Sandra's Designing Blog

This is an exclusive area of my web site where you can find out more about my knitted designs, what inspires me, how I work and what I like (and don't like) to design. 
 
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  1. My haul of British Breeds yarn

    Posted on

    Hi there, 

    At the Knitting & Crochet Guild recent yarn sale I picked up a pack of 50 gram balls of Blacker Yarns, a colourful pack of blues and pinks along with some balls of Ecru. The yarn looked DK weight so I didn't investigate, just thought I could bring it all together into a wonderful colourful sweater. When I got home I looked at my haul in more detail and discovered that the Ecru DK was in fact a mix of different breeds of yarns and different yarn weights too. Just having these 5 balls in my hands really highlighted the different categories of British wool yarn, some being soft to touch whilst others being a lot courser and hairy,
    I decided to find out more.

    Categories and Uses

    • Fine wool: Soft, typically used for garments worn close to the skin (e.g., Merino).
    • Medium wool: Durable and versatile, often used for garments, blankets, and general-purpose knitting.
    • Longwool: Lustrous and strong, with excellent drape. Best suited for weaving and elegant, drapey projects.
    • Primitive breeds: Known for hardiness and often coarser textures, suited for outerwear, carpets, or more durable textiles.

    British sheep breeds are known for producing a variety of high-quality wools, each with distinct characteristics. The wool is categorised by texture, fiber length, and use, often classified into fine, medium, longwool, and primitive breeds. Here’s a summary of how my British Breeds yarn's fit into these categories.

    1. Welsh Mule

    • Category: Crossbreed (often between a Bluefaced Leicester ram and a Welsh Mountain ewe).
    • Characteristics: The wool is versatile, typically medium in texture with good softness and crimp. 
    • Use: Mainly in carpet blends.

    2. Portland

    • Category: Primitive breed.
    • Characteristics: Portland wool is finer than many other primitive breeds, with a short staple length. 
    • Use: Mostly by hand spinners in blends for apparel.
    • Location: This rare breed has a stronghold in the South West.

    3. North Ronaldsay

    • Category: Primitive breed.
    • Characteristics: This unique breed, has developed to adapt to the terrain of the Orkney Islands. The wool is variable, often with a mixture of fine undercoat and coarser outercoat fibers, suitable for different uses.
    • Use: Popular with hand spinners.
    • Location: North Ronaldsay Island, Scotland.

    4. Bluefaced Leicester (BFL)

    • Category: Longwool.
    • Characteristics: BFL wool is known for its fine, long, lustrous fibers. It's soft, drapey, and has excellent stitch definition, making it one of the most popular British wools for luxury garments.
    • Use: Ideal for next-to-skin garments, shawls, and accessories. Its fine, silky texture makes it a favorite for spinning and knitting.
    • Location: Mainly found in Northern England.

    5. Jacob 

    • Category: Primitive and multi-horned breed.
    • Characteristics: Jacob wool is medium in texture, with a range of natural colors, from white to dark brown or black. The wool has a medium staple length, making it versatile for different knitting and spinning projects. It is prized for its durability and loft, offering warmth and resilience while still being reasonably soft. Jacob fleece is often spotted, which allows for unique color blending in yarn.
    • Use: The wool is ideal for hand-spinning and felting, making it a favorite for those who enjoy working with natural, undyed fibers. It is also used for both outerwear and garments due to its balance of softness and durability.
    • Location: Jacobs are mainly found across the UK.
    Click here for 'The British Wool Org' incl lots of cute sheep photos

    *** CHECK OUT THE YARN SALE  ***

    Discounted yarns change all the time, so please keep checking them out for any bargains.

    I always discount the very last few knitting kits I have so then I can concentrate on developing new ones for you. Check them out here
     

  2. You never know what you’ve been missing until you find it

    Posted on

    This phrase captures the idea that sometimes we only realise the value or usefulness of something once we experience it for ourselves. That's exactly how I'm feeling now. I sell 3 new knitting tools in my shop and until I started using them myself I did NOT realise how useful they could be.  I'll explain more...........
    I picked up this gorgeous yarn (silk and wool blend) at one of the Knitting & Crochet Guild yarn sales a few months ago. Before I could decide what to make with it I knew I had to determine what yarn weight it was, was it a fine DK, a fingering yarn (4 ply) or lace weight?  The label didn't tell me and I didn't want to ball the skein up until I knew I was going to use it........ So I got out the handy WIP measure tool. It was obvious as soon as I put the yarn in the slots that it was 4 ply yarn. Didn't even need to do the wraps per inch test. [This is where you wrap the yarn round the tool and see how many wraps fit in the 1 inch gap].
    So now I knew I could start my search for a 4 ply garment to make. Yes!
    This is the design I decided to make with my purchase along with some plum mohair yarn I already had in my stash. This beautiful top ( and lots more) has been designed by Elenor Mortensen.

    Art Nouveau Sweater

    Yarn weight - Fingering / 4 ply (14 wpi) ?
    Gauge - 26 stitches and 34 rows = 4 inches
    So I purchased the pattern and started to knit the swatch. I had to make sure the sweater would actually fit me after all that knitting. The yarn label gave me no indication of guage and even though I was sure it was 4 ply, I still needed to be sure. I mean, I say this to all knitters so I really had to do the same myself.

    To help me knit my swatch of the stranded knit pattern I decided to use the pattern tracker tool that I also sell. WoW ! This was a total game changer for me. I normally use post it notes on a print out of the pattern and inevitably they fall off when I'm putting the pattern away or just moving from one chair or my knee to somewhere else.  With the pattern tracker this just doesn't happen. It stays on the row you want it to stay on.  Magic! 

    And to measure the swatch I used the Swatch Ruler that I also sell

    I didn't just use the pattern tracker for my swatch I'm using it for the whole sweater, so impressed.  Only been knitting this for a few evenings so a long way to go yet!. 

     The New Knitting Tools 

    These unique knitting tools have been designed by Jen Hogg from Glasgow, Scotland. Jen competed in the TV series The Great British Sewing Bee back in 2019 reaching the semi final. So a keen sewer but also works her magic with knitting and silversmith.