Road Trip to Kerry Woollen Mills

During a recent wee holiday near Killarney,  I was delighted to discover that our accommodation was about a ten minute drive from Kerry Woollen Mills. On arrival, we were greeted ignored by a sleepy dog who showed no interest in rubs (no response to some friendly noises. I'm particularly cautious around unknown animals when the Small Human is with me)

The shop itself is packed with an array of woollen items, largely aimed at the tourist market; the usual heavily cabled sweaters, scarves etc, and some woven items too. 

But I was here for the yarn...
I've only used Kerry Woollen Mills' yarn once, years ago, and while I was still in awe of the softest of soft things. Over the years I've developed more of an appreciation for coarser wools, and as far as I knew, this yarn was no longer available in Dublin shops*, so I was excited to have a good browse of the yarn in person.

The shelves were packed with Aran Wool** - different shades included solid colours, heathered shades, and one shade in particular ('Salmon') with different coloured plies ( - and with Organic Aran Jacob Wool, with different shades created by sorting  the coloured fleeces. There's also a selection of spinnable fibre including merino tops available. 

I was especially delighted to be told we could browse the next room - part of the factory that was not operating that particular day. We didn't get a guided tour (It would have been cheeky to ask on the spot) but had a good nose around the factory floor. Photos will be sadly lacking in any correct machine terminology - my use of words here will be based entirely on my hand-spinning knowledge.

These bales of multiple coloured wools were waiting for carding:

The wool is passed through a series of rollers, covered with fine wires that brush & prepare wool for spinning:

As the wool progresses down the machine it is more fluffy & inviting. I managed to restrain myself from poking at the machines directly.

This was only a brief glimpse; there were other factory areas that carry out different parts of the process. Carol Feller's 'Contemporary Irish Knits' includes an informative essay on production of wool at Kerry Woollen Mills, complete with actual proper terminology!

Of course, I had to get some yarn while I was there; Aran Wool Rambling Rose (a heathered shade) and Salmon (spun with different coloured plies) both came home with me. I think the Rambling Rose will be a cardigan for the Small Human, and the Salmon will be... something. 

*I have since discovered that The Donegal Shop in Stephen's Green Shopping Centre stocks Kerry Woollen Mills Aran Wool; possibly other branches of The Donegal Shop too. There's no mention of this yarn on their site though. 

**As stated in Contemporary Irish Knits, the Aran Wool (dyed yarn) is made from a mixture of Irish & New Zealand Wool. There doesn't seem to be any mention of this on the KWM website, which I find a pity. This visit has piqued my curiosity of Irish yarns  - particularly those sold through primarily 'touristy' outlets - and the source of their wool. If Irish mills do use Irish fleece for hand knitting yarn, I really wish this information was readily available to a casual browser. 

Edited to ad; since publishing this post, I've been advised that Winnie's Craft Cafe also stocks KWM yarn. I really need to get out of the house more often... 

Finished Knits: Wowligan cardigan

I *finally* have some finished knits to share! *

Pattern: Wee Owligan by Kate Davies

Yarn: Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino in Silver

Beads: size 8 Japanese Seed Beads from stash (I believe I bought them in Beads & Bling - now closed - many moons ago)

Buttons: from Hickey's Fabrics

The cardigan is worked from the bottom up; sleeves are worked in the round & joined to the body. The raglan yoke decreases are worked before a row of wonderful wee owl cables. 

Modifications: this cardigan was intended for a rather tall little girl. I knit the 5th size, for 4 year old, with extra length. The body was 30 cm from underarm to hem; the sleeves 29 cm from underarm to hem. I also made changes to the sleeves as I found the cuff very narrow fitting (I prefer to be able to roll back slightly too-long sleeves on new cardigans). I cast on 44 stitches; worked ribbing as described in the pattern, & knit for 4 rounds. I then worked 3 pairs of increases as described in the pattern every 10 rows. All these changes meant that I used more yarn than called for in the pattern, which I was expecting. 

Instead of sewing on buttons-for-eyes as described in the pattern, I added beads while knitting the owls. I threaded the number of beads onto an additional length of yarn & knit the entire row 16 from the chart using this length. I placed the beads between the 'eye' stitches in the owl cable. The effect is very subtle, but I hear the recipient is quite impressed with her new sparkly cardigan. 

This was a lovely pattern to knit; well-written instructions and a dotey finished object.  It's sized from 6 months to 10 years, & is a really welcome reinterpretation of the much-loved Owlet sweater. I think I'll be knitting this again as my own sparkle-loving Small Human has already requested her own.

*My recent knitting has been dominated by sample knits, gift knits & swatching, none of which make for satisfactory blogging. There have also been some neglected projects in need of half-decent photos.   Must do better.... 

Finished Knits round-up.

While I haven't been organised enough to share in recent months, I have been knitting away. Here's a round-up of some recent finished knits. (I blame a combination of a missing memory card & 3rd birthday party distractions).

 Milo by Georgie Nicolson. This is the 18 month size, which took just one skein of Ella Rae DK Merino super wash. This was my first time to try this yarn & I'm very pleased with the results; the stitch definition on the cables is lovely & held up wonderfully through a machine wash.

Brook by Dani Sunshine. Also knit in Ella Rae DK, with some scraps of Debbie Bliss Rialto DK for contrast colour. This is a lovely wee pattern; the yoke detail uses garter stitch ridges in contrast colour combined with a slip stitch and cable stitch. I've already knit multiple versions of the Bella cardigan from the same pattern collection & can see more of this jumper in my future. 

 Whistle Stop by Carol Feller, knit in Kauni Effektgarn. This was a sample knit, & sent off in a rush, so please excuse the dreadful project photos.  This was an enjoyable knit; the pattern construction is interesting but well explained. The long colour repeats in the yarn mean that a little bit of yarn-juggling was required to avoid any obvious & jarring contrast where joining the yarn. It's been exciting to see project pages appearing on Ravelry, showing just how much variety there is in different yarns.

 

 Cannetella by Woolly Wormed, knit in Araucania Botany Lace with added beads. If I had a do-over, I would reconsider the position of the beads in the lace motif. The pattern is lovely; knit in fine yarn and with open lace stitches, it makes for a great cool-weather hat. Plus pink with sparkles is usually a hit with a certain Small Human.

 Boom by myself; knit in some multicoloured handspun and Debbie Bliss Rialto 4ply in stripes. The yarn is much finer than in the original pattern, so I switched to appropriate needles (3.5mm) and just kept going until I ran out of yarn.

 Tama by Kelly Brooker knit in aran weight scraps including Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran, Rico Essentials Soft Merino Aran and Tivoli New Celtic Aran.  This is one of my favourite patterns; the basic pattern is so simple & so wearable for little kiddos that it just needs to be made repeatedly, with modifications.

 This one has a little extra length, and an added pocket for funsies.

 Risalire by Woolly Wormed knit in Brown Sheep Wildfoot Luxury Sock.
I've been obsessing over the patterns in Woolly Wormhead's recent Painted Woolly Toppers collection. I've had difficulty deciding just which one to knit for myself. I've also been struggling with the notion of wearing a hat that's not conservative of colour, or typical of shape. So the obvious conclusion has been to try the hats out for the Small Human first. The obvious advantages are that smaller hats mean less knitting time, and that Small Humans look cute in just about anything. This hat has a bonnet-inspired brim, which fits snugly over her face, keeping ears warm. The pattern calls for knitting garter stitch in the round, but was easily translated to knitting flat with a seam at the end.

So there you have it; about 4 months worth of knitting projects. Now that I've finally gotten around to  writing up this blog post of course I am planning to not leave it so long till next time. We shall see!

New pattern: Garter Yoke

Most knitters are familiar with the term yoke referring to the part of a sweater around the neck and shoulders. However, growing up in Ireland, the word is used to mean… almost anything;

(from the Collins dictionary)

(Irish) any device, unusual object, or gadget“   ⇒ where's the yoke for opening tins?

(from www.urbandictionary.com)

these days in Ireland, a Yoke refers to almost *anything*

"how do you get this feckin yoke to work?" - computer 

"pass me that yoke" - pencil 

"this yoke is feckin broken!" - DVD player 

etc

So this seemed like the perfect neck accessory that could be described as a dickie, a cowl or a neck warmer.

The Garter Yoke is a no-nonsense warming layer around the neck without extra bulk; perfect for under snug fitting coats & jackets. There are ends to tuck in or gaps in the wrapping to worry about. It is more form-fitting than the typical loose cowl, and comes down around the shoulders for extra warmth.

The design came about from a need to keep the Small Human of the house well wrapped up without the complication of wrapping a scarf around the neck; with the added advantage that said Small Human is able to put it on and remove it herself without fuss. It's smaller than the typical scarf, so can be stuffed in a coat pocket in between wearings.

The garter stitch fabric is super stretchy, so the sizing is very flexible, with plenty of room for growth. Smaller sizes can be worn to cover just the neck & collarbone area - the toddler sized yoke will fit over a large adult head, for example.

The pattern is written in five sizes - Baby, Toddler, Child, Small Adult, Large Adult - and in a choice of four different yarn weights - 4ply, sport, DK or aran weight.
It is begun with a provisional cast on, knitted flat & shaped with short rows, and finished with a three-needle bind off. Instructions are also suggested for knitting without the provisional cast on, with a sewn seam.

Samples shown are: 

Toddler size in aran weight; shown in Tivoli New Celtic Aran in shade 951 Cream
Large Adult size in 4ply /fingering weight; shown in Dublin Dye Merino Sock, in shade ‘In the Navy’ 

The pattern is available to buy now. 


Thanks to Mr T & The Small Human for modelling, and to Laura & Ber for test-knitting. 

New Pattern Release: Boom!

Introducing 'Boom!'; a super-easy asymmetric shawl in reversible garter stitch. The gently curving boomerang shape is achieved using a combination of increases and increases.  The example in the pattern used 300 m / 330 yards of approximately aran-weight handspun yarn. The shawl was designed with the intention of displaying gradient experiments with some handspan yarn, but would also be suitable for variegated and gradient-dyed commercial yarns. 

The pattern includes instructions on the fibre preparation used to achieve this particular gradient from commercially prepared tops. 

Of course, I barely had this one off the needles before I was obsessing over the possibilities of other gradients, stripes & colour distributions within the finished project. This will require more spinning!

The basic instructions can easily be applied to different thicknesses of yarn with appropriately sized needles, and to different quantities too. The toddler-sized example below used some yarn I had in stash, spun in hand-dyed tops many moons ago.
Yarn: 88m / 96 yards chunky / bulky weight yarn
Needles: 7mm
Gauge: 12 st & 26 rows over 10 cm in garter stitch
Finished size at widest points: 98 x 12 cm / 38.5 x 6.5"

The pattern is available to  download now.

December Knits round-up

While I did not fall for the usual knitted gift madness this year, I have been finishing quite a few knits over the last few weeks including;

A boomerang-style scarf for the Small Human, knit in a handspun yarn from stash.

A cardigan for the Small Human, based on Bella by Dani Sunshine & knit in Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino. I omitted the cables & knit garter stitch bands around the yoke in contrast colours, & knit sleeve & body hems in garter stitch. I started knitting multiple colours in each garter stitch band, but decided this was too busy.... once I had finished knitting the body. I ended up ripping & re-knitting just the yoke, bottom up, by fudging a series of decreases as I went.

Another Zapote by Carol Feller.  Knit in Rico Essentials Soft Merino Aran
18 month size, intended for my 3 month old nephew with (quite a lot of) room to grow...

Gentleman's Half Hose in Ringwood by Nancy Bush, knit in Noro Kureyon Sock. started almost a year ago & shoved into a drawer in favour of something more exciting... or something for somebody else. Kureyon Sock is my favourite yarn for socks, and I love the reworked vintage sock patterns in Nancy Bush's Knitting Vintage Socks. Quite a few of the patterns are mid-calf length & feature calf shaping for a better fit - my favourite kind of sock. Just a pity that I got a little bored of knitting, & did not decrease the cuff quite as small as called for in the pattern as the ankle area is a little baggy.

And finally, a cardigan for Ariel... because her arms looked cold in a wee strappy dress. I used some leftover sport weight Millamia yarn, and some shiny buttons from the button jar that just happened to suit the doll's dress. I used Elizabeth Zimmerman's EPS proportions for this cardigan, top down & with raglan shaping. It is quite generous fitting, with the hope that certain little fingers will be easily able to dress the doll as wished. 

I suppose this would be the traditional time for a year-end round up, but appropriate words escape me. This has been an eventful personal year, and there have been times when I have been so grateful to have knitting as a distraction; as something to do when there is nothing else is meaningful enough.  Wishing you all a peaceful 2016.

New pattern: Camden Twist Beanie.

Introducing the Camden Twist Beanie!

The pattern is written in four sizes from Newborn to Child. The hat is knit in the round, bottom up, using set of DPNs or a large circular needle for the magic loop technique. The hat consists of 2x2 ribbing for a stretchy fabric, and features a simple cable.  

The pattern includes charted and written cable instructions.

Sizes:

Newborn, Baby, Toddler, Child.

To fit head (35.5, 40.5, 46, 51) cm / (14, 16, 18, 20)”

Yarn:

Townhouse Yarns' Camden Tweed. 

Pictured in ‘Too Rouge”, in the Child size, modelled on 19” head.

The pattern requires approximately (85, 108, 132, 160)m / (94, 118, 145, 175) yards 4 ply / fingering weight yarn.

Gauge:

48 st / 42 rows per 10 cm / 4” in 2x2 ribbing, after blocking & relaxed.

Materials:

2.75 mm needles, or size needed to achieve gauge.

(A set of DPNs or a large circular needle for the magic loop technique work equally well.)

Cable needle or DPN

Darning needle

 The pattern came about as I was knitting the Camden Twist Cardigan; I realised that the simple Twist cable pattern needed to become a hat too. The ribbed fabric is extremely forgiving & stretchy & will accommodate growing noggins for quite a while. I really enjoyed knitting with the Camden Tweed again; the yarn is deceptively bouncy, and knits up beautifully. The wee Donegal nepps in the base yarn add interest to the yarn, & the colour has a wonderful depth.

The pattern is available to download here.