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.

Black Bird

Every time I have knitted a scarf I tell myself that I don´t have to do that again. Often these projects feel a bit monotonous, and I find it hard to finish them without a period of knitting something else in between. So they tend to stretch in time. So I try to avoid them.

But then something gets in my way that make me start all over again. This time it was a yarn! "Black Bird" from Blue Moon Fiber Arts, 100 % Blue Faced Leicester. I just had to knit this.

And I finished it in a little more than a month. It measures 34 cm x 180cm (13,5 x 76 inches). I used 300 grams and knitted it with needles 3.5 mm (US  4). I am very satisfied with this. On the negative side I have to say that the yarn bled a  lot both during knitting and when washing. Luckily that does not seem to have had a negative effect on the colours. Sorry - the colours in my photos does not do the yarn justice.

BFL Humbug: 4-ply, S-plied

This was my first time making a 4-ply yarn. I used Blue Faced Leicester since it is so easy to spin. The Humbug mix made me a bit worried, the singles looked so varied that I was afraid that the yarn would be far more variegated than I had envisioned.

Singles spun in Z

Rewound and prepared for plying

2 skeins: 4-ply - after washing and drying

Close up

A total of 195 grams.

Handspun Massam, 2-ply, Z-plied

My spinning continues. This yarn is spun from Massam ( a.k.a. Masham) wool. I have never tried this wool before, but it was a nice experience. It is easy to spin and has a nice shine when finished. Since I am a fan of natural colours, grey in particular, this is a wool I will have to spin again. I spun this in S om my Little Gem, and then rewound and plied in Z on the Louet S10.

It will be part of a twined knitting project in the future.