Serendipity for a yarn junkie
There is a charity shop in a village on my way to where I work. It has always had a varied line in merchandise, and I have frequently bought interesting things there. This Wednesday, I had a wander round, and, having found nothing that spoke to me, was just about to leave when there on the counter appeared bags full of Annie Blatt yarns that had just been brought in. After that heady rush of discovery and desire, I bought two of the bags, one filled with pastel shades of mohair/silk chunky (knit on 5/5.5 mm needles, yet to discover the best tension on a machine), the other with 70/30 angora/lambswool in black, a sludgy brown and a soft pink, DK weight (4/4.5 needles, again I have yet to find out the most comfortable tension, and also which type of machine)
The colours don't really show to advantage in these photos, but perhaps that will be corrected when I have made some samples.
For the mohair/silk, I am thinking about something for interiors, possibly some wall art. I have re-wound one of the skeins, and am ready to start on needles. It looks as if it will brush very well.
The angora/lambswool presents more of a challenge. With such a soft and luxurious yarn, I would be loath to detract from its tactile qualities by using an over-complicated stitch. My initial instinct would be to make something like this:
I'm not sure whether the distortions would suit the yarn, or whether it's too soft to hold the shapes once on the body.
If I do decide to go for a pattern rather than plain knitting, I would most likely look at a lace stitch. This could be either a double-bed lace such as this:
Or one using only the main bed.
Obviously I need to experiment, once I have decided on the sort of thing I want to make, and also how much of an expensive yarn I am prepared to use for sampling. Typical chicken and egg dilemma!
Time to actually put the money where the mouth is and pick up some needles.
Have a good Bank Holiday.
