Adventures in Second-hand Yarn

It’s now been a year since I first started knitting. I learned those knits and purls in September 2018 and it’s a love affair that is now celebrating it’s first anniversary! With each project that I have attempted I have tried to learn a new skill or two. I don’t want to attempt something that seems so difficult it will put me off but at the same time I want my skills to develop and learn more with each make.

I was very generously given some balls of Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran by my beautiful and lovely friend Catie. She had started making a scarf and changed her mind so I gained some beautiful wool. I noticed that it looked particularly lovely with the scrap wool in my stash I had leftover from this hat I made for George a little while ago and the idea of a shawl using lots of different yarns was born.

Shortly after the initial idea for this shawl, I spotted two skeins of Malabrigo Rios in the Frank Ochre colour way for a total bargain on eBay (£13 delivered for TWO 100g skeins!) and suddenly I had some more second hand yarn in my stash – this was starting to seem like a team project!

I spent a long time browsing shawl patterns for something that would look great using four colours and that I wouldn’t find too easy or too hard. I settled on Isabelle Kraemer’s Gryer Shawl pattern. It is largely made up of garter stitch which is easy and therapeutic to knit but it has a lovely iCord binding round the edge which I had never done before, it also has rows of eyelets which I had no idea how to do (turns out they are yarnovers which are super easy! Next knitting level = unlocked!).

With two new techniques to learn and several colour changes I found it interesting to knit and thoroughly enjoyed the knitting process – I couldn’t put it down! I made it in less than two weeks and am itching to cast on another – I think it would make great Christmas gifts, don’t you?

I am also really pleased with the size. I know it is technically a shawl but I won’t ever wear it as a shawl. What I really wanted was a triangular scarf and with it’s petite size that’s exactly what I got. I am so glad the weather has turned to autumn these last few weeks as the garter stitch makes this really squishy and cosy to wear! I can see this being worn loads and am grateful to this project for teaching me two new techniques to add to my knitting arsenal!