Combining handspun and commercial yarns
How I enjoy watching fabric appear with every new stitch when I combine two different types of yarn. I still don’t know if it is because I love heathers or is it the element of surprise, but whatever the reason, the result never seams to disappoint me.
For my latest knitted sweater, I’ve decided to do just that and used my handspun single ply yarn together with Drops brushed alpaca silk in colourway number 5.
The handspun I used was made over the course of this past year.
The fiber was carded on my drum carder and the blend I played with is a combination of brown and grey corriedale, white merino, light brown alpaca, and black baby llama.
I was very happy with how the natural shades of wool and camelid fibers came together and decided to keep the yarn as single ply.
To bind and soften the handspun, I thought the perfect pairing would be Drops brushed alpaca silk.
While different shades in handspun brought interest, the fluff of brushed alpaca silk added a beautiful halo.
The whole process was a pleasure and it resulted in a lovely naturally marled etherial and lightweight fabric.
I have experimented with the construction of the sweater and was very pleased with the outcome, as it has filled a gap I had in my wardrobe.
For the neckline, I have also tried something new and combined a waistcoat crochet stitch with the knit stockinette. This allowed for a seamless transition while keeping the structure of the collar without rolling.
If you would like to see and hear about my process of designing and knitting this sweater, as well see some footage of me spinning the yarn used, you can find the whole video dedicated to it on my youtube channel.
Ivana
