23 January 2014

16 Hand-spun yarns / 16 Sheep breeds

Photo of sheep for blogpost by Moira Ravenscroft, Wyndlestraw Designs
At the beginning of January, I posted about one of the days when spinners get together and celebrate the start of another year, Roc Day. I have to say I had great fun this year with my spinners’ guild and it was also quite productive too. I managed to spin a whole basketful of yarn ready for knitting into the rug I featured last week, the Ocean Currents Rug.

I was chatting with someone at that event and she was saying how much it had expanded her love of knitting to be able to spin her own yarn too. I agree – it really is a good feeling to be able to start with a fleece and end up with a sweater! I suppose if you were a farmer, you could even start by trimming Jemima's wool in one season and be warm and cozy with a lovely wool sweater by the end of the next!

However, not everyone wants to spin their own wool. It does, after all, take quite a time to prepare enough yardage for something sizeable and you may have to set to with dyepots and so on as well if you want a particular colour for your project.
Etsy Treasury List for blogpost by Moira Ravenscroft, Wyndlestraw Designs
So I had a peruse through the wonderful pages of Etsy the other day and put together a photo of 16 different yarns I found, each one using the wool from a different breed of sheep! It just shows the range of yarns you can find easy in somewhere like Etsy. Here's the search I used, and of course you can tailor the filters for yourself, or just search for a single breed such as Shetland.

In the photo you can see the yarns that caught my attention. The sheep breeds here include: 
  • Black Welsh Mountain, Blue‐Faced Leicester, Bowmont, Corriedale, Falklands, Finn, Gotland, Icelandic, Jacob, Manx Loaghtan, Masham, Merino, Polwarth, Rambouillet, Romney & Wensleydale.

​Whew! What a range of fibres.
Sawston Cowl & Infinity Scarf by Moira Ravenscroft, Wyndlestraw Designs
Blue‐Faced Leicester is a particular favourite of mine and I used this in a recent pattern, the Sawston Cowl and Infinity Scarf. The yarn is soft, silky and has a lovely lustre to it. It just says "quality" when you see something made from this breed.

I also love Bowmont yarn and was very impressed with it when I last used it. It is one of the less well-known breeds, but is lovely and soft. Some while ago I wove a blanket from another of the breeds on this list, too, Polwarth, and that was one of the softest and warmest blankets I have ever made.
Rare Earth Rug by Moira Ravenscroft, Wyndlestraw Designs
I did make to sure to include my favourite "go to" fibre, Corriedale, in the photo as it is such a lovely yarn to knit with. It has a longer staple than merino but still having many characteristics of that breed. I wrote about that in an earlier blogpost too, so please click here to see some photos of Corriedale sheep.

The wool come in beautiful natural colours as you can see in the Rare Earth Rug pictured above, but it also takes dyes beautifully, too.

And of course that isn't even an exhaustive list of sheep breeds available. Try typing the name of another breed and 'Handspun' into the Etsy search box and see what comes up!

Until next time – Happy Knitting!

Moira 
Keywords: Notes & Travels,
handspun yarn, hand-spun yarn, spinning, wool, sheep breeds,

15 January 2014

The Ocean Currents Rug

Ocean Currents Rug by Moira Ravenscroft, Wyndlestraw Designs
There's something wonderful about watching waves as they come in to the shoreline. Sometimes it can be a passing yacht disturbing the water of a lake at sunset, sending ripples across the surface and catching the light of the sun on every wave.

And sometimes it can be that quiet, gently rhythm of the sea that you see on a fair day. Both are magical and inspiring.

It was like that the other day when we were walking by the coast. The sun was low, the sky clear and every wave glistened briefly as it came towards the land. We sat for a while, and at that lower viewing angle the colours were heightened even further to deep blues and palest turquoises.
Ocean Currents Rug by Moira Ravenscroft, Wyndlestraw Designs
This rug attempts to capture that feeling of light and shade, rhythm and movement. The pattern uses symmetrical repeats but without predictability, giving the design a three‐dimensional quality.

I used hand-spun yarn for the rug photographed here but of course, there are many commercially available yarns which you could use instead. I like Cascade 220 for worsted-weight projects such as this as it is so freely available and comes in such a wide range of colours. Knit Picks also make a lovely wool, Wool of the Andes, which works brilliantly too.
Ocean Currents Rug by Moira Ravenscroft, Wyndlestraw Designs
For mine, I dyed three different colours, then carded and blended them to produce the five different yarn colours used in the design. The wonderfully gentle gradations of colour in the final rug are achieved by working with two strands of these yarns held together in ever‐changing combinations.

In the sample, I have worked the rug with a tonal blue colourway. However, the design could equally well lend itself to interpretation using other colours and mixtures. For example, contrasting shades of blacks, greys and reds would give a stunning modern rug, or the rug could be worked in teenage shades of orange and pink!

The pattern includes stitch charts and full line‐by‐line instructions together with instructions on how to back the rug with a non‐slip pad if you choose to use it on a wooden floor.

If you would like more details about the Ocean Currents Rug then please click here. The pattern is available for immediate download from the site.

Until next time – Happy Knitting!

Moira
Keywords: Patterns/Rugs,
rug, rugs, knitted rug, striped rug, blue, navy,

06 January 2014

Ready to Roc!

Indigo and coffee-dyed yarn by Moira Ravenscroft, Wyndlestraw Designs
It's great to have something to really look forward to in the middle of the winter season – and for spinners, we don't have to wait too long. The day after the Christmas season is our very own day known as Roc Day. This is a celebration going back to the Middle Ages and this takes place either the day after 12th night (Jan 5th) or the day after Epiphany in the Christian calendar (Jan 6th) depending on local custom.

Spinners would all gather together and celebrate before commencing their work for the year. Tradition has it that the ploughmen would often join in too – and a merry time was had by all!  The tradition continues even to this day, and guilds and groups still meet and spin for Roc Day (although perhaps without quite so many ploughmen!)

And if you think about it, what greater pleasure would there be in the cold, dark days of winter than to join your friends, set up your wheels in front of a roaring fire and spin to your heart's content!
Fleece for Ocean Currents Rug by Moira Ravenscroft, Wyndlestraw Designs
There's also the pressure of knowing that the new fleeces will be shorn in only a few months' time – so it really is time to work on that stash from last year.

Here's some of the fleece I have been spinning recently, and when I come back next time I will show you the rug this has turned into.

Until then – Happy winter spinning everyone!

Moira 
Reversible Knitting Stitches by Moira Ravenscroft & Anna Ravenscroft, Wyndlestraw Designs

Previous Blogpost: The Four‐Way Wrap
Next Up: The Ocean Currents Rug

​​​​​Our book: Reversible Knitting Stitches
My Website: www.wyndlestrawdesigns.com
Keywords: Notes & travels
Roc Day, spinning, handspinning, wool,

04 January 2014

The Four-Way Wrap

Lamberhurst Scarf by Moira Ravenscroft, Wyndlestraw Designs
Thank you for the e‐mails re my last blogpost and the new Lamberhurst Scarf knitting pattern. I am glad this is proving so popular.

I have had a couple of requests for information on how to tie the scarf in the way it is shown in the pattern and I am happy to do that today. Fortunately it’s not as difficult as it looks!

This Four‐way Wrap can be worn by both men and women as in the Lamberhurst Scarf pictured above, and the Elizabeth Scarf in the photos below. You will need a fairly long scarf, especially if you want the ends to show after you have completed the wrap.

The Lamberhurst Scarf is 173cm/68 ins long and the Elizabeth Scarf is a touch longer, measuring 183cm/72 ins in length. The width is not so important, but a medium‐width of about 15‐20cm/6‐8 ins would perhaps give the best results.

Here, the Lamberhurst Scarf is 19cm/7.5 ins wide and the Elizabeth Scarf is 16.5cm/6.5 ins.

Elizabeth Scarf by Moira Ravenscroft, Wyndlestraw Designs
Elizabeth Scarf by Moira Ravenscroft, Wyndlestraw Designs
The Parisian Wrap

The Four‐way Wrap is actually a variation of the Parisian Wrap that most people know. For this one, take the two ends of your scarf and find the mid‐point of the scarf.

Bring this around your neck and hold it in the position where you would like the fold to sit at the front. Then draw both ends together through the loop.

This is great for long scarves, but a shorter scarf can be wrapped in this way to give a compact knot, as in the chunky version of the Elizabeth Scarf pictured above. This is good for cyclists or walkers who need a scarf that won't flap about in the breeze.

Elizabeth Scarf by Moira Ravenscroft, Wyndlestraw Designs
Elizabeth Scarf by Moira Ravenscroft, Wyndlestraw Designs
The Three-Way Wrap

A variation of the Parisian Wrap is the Three-Way Wrap. For this one, start in the same way as before by folding the scarf into two, but here keep one end just slightly longer than the other.

Wrap the folded scarf around your neck, positioning the fold a little lower than you would for the Parisian Wrap to allow for the volume of the knot.

Now bring the long end through as before while allowing the other end to hang straight down. Make slight adjustments if necessary so the ends are level and that gives the nice relaxed look of the Three‐way Wrap.

Elizabeth Scarf by Moira Ravenscroft, Wyndlestraw Designs
Elizabeth Scarf by Moira Ravenscroft, Wyndlestraw Designs
The Four-Way Wrap

So for the Four-Way Wrap, start at before by folding the scarf in two with the ends even, as in the Parisian Wrap. Then work as above to bring the end through the loop.

Now to continue on to a full Four‐Way style, take the centre of the loop and give it a half‐twist to the front.
Hold this in position and bring the second end over the top and then down through the loop.

You will see that the two ends of the scarf essentially weave through the centre fold of the scarf in opposite directions. ​To finish off, adjust the position of the loop until you get just the right volume effect that you wish.

Elizabeth Scarf by Moira Ravenscroft, Wyndlestraw Designs
And there you have it! A super‐cozy knot that stays just where you want it and makes every scarf look great. I hope this gives you some inspiration for tying your scarf in a new way for the New Year! If you would like more information about the Lamberhurst Scarf pattern, then please click here, and for the Elizabeth Scarf, please click here.

Many thanks to our daughter Anna for demonstrating the Four‐Way Wrap and for trying to appear warmer than she was!

Have a wonderful 2014!

Moira
Reversible Knitting Stitches by Moira Ravenscroft, Wyndlestraw Designs

Last Blogpost: The Lamberhurst Scarf
Next Up: Ready to Roc!

​​​​​Our book: Reversible Knitting Stitches
My Website: www.wyndlestrawdesigns.com
Keywords: Patterns/Mens Patterns, Patterns/Women’s Scarves & Wraps,
scarf, scarves, scarf folding techniques, wrapping scarves, wrapping techniques, zR-231114

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