I’m a big fan of mixing fibers, particularly to enhance the performance of the yarn, or to add softness and luster. For that reason, I was really pleased to have a chance to test drive Heather Laughin’s lace-weight Blue Faced Leicester/Mohair blend. The yarn (Spun by Windover Farm and Mill) is feather light, soft, fuzzy and glossy. Dying has served to enhance the yarn even more, as the wool and mohair take the dyes quite differently. The dying creates highlights and gives nice visual texture to the yarn. With a loose ply, this is not a terribly strong yarn, so has to be used thoughtfully. I love that kind of challenge!
I learned to spin with Blue Faced Leicester (known commonly in the craft world as BFL). The long staple length (3-6″) makes for a good beginner spinning fiber. The sheep themselves evolved from a breeding scheme of Robert Bakewell, in Dishley, Leicestershire (UK) in the eighteenth century. Their name comes from the dark blue skin that shows through the wool on their heads and faces. They also are recognized by their long Roman noses.
So far I’ve avoided spinning with mohair (from Angora goats) because it’s really slippery and compared to BFL, has somewhat shorter fibers (around 3″).
Angora goats have a very long history, including Biblical references that place their existence to about 1471 BCE. Their name comes from the area where they were assumed to originate around Ankara, Turkey.
While they were imported into Europe by the mid 1500s, no mohair industries developed there. Importation to South Africa and the US created the largest production, just behind that in Turkey today.
With their lovely, curly locks, and multiple colors, Angora goats are a very versatile breed.
I thought this yarn needed something very light and feminine to show off its highlights and halo. You can see, particularly in the lavender, the different shades picked up by the mohair versus the BFL. The nearly white hue of the mohair literally shines.
This is my take on the free pattern LuAnn Scarf by Erica Kempf Broughton. I wanted it a little less open than her version, so down-sized the needle to a 9, and then picked up a few extra stitches to make the edge have a more pronounced ruffle. It’s pretty scrumptious around my neck.
From the Hat Department
Here is the Barely a Beret with a firm blocking. Now it looks like a beret, but it won’t stay that way long. A few wearings and it will slouch at the edges again because of the high percentage of silk in the yarn. And, I like that as a look just as well as the more formal beret.. I’m nearly finished with another one using commercial yarn so that I can test the difference in gauge and ability to hold the edge crease. That should be up soon…..(emphasis on “should be”).
Short Row Beret Redux
The short-row felted beret is finally finished (in terms of knitting, felting and blocking). Even cutting out a huge chunk, it’s still loose on my head. I may need to add a row of elastic thread to the brim for it to stay on my head. I do want to wear it, though as the Gotland wool felted is both extremely warm and softer than I had expected. I’m also thinking of a little over-dye to blend the colors a bit more. So many projects…so little time!
Meanwhile…
My big project of late has been studio cleanup. While I hesitate to tell you my bad habits, it’s true that once a year I need to spend a day straightening out my needles and putting them back where they belong. It pretty much takes all day (particularly because I get distracted so easily). After I finish a project, I should (obviously) put them back in their container and hang them up with their family, but instead they get tossed in a basket “for later.” Most of my needles have been used for so long that the size indication has long ago faded or worn off, so they all need to be sized so they go back to the correct place. I finally get around to it when I need a particular size and can’t find it.
Having completed that task, I’m now going through unfinished projects to see which need to be ripped out to recycle the yarn, or finished so that I can wear them or gift them to a new home. At the same time, I’m also “re-shelving” skeins that came out of the bins but didn’t get used for one reason or another, and setting aside the ones that are mostly used up to be recycled as waste yarn, or scrap to try out a stitch pattern. All the left-overs of sock yarn go into a special bin to be incorporated into my never ending blanket. It has yet to resurface in my current projects pile, but this is the time of year to get on with it again.
I did make a bit of progress last year, and in so doing, inspired some of my Wednesday knitting friends to make ones as well. Not surprising, they chose to use larger diameter yarn to have them go a bit faster than my sock yarn, and so finished theirs. It’s still one of my “go-to” winter projects when I don’t want to have to concentrate very much, so good for taking to knit groups or TV watching. And, it’s warm on my lap so is a great multi-tasking project. I also have some special yarn set aside from knitting friends to incorporate this year…I always call that “knitting my friends into my blanket.”
As the blanket grows, knowing that so many have contributed to making me physically and spiritually warm also warms my heart. I often get a little teary looking at it because some friends are far away now and one or two no longer with us at all. It makes the blanket that much more precious to me. It’s also why I don’t particularly want to rush to finish it. As a semi-permanent Work-In-Progress (WIP) I will always add friends and warmth, and that’s a fine way to continue along. I never know who I will “knit in” next. That will be my ongoing surprise and joy.
So until next time, knit (crochet, weave, spin, stitch) on, with gratitude and joy.
The Barley Beret is amazing!