Robin Hood

Während ich die Kleidung für Ronja fertig stellte, verlangte unsere liebe Helmi nach Robin Hood Stiefeln. Also diese auch noch. Na gut ;-) Ich finde aber, sie stehen ihr ausgezeichnet!
 

Beim Stricken und Nähen habe ich mich weiter via podcasts in die Welt der Garnspinnerei hineingehört. Unglaublich spannend, wie Komplex dieser Prozess ist. Bisher habe ich kaum über  Schafrassen, spezifische Eigenschaften der einzelnen Faser, die Herstellung von super-wash-Wolle oder die unterschiedlichen Verspinn-Möglichkeiten nachgedacht. Ich habe meine Wolle primär nach Farbe, dicke des Garns, Weichheit und der Zusammensetzung ausgesucht.
 

Nun tut sich eine ganze Welt auf und ich beginne zu ahnen, wie viel Weisheit, Intuition, Fingespitzengefühl und altes Wissen hier eine Rolle spielen! Was ist euer Lieblingsgarn? Welche Menschen in der Garnindustrie bewundert und unterstützt ihr? Ich würde mich wirklich freuen, das zu erfahren! Verstrickt ihr vorwiegend lokal hergestellte Wolle? Nach welchen Kriterien wählt ihr aus? Wen (und wessen Garne) sollte ich unbedingt bald kennenlernen?
 

Herzliche, garnverrückte Grüße von Lena
 

I've been busy making some more clothes for Ronja. And as always our cheeky Helmi made demands for herself - green boots, just like Robin Hood's. So here we go. While knitting with Quince's Tern - a wonderful wool-silk blend I've been listening to some more yarn related podcasts. What a world is opening up to me! I've never really thought about the yarn making process, about the specific breeds of sheep, staple length  or the fineness of fibres, the twisting strength of the ply, about which yarn suits which project, or the process behind super wash, dying, spinning etc.  
 

I used to pick yarn by colour, softness to touch and composition of fibres (very simple thinking on my side like 'no synthetics please - plant fibres for summer - animal fibres for winter'). Now I realise how much thought and wisdom, artisan knowledge and intuition goes into each skein. To me the story behind a certain yarn is far more fascinating and exciting than I've ever expected. What is your favourite yarn? Whom in the yarn making and dying industry do you admire and support? I really would love to hear!


Edit: A list of  yarns and companies I've already tested 

Rosy Green Wool - Rosmary Stegmann from Munich makes beautiful ecological yarns from Patagonian wool spun and dyed in England. Some yarns are super wash but she also produces untreated pure wool yarns that partly consists of special breed wool. I've used the manx merino fine for baby clothing and really liked the result - it stays soft and beautiful through washes and wear.

 

Schäfereigenossenschaft Finkhof - ecological grown yarns from the south of Germany - some of the yarns are single breed like Fuchswolle and Jurawolle. They have 650 sheep and run their own little plant dye mill. They also sell conventional dyed yarn without any nasty heavy metals. Their colourful Dochtwolle (lofty, thick single ply) is especially lovely for children's work such as weaving and twisting it into beautiful cords.

 

BC yarn - A Danish family run yarn company that produces a wide array of natural fibre yarns in organic quality. However, on their website I couldn't find any information of the exact source of the fibres or where they are spun and dyed. I've used BC Smilla - a soft and quite loosely twisted yarn for a baby cardigan. I love the subtle colours and soft stitch pattern and don't mind the pilling, which necessarily accompanies loosely spun yarns.

 

Hey Mama Wolf - Jule Kebelmann from Berlin uses only locally grown wool from small German sheep farms, gets it spun in Czech Republic and hand dyes it with clean and absolutely poison free plant dyes. Her yarns are subtle and beautiful in colour and knit up very nicely - I cannot say anything about the appearance after long wear yet.

 

Quince & Co - Pam Allen produces a range of yarns from American wool and other fibres such as mohair and silk. It is spun and dyed in small artisan mills in the US. Her yarn 'Tern' which I used for the above shown doll's sweater is a yummy mix of wool (75%) and Tussah-silk (25%), which gives the yarn some sheen and a beautiful muted colour because the fibres take on the dye in different ways. The yarn looks very elegant with beautiful drape and clear stitch pattern. I will tell you about the wear and appearance after several washes once I've finished and worn my shawl.

verlinkt mit creadienstag, frontier dreams, maschenfein, yarn along