Saturday 19 April 2014

Preparing Briggs & Little wool

I've started another Circular Yoke. This is my #4 sweater from the upcoming Need A Circular Yoke book. Another testknit. I'm going to try the Shirttail bottom border this time. I should have it done by next week.
I'm using Briggs & Little Tuffy. One of my favourite wools. It takes some prep work but I know this sweater will last. I'm still wearing a B&L sweater I knit in the year 2000!
You can see that this wool has little bits of vegetative matter in it. B&L don't do a chemical burn to get rid of it. Most of the straw falls out during the process of spinning but there is still quite a bit left in the wool.  I spent some time last night picking it out.
I know it would seem a pain to do this but I feel like I'm part of the process. I didn't raise the sheep or spin the wool but I have cleaned it up. The last necessary step before producing a clean ball of wool for knitting.
B&L and I made this possible. A tag team effort.
-Deb

3 comments:

  1. That's a lovely yoke design, Deb. I knit Fred a sweater with B&L Tuffy in that same colour. It is his cool days fishing sweater.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Ha! I just wrote a post about Briggs and Little. I prefer to pick as I go, but sometimes I wash the yarn before knitting it, to soften it up.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I'm glad to see you using this wool for sweaters. I just picked some up from Harvey for a sweater. I had wondered, though if the nylon in it would make it too stiff for a sweater. But, your sweater looks great and shows pattern very well. (I had knit a sweater with Debbie Bliss Fez with cables and it pills and sheds terribly--NEVER AGAIN!

    ReplyDelete

If you would like a reply to your comment, please include your email address.