (I must confess I have knitted more than one pair).  Check them out and make a difference. The pattern is now offered in return for an optional donation based on the hours of pleasure this pattern has given you and as an awareness raiser for the p/hop campaign in aid of Medecins Sans Frontiers.

I really hope that show returns again next year and more of you get to check it out for yourselves.

Finally,  my ‘legless’ sheep (I don’t like to be judgemental but it was before 11am, far too early to be in such a way).

legless