Here is my version of the very popular Hemlock Ring Blanket. Here is the Ravelry link.
I used handspun blue faced leicester top – a worsted/bulky single that I spun pretty loosely. I wanted the yarn to be really soft and smooshy.
As a general rule, I tend to treat my handspun yarns (particularly the singles) pretty roughly. I washed this yarn in very hot water with Soak and then rinsed and swished and slightly squeezed the yarn through a series of subsequent hot and cold rinses just until the singles started to ever so slightly stick together. This is a very fine line to walk. But if you pay close attention, I think the benefits are really worth the risk. The result is a very soft, ever-so-slightly fulled/felted single that is a joy to knit. This particular fiber has a bit of a cloudiness to it that I really like:
Unfortunately, I didn’t keep good track of the actual yardage (I do know that I used about 13 ounces of yarn). I worked the pattern to row 55 of Jared’s chart and then bound off according to the original hemlock doily pattern. Binding off was not trivial, but I think the end product was well worth the effort.
This was a surprisingly quick knit. The most difficult part for me was the blocking process: I felt confident that I’d have no trouble blocking this yarn, but I didn’t understand the muscle power that would be required. Prior to blocking, this little blanket was about 2.5 feet in diameter – after blocking, it measured over 4 feet in diameter. It took a whole lotta pins, both hands, and a few false starts, but it blocked perfectly into a completely flat and exactly-as-I-had-imagined-it blanket! I’m sure I’ll make another one of these – maybe using a semi-solid Malabrigo or with more handspun.
Tags: handspun, knitting
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