My poor sister has been bearing the blogging burden while I’ve been traveling. Sadly, I haven’t done much knitting but I do have a new project in the works, which I’ll share today.
I am still working on Eala Bhan, but I wanted something that was a faster knit and required a bit less concentration. Enter my husband. Despite having received a lovely sweater last Christmas, he began dropping hints about wanting a blue turtleneck. It was sad. He even hounded my sister to knit one for him. Then, in a great coming together of needs and wants, Jared Flood’s new line of yarn, Shelter, hit the stores. I could buy new yarn with no guilt whatsoever. So I did.
Brooklyn Tweed’s Shelter is a lovely new yarn. It’s worsted weight and the wool comes from sheep raised in Wyoming. The yarn itself is spun in the historic mill town of Harrisville, New Hampshire. At first glance, this is a very traditional looking yarn, but the depth of color and softness are wonderful surprises. There were two blues to choose from: Faded Quilt or Almanac. My husband chose Almanac.
I played around and swatched a bit before deciding on a traditional raglan (worked completely in the round) with vertical lines of garter to add texture. I’ve barely started, but even so I can see this grow as I knit with it, unlike Eala Bhan.
Note: A reader asked: “I have been swatching with Shelter too. It says it works for size 7,8, or 9 needles. Which one did you end up using? My gauge is right with the 8 but it feels rather loose for worsted weight. My button jar color is great.” I tend to go down a needle size on most yarns. I swatched on both a 6 and a 7. I thought the 7 felt a little loose, but that’s the gauge my husband liked better and so that’s the needle I used. I wet blocked the swatches, and there was a nice “bloom” to the yarn that made it feel tighter. I liked the swatch done on the 7 much better after I blocked it. So, if you haven’t soaked your swatch, you might do that to see which you prefer.
PS from Susan: “He even hounded my sister to knit one for him.” It’s true. Every time I spoke to him on the phone, he asked how I was doing on his blue turtleneck. No way, Mattie! I don’t feel like knitting for my own husband, why would I knit for someone else’s!!!
I love the color! I completely understand what you mean by needing a change from Eala Bhan – I am knitting E.B., too, and I started a simple stockinette pullover “on the side” so I can see some progress.
Comment by Gauss — October 20, 2010 @ 3:24 pm
I haven’t succumbed to Shelter yet, but your pictures makes it inevitable.
Comment by Ruth — October 20, 2010 @ 3:43 pm
I had to start a couple of quick knits myself. Sometimes, as beautiful as the yarn is, and as wonderful as the pattern is, it can become monotonous. Seeming to take 2 lifetimes to get through 4inches of progress. I, too, may have to succumb to Shelter. I’ve seen several colorways and they all look fabulous.
Comment by 2muchfun — October 20, 2010 @ 5:33 pm
Oh, that looks like gorgeous yarn! 🙂
Comment by Kym — October 20, 2010 @ 5:36 pm
I have been swatching with Shelter too. It says it works for size 7,8, or 9 needles. Which one did you end
up using? My gauge is right with the 8 but it feels rather loose for worsted weight. My button jar color is great.
Comment by Eunice — October 20, 2010 @ 7:02 pm
That is some gorgeous stuff you have there!
Comment by kmkat — October 20, 2010 @ 7:11 pm
I admired your the ez based sweater you knitted last year for your husband and adapted it for my 10 year old. Your current man’s sweater sounds great – where can I get the pattern for the current turtleneck project?
Comment by Anna Kiehn — October 20, 2010 @ 8:25 pm
I can’t believe how fast y’all knit. I just knit my third Bohus, and, even though I certainly know how to make them by now, it took me the better part of a year. I used to be in a Bohus KAL and women would show progress pics that showed they were finished in jsut a few weeks. What is everyone else doing?
Comment by victoria — October 21, 2010 @ 12:29 pm
I read that the Shelter yarn is light-weight for its bulk. Are you finding that to be true?
Comment by Deborah (aka Mt. Mom) — October 21, 2010 @ 5:32 pm
Ooh, I am glad I can enjoy this yarn vicariously. It is looking great so far.
Comment by twinsetellen — October 23, 2010 @ 5:32 pm
This is for Sally and concerns the new sweater for her husband in Brooklyn Tweed’s Shelter yarn. Which of the pictures of the yarn is closest to the true color? The skeins of yarn look quite dark while the started-sweater has a lighter color with more depth. Both that color and the pattern look very nice, and I am waiting anxiously to see how the rest of the sweater works up.
Also, I would like to spark a discussion on this – how do other knitters determine what gauge a particular yarn will work up based on information on the yardage. I go more on yardage than on the suggested needle size on a label.
I looked at Shelter and when I see that that 50 gm ball of wool is 140 yds, I immediately translate that into 280 yds in a 100 gm ball of wool but to me a worsted weight 100 gm ball would normally be in the range of 210, 220, or 223, depending on whether it was Plymouth Galway, Cascade 220, or Patons Classic Merino. For me these work up well at 5 sts per inch.
I contrast the three yarns above to Brown Sheep’s Naturespun Worsted which contains 245 yds per 100 gram skein, but which feels too stringy to me at 5 sts per inch and which I therefore knit at 5 ¼ or 5 ½ !!sts per inch. I consider it to be a Light Worsted weight yarn.
It seems to me that 280 yds in a 100 gm skein would probably work up at a dk gauge. How do other knitters look at yardage and use it to determine how much yarn to buy and what gauge will the yarn work up at?
Thanks and I enjoy your blog!!!
Millie
Comment by Millie — October 26, 2010 @ 9:46 am