The magic of blocking.
The sheer delight of finishing knitting...
INSIDE: the delights of finishing knits, the beauty of blocking, the (averted) yarn tangle crisis, and a beautiful shawl.
Does anyone know how to stop the middle of a center pull hand wound ball from becoming tangled?
This happened to me as I came towards the final yards of the High Desert Yarn I used for the Stone Croft Shawl.
It took me an age to disentangle it and I’d love to avoid this in the future!
I’m finding the same thing happened to the yarn I’m using for the Venezia Shawl. That was wound on an electric yarn winder (the beautifully made but sadly no longer manufactured “Nancy’s Knit Knacks Heavy Duty Yarn Winder.”)
I normally use the end on the outside of the ball.
But I wanted to try creating a center pull ball hand wound from my swift and using the center end of the yarn cake. It hasn’t boded well!
I took lots of deep breaths and carefully and slowly untangled the yarn and got back to the job of knitting. 😊
I was relieved the yardage of the High Desert Skein (298 yards) covered the required stitches in my Stone Croft Shawl.
It was a little touch and go towards the end as you can see in the image below!
The Stone Croft Shawl has turned out as I’d hoped, the lace mesh border adds a lovely element, and the braid is another feature I really like.
The mustard yellow color (Chanterelle) is a color I love.
I always delight in the magic of how much a knitted fabric changes after being washed and blocked! The design comes alive!
Here’s the shawl drying on a towel with a few pins to keep the shape.
And now ready to wear!
I’m now working soley on the Venezia Shawl and hope to finish it in the next few weeks. It’s coming along well!
And another question for you: Do you wind your yarn into cakes or balls?
Press reply or leave a comment!
Mystery Quote Of The Week
“I will always buy extra yarn. I will not try to tempt fate.”
Who said this? Comment or press reply! No cheating! 😊
(You’ll find out if you were correct next week.)
Last week’s quote and author was…
“Knitting not only relaxes me, it also brings a feeling of being at home.”
— Magdalena Neuner
Comment below if you got it right.
Crafting Trivia Question Of The Week
What materials for knitting needles was commonly used in the 19th Century?
What’s the answer? Leave a comment or press reply! No cheating! 😊
(You’ll find out if you were correct next week.)
Last week’s question and answer was…
What does the term ‘vanilla’ refer to if used to describe a knitting or crochet pattern?
Any easy, plain pattern.
Congratulations to
for getting it right. 😊Did you get it right? Leave a comment if you did!
What’s a frustration in your making you’d love to eliminate if you could?
Leave a comment or press reply.
P.S. Coco & Pepper can’t wait for you to check out their super fun finds on Sunday!
(Disclosure: Any purchases made through links may earn me a commission.)
Before you go…
Ah yarn vomit, always a fun project to have to contend with. I have more problems with commercially wound yarns than my own. I make mine into a cake and don't have an issue that way.
Your shawl is beautiful! Congratulations! It really pops when it's blocked!
Depending on the yarn (Fiber content , source, how I’ll use it), I either hand wind into a ball or wind with a manual winder with the yarn from a swift. I typically don’t have problems with tangles. I do take care to wind loosely in the center as I get started, so maybe that is a preventative measure?
Thank you for sharing your fabulous projects!
Wondering what a “yarn cake” is? I haven’t heard that term for wound yarn before.
🤓