Merino. We know of this yarn in India, and it is synonymous with warm winter wear that we would buy if we were going to a trip to the North, or abroad. Or sometimes as blends in our socks. But what is Merino? It is actually the name of the breed of sheep, first spoken about in the 12th century in Morocco. The Spaniards then found this sheep, crossbred them with their ewes, and monopolised the trade of wool to develop their country economically in the 15th and 16th century. Intensive selective crossbreeding and breed refinement over the ages has today led to the production of the softest and finest wool of any of the 200 odd breeds of sheep. […]
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Using Scrap Yarn to Make Party Favors
Usually, I know how much yarn is required for my projects, and buy accordingly, but it is very very very rare for me to be able to use up 100% of the yarn dedicated for the project. This happens because I err on the side of caution, and my definition of ‘buying accordingly’ is to buy a little bit more. Why you may ask? Because though a pattern requires X amount of yarn, I need some for the swatch, some as backup for accidents, and also for the big possibility that the yarn may be discontinued forever. Which is very very normal…cue eyeroll. My idea of a knitting nightmare is to not have a little bit more yarn, when I […]
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T-SHIRT YARN
T-shirt yarn is exactly what the name says: yarn made out of t-shirts. Snip an unseamed t-shirt in whichever width you like into a continuous strip, roll it into a ball and off you go! There are a bazillion videos online to ease this process, with many tips and tricks thrown in. The yarn I have is actually about 3cm wide, but it tends to curl up naturally and become about 4mm. Which is a bulky bulky yarn, that works up super quick. It is perfect for those days when I don’t have reasonable sanity, and don’t want to spend my limited working hours on complex projects. T-shirt yarn is super easy to make, and is an excellent way of […]
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YARN PACKAGING
You must have seen yarn packaged and presented for sale in your local crafts store in many different ways. Some of the most common ones are hanks, skeins and balls. Apparently there are 12 different ways of packaging yarn, and I must have seen 5-6. I doubt if someone buying is concerned with how yarn is packaged, they are more curious about the colours and textures. What matters is how yarn can be used once it is bought. Clockwise from top left, you can see a pink HANK, grey SKEIN, white BALL and something that is cutely packaged as a CAKE. It certainly looks delicious! In a hank, the yarn is rolled into a big circle then folded into itself. […]
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