Yarn Review: The Scottish Yarn Festival, Clan DK

Hello! I've been meaning to share my thoughts on the yarn I've been loving the most lately. It's Clan DK from The Scottish Yarn Festival and it's been getting a lot of use in my projects, so I thought it was time to give it a proper review.

I love discovering new yarns so when I first saw this wool at The Scottish Yarn Festival itself in Perth last September I was super impressed with how it squished ... and as for the colours, WOW!

This soft & woolly yarn comes from sheep grazing in Scotland, it's then milled in Yorkshire and is ready to be transformed into something wonderful by us crocheters and knitters! It's a blend of 80% Shetland and 20% Cheviot, it's DK weight (but comes in 4ply and now aran weight too!).

The visionary behind The Scottish Yarn Festival is Eva Christie and she has created an incredible new yarn, combining her passion and knowledge of Scottish wool to produce something truly special. The yarn is lovely and springy when you squish it in skein form which then translates well when it's crocheted up; it really keeps its stitch definition and shape.

As well as 3 undyed neutral colourways, there is a stunning range of 11 colours and Eva has blended some real beauties! They're all named after Scottish Clans (hence the name Clan). You may remember my Perth Beanie - for that I used the colourway Wallace, a dusky burgundy colour. I have a new design at the testing and tech editing stage using Sinclair, a burnt mustard sort of colour. These colours share a common earthy quality and would look fantastic together (indeed, I'm saving all my left-overs to combine in a future scrappy project!).

Image shows my Perth Beanie

However, it’s not just this yarn’s incredible softness and stunning colour palette that I love. Sustainability is equally important to me and knowing that this wool originates from sheep grazing freely in Scotland, and that processing takes place in Yorkshire, aligns perfectly with my values. Supporting local industries and minimising the environmental impact of production are crucial factors in my yarn choices. By choosing to endorse smaller, more independent yarn suppliers, such as The Scottish Yarn Festival, we not only bolster the local economy, we also help to minimise the environmental impact often associated with larger brands. By choosing to support brands committed to ethical and sustainable practices, we can collectively encourage a more responsible approach to textile production.

As I've mentioned, I've used this wool to design two hats but it would definitely crochet up well in a jumper or blanket, holding its structure well and providing much needed warmth! I'm also looking forward to getting my hands on some 4ply! There's a brand new colourway called Errol being released at The Scottish Yarn Festival on the 7th of September and it's a fabulous green colour, I can't wait to get my hands on it! There are bag/ yarn/ ticket bundles which allow entry to the festival, plus on the day you can collect one of their new tote bags and a skein of Errol, great idea!

Image shows my Tay Beanie

If you'd like to try out the Clan yarn for yourself (it truly is one of my favourites!), then you can find it on The Scottish Yarn Festival website, at one of their many stockists (including The Woolly Thistle for my american friends) or at the festival itself on the 7th September at Errol Showground, just outside Perth. At the time of writing the yarn is not listed on the website due to festival commitments, but if you email hello@thescottishyarnfestival Eva will be able to make arangements for you.

If you've used this yarn already, what did you make? Did you love it too? Leave me a comment to let me know!

Until next time, happy crocheting, 

Marta xx

PS. If you're interested in crocheting my Perth Beanie you can find the pattern free on this blog here!

 

I've had an exciting yarn delivery!

Hello! One thing which has given me a real boost last week was a yarn delivery (who doesn't love those, right?). I've been stalking Pamela at Otter and Pappoose yarns for quite some time and when she posted yet another of her gorgeous yarn photos, I caved and placed an order!

When I opened my package the colours were just what I hoped for! You can see everything in the photo above. I plan to use the 100g orange skein (colourway Dragonfly, 75% SWM/ 25% nylon, 425m per 100g) for knitting a pair of Woodland Trail Socks by Dana Rae Makes. It's going to be the perfect colour to knit with this autumn, I can't wait to finish knitting my current pair to cast on!

All the mini skeins will be crocheted into solid granny squares for my Battenberg Blanket. I don't think you can tell from the photo, but the skein on the left has sparkle through it which I love! It's called Dorothy Sparkle and it's 75% SWM/ 20% nylon/ 5% silver stellina sparkle, 42m per 10g. I've already crocheted through most of it and I can confirm it's lovely to work with. ISo far I've also crocheted up the green mini skein (my Battenberg doesn't have much green in it so far) and the pinky, purple. The mini skeins are also 4ply and the same yarn composition as the orange one. 

Pamela popped in a little dino stitch marker which is super cute - I'll be using him for my socks for sure! All in all, I thoroughly recommend this indie dyer; fantastic customer service, quick dispatch, beautiful yarn! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Pamela has very kindly given me a special discount code for you, click the link below to her Etsy shop and treat yourself to 10% off with the code PAPPOOSEBLOG10

Until next time, happy crocheting!

PS. If you'd like to receive these emails straight to your inbox, please subscribe to my mailing list. There's a free pdf with 25 Top Tips Every Crocheter Should Know waiting for you when you do! Sign me up!

Yarn review: Holst Garn Highland sock yarn

Hello! A few weeks ago I finished a pair of socks for my middle son using Holst Garn Highland sock yarn and I thought a yarn review might be useful for you because when I shared photos of my project I was frequently asked what this yarn was like to use.

Although this was a knitting project, I've also crocheted with the yarn to give you feedback on what it's like to crochet with. I should quickly add that this is not an affiliate post and that all opinions are my own.

For my son, Jamie, I knitted a pair of toe-up socks using 2 hanks of Holst Garn Highland sock yarn and following a variety of different patterns, taking elements to suit my goals. It had to be a toe up sock because Jamie has UK14 feet and I wanted to be sure I had enough of the main colour; a shorter leg was ok, but a shorter foot was not!

Holst Garn are based in Denmark and run by Helle Holst. They have a store in Aabybro in Denmark or you can order from them online, like I did.

I used two differnt colourways; Charcoal (a solid black) and Purple Touch (a hand painted, marled purple), they came exactly as I'd pictured them.

I'm delighted to report that this yarn was a joy to use! First up, it wound easily into a ball without tangles or fuss - always a bonus! Secondly, it felt super soft on my hands and didn't split on the needles. It has a higher twist than usual on commercial sock wool giving it excellent stitch definition.

When I worked up my crochet samples I found it really lovely to crochet with too! I have some leftover of the purple colour so I'm using that to make squares for my Battenberg Blanket and I swatched a square of double crochet stitches (UK terms/ single crochet in US terms).

My only negative feedback would be the colour pooling on the hand painted yarn. There wasn't an issue with the socks or the granny square, but I found it a slight problem on the double crochet sample because it was worked in straight rows. 

YARN DETAILS

Composition: 80% Superwash Highland Wool/ 20% nylon, 2ply yarn

Wool origin: Peru

Weight: 4py/ fingering/ sock weight

Colour range: 10 hand painted, 8 solid colours, 2 two-coloured

Meterage: 210m/ 50g skein

Wash: machine washable, cool cycle

 

MY RATING 

Overall ease of use: 10/10

Softness: 10/10

Stitch definition: 10/10

Quality: 10/10

Eco friendliness: 5/10

Range of colours: 7/10

Colours true to screen: 10/10

Colour pooling: 8/10

Drape: 10/10

Ease of washing: 9/10 

 

MY OVERALL RATING: 89/100

A good score and it could possibly have been even higher if I was able to find out more on their eco poloicies. However, for me the fact the wool has been shipped from Peru to Denmark and then to me in the UK does have to be taken into account.

Do I recommend Holst Garn Highland sock yarn? Absolutely! It was truly lovely to work with and I'm so happy with the results.

I've also made a YouTube video reviewing this yarn, so if you'd like to check that out you'll find it here.

Well, that's it for this post! Did you find it useful? Have you tried Holst Garn Highland sock yarn? What did you think? You can always leave me a comment, I love hearing from you!

Until next time, happy crocheting,

Marta xx 

Pretty yarn & pretty pattern

Hello! Yesterday I finished working with some really pretty yarn working from a really pretty pattern. The yarn was gifted to me by my family for Mother's Day - it was a mystery box from The Wool Shed (which I had given BIG hints on, but of course didn't know the colours I would receive, keeping it a surprise!). I should probably add at this point that this is not a sponsored post, all opinions are my own.

I was delighted with my surprise bundle; there was a 100g skein of speckled sock yarn in 'Tulip', a 20g mini to go with it, a little bee enamel stitch marker, a tea bag from Bird & Blend and a packet of wild seed mix - it certainly put a smile on my face! 

With the Marathon Sock KAL starting in a few weeks time on April 1st, I chose to keep the yarn aside for this special occasion. This KAL (or knit along) is a community project, hosted by Vikki Bird Designs and the idea is for everyone to knit pairs of socks and calculate how much yarn they have used. Vikki has an online form you can fill in as each pair is completed and once 26.2 miles of yarn have been used that's the project complete. I thought it was a wonderful concept for a KAL and couldn't wait to get stuck in! I should also add that crocheted socks are very welcome too! 

If you're interested, you can find all the details on the KAL on Vikki's website www.vikkibirddesigns.com and of course you can follow Vikki on Instagram here for lots of gorgeous sock patterns.

Since Vikki was hosting the KAL I thought it was about time I gave one of her designs a go. I had Siren Song Socks in my queue, waiting for just the right skein of yarn to knit them up, now seemed like my chance. Week one of the challenge was a sprint - knit (or crochet) a pair of socks in a week! I tried my best but gardening, crochet projects and life in general got in the way - I didn't quite manage 7 days but I did complete them in 8 days - for a UK9 pair I was chuffed with that!

The speckled yarn from The Wool Shed worked up beautifully with the little spodges of colour breaking up the solid colour perfectly. There are lots of lovely colourways to choose from, you can find a link to The Wool Shed's Etsy shop here.

After a few initial mistakes (which was really just me plunging in without reading properly) I found the Siren Song Socks pattern very easy to memorise and was quickly able to knit without referring to my laptop. The pattern is a cuff down design and has a variation for left and right feet which looks stunning. It's the first time I have worked a toe in this way - no need for Kitchener stitch on these socks! Here's a link to the pattern on Payhip, I'd thoroughly recommend it!

Yesterday Vikki announced that the challenge is 26% complete, giving me the chance to cast on a 2nd pair, anyone else fancy joining in?

Marta xx

 

Yarn Review: Cascade 220 Solids and Heathers

It's been a while since I dedicated a whole blog post to a yarn review so today thought I would share my thoughts on Cascade 220 Solids and Heathers. I have been crocheting a cowl this week using Cascade 220 Heathers and I am loving the feel of this wool!

Cascade Yarns is a family run business based in Seattle, Canada. Established in the 1980s, the company is passionate about producing high quality yarn at affordable prices. I received 2 hanks of Cascade 220 Heathers as part of an Instagram swap package with the theme of #imnotgoingtoeyfswap - for all those who felt they were missing out on the Edinburgh Yarn Festival (EYF) this year. I was partnered with Emma -  @eldenwood_craft - and was delighted to unwrap a completely new yarn that I hadn't come across before! At the time I had way too many WIPs on the go, so I popped the hanks on my wool shelf where I could clearly see them and have a think about what to make. 

Earlier this week I began crocheting a new cowl, following my own design idea, that required two colours and since Emma had sent me Fog Hatt and Mystic Purple I decided to go with these colours. My first task was to wind the hanks into balls and since I don't own a wool winder I set to it using the backs of two chairs. The 100% Peruvian wool felt lovely as it passed through my fingers and wound really easily without any knots or tangles and I knew then it was going to be a delight to work with!

My design idea transferred from my head to the hook exactly as I hoped it would (hooray!). The stitch definition of the Cascade 220 Heathers is perfect for this stitch pattern and would work equally well in any combination of Solids or Heathers - there is an absolutely stunning range of colours to choose from - have a look here. 

I have been using a 4.5mm crochet hook for this project, but my tension is extremely relaxed so I have written the pattern suggesting a 6mm hook to give the cowl some drape and flow. The yarn thickness is aran or 10ply which make it work up quickly. The 220 in the name refers to the length of the hank, 220 yards (200m). The Cascade Yarns website has many free, downloadable patterns specifically for this yarn and I am sure it would substitute in most cases where an aran thickness pure wool is required. 

So, I would thoroughly recommend giving this lovely wool a go, whether you knit, crochet, weave or use yarn in other ways. Have you used this yarn before? Or any of the others in the range? If you have, leave me a comment, I would love to read your views too.

Happy hooking,

Marta xx

Yarn Review - King Cole merino blend DK

Today I thought I would continue with another yarn review - this time King Cole merino blend DK. These review posts are not sponsored by the wool companies, it's simply me, adding my thoughts and opinions on the yarns I like to use.

I have used King Cole merino blend DK for a wide variety of projects, from large blankets to teenie amigurumi to baby cardigans - it's a fantastic all purpose wool! Not all the yarn, but a significant amount of it, was King Cole merino blend DK in my Sophie's Universe Blanket (pictured below).

One of the reasons I love this wool is the amazing range of colours it is available in - there are 45 different colours ensuring there is a colour for everything and a colour for everyone! I enjoy making and designing amigurumi in bright colour combinations and I like choosing just one colour to make hats and baby cardigans. My most recent crochet project (and the prompt for this blog post) uses the gorgeous mustard colour!

King Cole merino blend DK is a superwash wool making it ideal for baby and toddler garments. It's nice and soft too which is lovely to work with and lovely to wear because it is not itchy. There are 104 metres in a 50g ball which works really well when pulled from the centre and worked from the inside out. King Cole merino blend DK is widely available online and in many local yarn shops. 

The friendly amigurumi monster called Malunna (pictured above) was designed and crocheted in King Cole merino blend DK. I love this colour combination - blues and oranges have always been a favourite of mine. If you are interested, the free pattern for this monster is available in my Ravelry store here. 

Have you used this wool before? What do you think of it? I am interested to know your opinions - please pop a comment below xx

Yarn Review; Three Bears Yarn

I thought it would be interesting to start a series of blog posts reviewing my favourite yarns. At the moment I am working with Three Bears Yarn, affection, DK (double knitting) so I will start with this yarn!

my yarn delivery!

I ordered from Three Bears Yarn after following them on Instagram for some time. They post lots of colourful photos there including many reposts of other people's projects which gave me a good idea of how it was to work with as well as the many endorsements from satisfied customers. For me Instagram is a fantastic place to find inspiration, new friends and new wool, fabric etc ... there's a whole new blog post in that! 

I had decided to follow Spincushions latest mystery crochet-a-long (CAL) and the special 29th of February yarn pack (29 balls for £29!) that Three Bears Yarn had on offer seemed like an excellent choice for this new project. You can find all the details of Spincushions CAL here.

first square

I began the CAL last Monday morning when the first part was released and I loved crocheting with this 100% cotton straight away! It feels very soft and smooth which makes it easy to crochet with. Unlike many cotton yarns I have worked with, this one does not split when I am working, which creates a very neat finish. I think you will agree the stitch definition is amazing too!

4 squares complete

Three Bears Yarn is based in Lancashire in the UK. It was founded in 2015 out of Blackburn Yarn Dyers Ltd. and is a family run business with real passion and enthusiasm for producing quality yarns. 

I am enjoying the mix of colours in this yarn pack and having fun putting different combinations together. I have a feeling this blanket is going to be lovely and colourful! 

I love this yarn!

You can follow my work in progress on Instagram and on Ravelry where there will be lots more colourful photographs. 

Has anyone else tried this yarn? If you have, share a photo in the comments below, I would love to see what you think.

Marta xx