Seeing Double #1 – A new blogpost series on knitting with two ends of yarn

7/1/2021

Lamberhurst Scarf by Moira Ravenscroft, Wyndlestraw Designs

I'm back after a bit of a break and ready with lots of knitting ideas for the New Year. The times are continuing with uncertainty and difficulties for so many people, but there's one thing that we can all count on: knitting helps. It really does. Knitting helps to calm the nerves, to give a focus away from the news and to relieve tension, stress and loneliness.

Knowing that you are making something for a loved one you haven't seen for a while can make them feel closer. I know this for a fact as I have just posted off a little item for our brand-new grandson who we haven't met yet!

Our new grandson – photo for blogpost by Moira Ravenscroft, Wyndlestraw Designs

Many of you will know our daughter Anna as she is my co-author on our Reversible Knitting Stitches book. Her photos feature both in that book and in a number of my patterns. So I am sure you will be pleased to hear that she and her husband Andrew had a gorgeous little baby boy, Arthur, at the end of October. Hopefully we will be able to visit Sweden before too much longer so we can meet this little fellow in person.

In the meantime, I have been using the enforced extra home-time to finish a lot of the WIP (Work In Progress) items that have been languishing in baskets around my studio. It is always so satisfying to finish these items off, isn't it. I hope you have all managed to use your extra time at home to good use too.

Ocean Currents Rug by Moira Ravenscroft, Wyndlestraw Designs

However, it's a New Year and time for new projects. So I thought I would write a series of blogposts about using doubled-up yarns. I love working with two ends of yarn at the same time and often get queries from people about this technique and why I love it so much. So I thought I would choose some pattern examples and describe what makes them work better with doubled yarns.

I'll be looking at why doubled yarns are a wonderful way to bring extra warmth into a garment and will be talking a little bit about the structure of wool to help explain this further. I will also be exploring how we can use this technique for colour and design, such as in the Ocean Currents Rug shown in the photo above. Then lastly, I'll be describing some of the techniques for working with two or more ends of yarn held together.

So I'll be back next time with a look at a new winter version of the Lamberhurst Scarf shown in the lead photo at the top of this blogpost. This is worked with two ends of a sportweight yarn which has produced a wonderfully soft, warm winter scarf.

Until next time – keep safe, happy and healthy.

Moira