Get Dayana Knits blog posts by e-mail:

* indicates required

Putting Handspun Yarn to Use -- Aggregate Shawl by JimiKnits

Aggregate Shawl by JimiKnits, knit by Dayana Knits in Maine handspun


Aggregate Shawl by JimiKnits, knit by Dayana Knits in Maine handspun


Aggregate Shawl by JimiKnits, knit by Dayana Knits in Maine handspun


Whoa horsey! Before you think I've started an entirely new hobby -- spinning -- I'll stop you there. 😂 Thankfully, there are plenty of hand spinners out there who have made their craft available for us lowly followers to purchase, and let me tell you -- Maine is the perfect place to find it. Just look at these two skeins I scored at my favorite source for Maine yarn (in my favorite town of all, too): Heavenly Socks Yarn in Belfast! You'd be a fool not to sign up for their newsletter, it's famous.


Handspun yarn by Andrea of Winterport, ME, Dayana Knits blog


Handspun yarn by Andrea of Winterport, ME, Dayana Knits blog


What I love about this is that it isn't a brand -- it's just a "hey, I spun this!" from Andrea. I don't even know Andrea's last name, though I'm hoping she'll find us, or some typical Maine thing will happen where Andrea's sister or cat will come by and leave a comment.

One is Polwarth wool, one is Merino. The Polwarth is rougher, but they are the same width:


Handspun yarn by Andrea of Winterport, ME, Dayana Knits blog
Don't you just love hand-written labels??


Handspun yarn by Andrea of Winterport, ME, Dayana Knits blog


What could I make? As with all handspun you find -- there's usually only 1 skein of 1 colorway;  there was no getting more. So I consulted the trusty Ravelry Advanced Search engine, and narrowed down 668,443 patterns to 23!

How on earth did I do that? You might be curious, so I'll show you. Note the "Colors used (typical)" search box which is my new best friend. OMG, revolutionary.


How to use the Ravelry Advanced Search Engine, Dayana Knits blog


How to use the Ravelry Advanced Search Engine, Dayana Knits blog


The Aggregate Shawl by JimiKnits came up 3rd and I LOVED it.


Reason #1: It was going to be more fun than all the other options because of the short rows.


Aggregate Shawl by JimiKnits, Dayana Knits blog


Second, I was curious to see whether you'd be able to see the subtle differences between the 2 handspun yarns, which had very little contrast.


Handspun yarn by Andrea of Winterport, ME, Dayana Knits blog


But it definitely worked! I can see the 2 yarns surprisingly well!


Aggregate Shawl by JimiKnits, knit by Dayana Knits in Maine handspun


Aggregate Shawl by JimiKnits, knit by Dayana Knits in Maine handspun


Lest you be daunted by the major short rowing here, do not be. I found this pattern to be right along the lines of other garter stitch short row shawls (wraps never showing!) -- just follow the instructions and you will be fine. It's fun to do and will keep you addicted to the very end.


Aggregate Shawl by JimiKnits, knit by Dayana Knits in Maine handspun


I did change to a picot bind-off, though, because I wanted to use as much yarn as possible and craved a less geometric shape. However, when I went to block the shawl, I found that my edge was ruffling and didn't want to block flat. So I took out my trusty flexible blocking wires and made a scalloped edge that I love! It may look difficult, but with these blocking wires, it's a piece of cake:


Aggregate Shawl by JimiKnits, knit by Dayana Knits in Maine handspun


Now. You might be thinking that Maine is an incredibly mild place in the winter with trees that no longer lose their leaves, heh heh, but these pictures were taken in the autumn, because I'm waaaaay behind on showing you my FOs.




It really looked like THIS last week!




Through a winter with no snow to speak of, we suddenly got 4 FEET IN ONE WEEK!! Naturally, my husband was away for this entire time, leaving me to shovel what I could.

But hell no, I was NOT going to shovel his car.  😂😅


4 feet of snow in one week in Maine, Dayana Knits blog




4 feet of snow in one week in Maine, Dayana Knits blog
35 minutes later...


For those of you curious about the license plate, it's the DNA sequence of a "restriction enzyme" which is used regularly by scientists in genetic engineering.


EcoRI restriction enzyme site, Dayana Knits blog


He wants me to get the sequence of the sister enzyme, Mun I, which cuts to make "compatible ends", hee hee.


MunI restriction enzyme site, Dayana Knits blog

I am more inclined to get this one!


Possible Maine vanity license plate, Dayana Knits blog


Speaking of kittens... Tiger Shrimp is a camera hog and is making an appearance in almost every Instagram post. Nuisance, yes. But this video of me unboxing my February KnitCrate will definitely make you smile!




February 2017 KnitCrate with Tiger Shrimp, Dayana Knits blog


February 2017 KnitCrate with Tiger Shrimp, Dayana Knits blog
SAVE 20%, CATS NOT INCLUDED 😹

FYI, that was my first regular KnitCrate, and it was absolutely worth the cost, in my opinion. It had (3) 164yd skeins of Mrs. Crosby Loves to Play: Steamer Trunk, a 100% merino worsted yarn. There was a pattern for 2 purses and a lavender bath bomb. If you want to try a KnitCrate, you can get 20% off your first one with code "DK20" here.

Below is the the rather breathtaking that was in the "Sock" Knitcrate. I'm only getting one of those because I rarely knit socks, but the Mrs. Crosby Loves to Play: Train Case is truly beautiful, and the pattern was better than in the regular KnitCrate.


Socks KnitCrate, Mrs. Crosby Loves to Play Train Case, February 2017, Dayana Knits blog


Consider it, because you'll have a lot of fun making it. And if it's in handspun, it will be squishily delicious, I guarantee it.


See my Handspun Aggregate on Ravelry


Aggregate Shawl by JimiKnits, knit by Dayana Knits in Maine handspun


Follow this blog:
by e-mail
through Facebook
through Bloglovin'

SaveSave

Comments

  1. I love your shawl.
    I am fond of your kitten.
    I envy you for the snow (we had only 1 foot of it)
    Btw: Didn’t you see Andrea’s last name on her label?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ha! I see a name in the Gmail address, good eye! Though we can't be totally sure that's her last name, it's probably 95% likely. :D

      Delete
    2. I'll need to wait for her cat to comment to be completely sure... 😋

      Delete
  2. I really like how your shawl came out, although yellow is not my color. :) I also don't think I commented elsewhere that I have been enjoying your live videos, especially the Knit Crate opening. Always love your daily knitspiration posts on FB. Have a great week Dayana! --Rita Z.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I should add that I love your colored pencil earrings too and my license plate is "RRRTSY" Not everyone gets it, but is it supposed to be "Artsy" with a bit of pirate flair I guess. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Rita I'm so glad you like the Live videos. I'm really hoping to do more -- but I am waiting for a piece that will let me easily use my tripod in the RIGHT direction, lol! Love the license plate, ARRRR! I got those earrings in a fab little shop in Bangor, ME. 1/2 is only Maine sourced yarn, 1/2 is gifts and things of interest. If you're ever up here it's called One Lupine.

      Delete
  4. When you posted last Friday I was prowling the market at Stitches West - didn't even think to check for a new Dayana post until now! GREAT shawl and kitty pix. Thanks!
    -- stashdragon

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. whoops, you *didn't* post on Friday, but the following Monday. Never mind, I'm just dazed and confused . . .
      stashdragon

      Delete
  5. Hi Dayana,
    I love your blog! I have learned so much from it! I'm a scientist too so I love the science references especially the EcoRI license plate. Thanks again and I look forward to your future posts!
    Sarah

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Awesome, I'm so glad you came by! What's YOUR favorite restriction enzyme? ;))))

      Delete
  6. I am so glad I found you. I bought some beautiful yarn at a weekend festival from Yellow Rock Farms and have spent hours looking for what I was going to make from it. Your tips on how to narrow down your search using Raverly was spot on. Thank you. Bev

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh excellent, I'm glad to be of help! The Rav search engine is pretty powerful, we're very lucky to have that resource. 👍

      Delete
  7. Oh excellent, I'm glad to be of help!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Thanks for your comment! :)

Click to contact me

Most popular posts in the last 30 days