I will talk about yarn gifted to me by several people, and thus from different categories and types. They all have in common the fact they were presents for my 2022 birthday, from two of my sons and two beautiful YouTube subscribers. Only one gift from one of my sons was expected, as he had called me being in a yarn store in Cardiff (he was there for a science conference for his PhD). All the other ones were surprises, so pleasant and unexpected !
Marriner DK
So my second son was in Cardiff and went into a yarn store, he brought me back some Marriner yarn (now discontinued, looks like they closed down..) and I really pondered what to cast on with it. I wanted a special project. He had selected five skeins of the DK weight, two of a heathered grey, and one of each blue, yellow and red. My first project was my Birthday cast-on, the Magic Dots by Hinterm Stein, with almost the two grey balls and a bit of the blue. I wanted to use the red at first, as in the original sample, and finally settled on the blue. A quick and satisfying knit, easy to wear, that goes with about every piece of my wardrobe. A smaller shawl, light and warm, perfect for the intermediate seasons.
I then made the Miura Cowl by Olga Buralia-Kefelian with the red ball, using about all of it. A funny cowl, for the colour and the stitch pattern that is multidimensional in an origami style. You can ball it down the bottom of your bag, it won’t be wrinkled when you take it out !
My last project were the Annette Mittens by Lauriane et Charlie with the yellow ball, a free pattern on Ravelry. I wear them all the time, they start to wear out..
All in all, the yarn was pleasant to knit with, provided I switched to my wooden needles. The yarn was a bit splitty and I had to use less sharp needles in order not to catch part of the strands each time. The mittens are showing some wear, some strands have broken and create some pilling. Nothing major, quite expected for a fabric that gets rubbed a lot. The shawl shows less pilling.
I’ll say it here and it is true of all my knits, I love to have memories of people in my projects, it brings me so much joy and happiness.
DMC Woolly
My youngest son and his girlfriend went to Lil Weasel and choose four balls of DMC Woolly, a super wash DK, in a sunflower yellow and a small lilac lavender. I realised I had not posted about it and made a small digression into my latest blog post about the little beanie I just finished.
The Gingham Neck Warmer in Double Knit by Gabriella Papale was quite an experience, a new technique, double knitting, with colour work. A bit of a challenge for a very warm cowl that I enjoy much. It took me a long time to finished it, then it was warm. I just used up the remaining of the lavender in the No Pompom Nb 2 by Hinterm Stein. I love the set and have now to decide what to make with the remaining yellow ball. Even though I already have a pair of mittens in that colour, I am thinking to pair it with the remaining of the green Biches et Bûches Lambswool for some kind of colour work. We’ll see !
The yarn is very pleasant to work with, soft, plump, giving an easy flow to the knitting and the stitches, not split at all (I could use y metal needles) and vey pleasant to wear. A quality yarn that kinda reconciles me with super wash !
Biches et Bûches
Talking about Le Petit Lambswool by Biches et Bûches, it also was a present by a lovely YouTube subscriber, along with Le Petit Silk Mohar, both in dark blue turquoise. I made the Borough Hood by Tori Yu, that I am wearing as I write. The combination of the two softens the lambswool that is dry to the touch. I like rusting and dryer yarns, you already know that. The mohair being a bit darker than the wool, it deepens the colour, giving dimension and softness. A light hood that fits under my coats and goes very well with several of my sweaters. I need to make additional ones.
When I start to buy yarn online again, after I have knit all of my sweaters quantities and I am out of my no-buy project (in several years from now it now seems..), Biches et Bûches will for sure be on my list. I love and prefer rustic yarn.
Tarndie, Louie And Lola & Wagtail yarns
All of the following were presents by Rosemary and yarns from Australia where she lives. She really spoiled me too.
Tarndie
She sent two skeins of this discontinued Tarndie white Polwarth and Silk, an exceptional yarn I would never had the opportunity to work with otherwise. I decided to team with her and knit the Dotted Rays by Stephen West. She had knit this pattern with the mohair and yarn from Normandy I had sent her.
Due to the silk content, the yarn is very shiny, giving an aerial feel to the shawl. I think it fits that pattern very well. I used every little drop and even had to cast off the last ten stitches or so using a same coloured yarn with a different yarn weight. If you look closely, you can tell. If not, it is invisible, as the little mistakes I made. The drape of the shawl is fabulous and fits the crescent shape. I am more and more preferring this shape over triangles or asymmetric triangles ones.
Louie And Lola
A tasmanian yarn, designed to pair with a Tasmanian pattern, in a deep purple with green speckles, what is not to dream for ? The Rainforest Canopy Shawl by Helen Stewart was not an easy knit even though each lace section was not difficult. The large number of stitches and repeats were the challenges. I made it through, with a few invisible (yet again) mistakes.
Another drapy and dressy shawl I can wear in formal as well as more casual occasions. The yarn is unique, and was perfect to knit with when I had injured my finger. No fluff flying around and sticking to my bandage. Another win.
Wagtail Mohair
So Rosemary wanted me to try Australian Mohair and sent me four colours of Wagtail Fine Kid Mohair and Silk lace weight to try it out : 100g of Variegated Cyan, 50g of both Cyan and Leaf Green and 25g of White. So far, two of them are in two WIP. The Variegated Cyan is in my languishing Powder Puff Cowl by Branka Medlock (I am so ashamed I have not finished it yet) and the Leaf Green in my recent cast on, my second Sorrel by Wool and Pine.
The lace mohair and silk is equivalent to other yarn I have tried, from la Ferme de l’Accroche Cœur for example. Knit alone at a bigger gauge, it is like a shiny cloud, knit with rustic normandy yarn (Romney from Atelier Pure Laine), it changes the natural creamy white colour to give it a little green hue. I really enjoy knitting with this mohair, that I would never have tried otherwise. The internets can be a big and scary place, they can also be source of friendship and positive experiences.
Final Thoughts
Thank you all, I deeply love when there are people spirits in my knits, when I use yarn you choose for me, when it leads me to unexpected projects, positive thoughts while I knit, when I wear the pieces and when I chose them among other pieces. I do hope you are able to experiment these feelings sometimes.
YouTube Video : https://youtu.be/wx_92FhgbKE
YouTube Podcast : https://youtu.be/wx_92FhgbKE?si=-zj7hGFCUAmSSfOG
Apple Podcast : https://podcasts.apple.com/fr/podcast/my-knitting-world/id1712627511?i=1000635706077
Knit Now 