Homespun Knitting
In previous articles, I have shared a bit of my life experience and shared with you, patterns that have been successful for either me or friends and family members. I feel that it’s important to learn one new thing every day, and try to do this consistently in my daily life.
I visited the Michael Mount Organic Market this weekend with my mother, and was amazed at the beautiful handcrafted items on sale. It was rather fresh out today and I found myself drawn to the stalls selling jerseys and ponchos. (You can visit their market’s website at www.bryanstonorganicmarket.co.za)
I chatted to the stallholders about their jerseys and ponchos and discovered that they are made from homespun yarns. They had the most stunning array of items and I fell in love with a colourful poncho for my daughter and wanted to know more about it. The owner of the stall told me that they imported the jerseys and ponchos from Mexico and other South American countries like Peru. This homespun yarn is made from alpaca and is dyed in many brilliant colours that you identify well with these parts of the world. I had always imagined homespun yarn to be dull and pale, and to be honest I expected it to be scratchy, not nearly as soft as it actually is. I think I must have stood there too long rubbing the poncho against my cheek, because he started to eye me suspiciously!
I wanted to buy the poncho but it was very expensive and as we’re heading into summer here I decided against it. I will wait till next winter, when she’s a bit bigger and we will manage a few months wear out of it.
When I got home I hopped on the internet to learn more about homespun yarns, and was able to find quite a bit of information about it. I thought I would share this with you as perhaps like me; you have had little information about homespun yarns and fabrics.
To explain true homespun yarn in the simplest way possible, it is yarn that is spun at home, and is produced in small quantities, often from lama and alpaca wool. This yarn is then dyed into the colours you need. It is often woven on a loom at home and has an uneven, almost spongy texture. It’s strongest characteristic is that it is incredibly warm and strong wearing – which makes it an excellent choice for countries experiencing extreme temperatures such as New Zealand, where it snows in winter and one needs to keep very warm. In South Africa, many people feel that there are really only a few days in winter when it is cold enough to wear it, but it is so beautiful that many people choose to wear it anyway.
I discovered that you can also purchase homespun yarn, in the shops or online, just as you would any other yarn. The yarns come in vibrant colours, both multicoloured and solid strands. It is a textured yarn which brings depth to your creations, without needing complicated patterns and designs. Some companies who sell the homespun yarn and patterns online include, Lionbrand (www.lionbrand.com); and Bountiful www.bountifulspinweave.com (phone for orders).
Some interesting websites to do with homespun yarn and homespun patterns include; http://www.yarndex.com/ – a yarn directory dedicated to telling you more about every kind of yarn imaginable, http://www.touchyarns.com/ – a site for Merino wool, perfect for knitting, weaving, embroidery, felting and embellishment of garments.
We would love to hear from you – tell us which sites you found helpful and interesting, ask us questions and we will try our best to help you with your query.