Meet my Granny Grey

In the middle of February I went through my yarn stash to get it sorted and to remind me of what is in it. I found more than a kilo of 2-ply wool that I bought about ten years ago when we had just moved into the house. 

Since then I have learned to spin and I have also learned  a lot about wool and yarn - and that has changed the way I look at yarn.This yarn just was not up to standard for investing time knitting mittens or hats - it is not strong enough. But it was  100% wool, and it was in grey, and I am very fond of grey colours. So, I decided to make granny squares. 

I do not consider myself a crocheter - I only have rudimentary skills. But I can manage a granny square. All in all I made 77 squares and used about 1150 grams of yarn. 

I added a red yarn for contrast and used it for a couple of squares and for joining the squares. 

It is a colour combo often found in old knitted items and one of which I am very fond. I finished off with washing it (I actually washed in the machine on cold, it was far to big to be hand washed) and pinned it out while drying. 

Finished measurements: 230 x 140 centimetres (about 92 x 56 inches). 

This is the time of year when shawls come visiting

I have knitted a number of shawls that have been gifted within our family. Each time I give a shawl away I promise to wash and block it whenever that is needed. Why? Because I really like the shawls to be used, and most people does not dare (or can´t be trusted) to wash and block a lace shawl. This is the time of year when the owners look at their shawls and realise that the shawls do not look as fresh, sharp and in shape as they did in the autumn. So they send them to me.

This is Hyacinth (pattern by Evelyn C. Clark) getting a long soak. It really shows on a shawl how much (and how) it has been used during the winter. This one was dirty and out of shape.

After rinsing and a quick spin this is the result. Much cleaner but still not back to its old shape. Now is the time for a real stretching exercise.

This is when I consult my project book (you do keep one, don´t you?) to see the proper measurements for the shawl.

After been given a couple of days to dry (important if you want it to keep its shape), this is the result. So now it is ready for use and I send it back to its owner.

Some of my knitting friends think that I am crazy to do this. The truth is I appreciate to see the shawls again and it gives me joy knowing that they are used and treasured. I think it is really sad if I put time and effort into a shawl and it ends up not being used. I also get a lot of information regarding the yarn I have used and also about how a particular person uses a shawl. Valuable information that is of help to me the next time I choose yarn for a shawl, or knit for that person.