Knitting - UK (2021-07)

48 knittingmag.com

YOUR VIEWS

DON’T DESPAIR OVER

DISCONTINUED YARN

A few years ago, I decided to treat myself to

a newly published pattern by a new brand

in a new-to-me construction technique.

Boldly, I invested in the suggested yarn and

made progress, but the project got put to

one side when I packed up and moved across

the country. Lockdown happened and I

reached for my unfinished projects. The

top-down circular yoke sweater surfaced,

but I had mislaid part of the pattern. When

I re-downloaded it I found it had been

revised to require two additional balls of

the main colour. I have been unable despite

all my Googling to source two more balls of

the discontinued yarn, and now my jumper

could never have two sleeves. I was so

disappointed. Do you have any advice you

could offer to save my project?

Hannah Pauly, by email

Don’t worry, all is not lost. First, finish the

body of your sweater to the start of the rib.

That way you know that one way or another

you will have something wearable.

Now, divide your remaining main colour

yarn into two equal amounts. It’s a good

idea to weigh

it to be sure.

This will give you

the maximum

amount of the

main colour that

you have for

each sleeve.

Then it is a case

of experimenting

by knitting one

sleeve and seeing

how long you

can make it.

Depending on

how much yarn

you have, you

could decide to

make short or three-quarter-length sleeves.

If you go for short sleeves, you could wear

your sweater over a long-sleeved T-shirt.

You could also consider lengthening

the sleeves by adding an extra colourwork

section or even stripes.

Once you have planned what you are

going to do with the sleeves, you will know

that you have enough of the main colour to

do the second one. But you will also have

to decide what to do with the rib sections

on the sleeve and the body. If you are doing

short sleeves, you may well have enough of

the main yarn to finish the body rib, but you

could also think about having a contrast

rib using another colour from your yoke on

both the body and the sleeve.

Don’t think of this as a sweater disaster,

but rather an opportunity to experiment

and release your inner designer. Whatever

you decide, I’m sure you can save your

sweater and end up with something lovely.

HUNTING FOR VEGAN YARNS

I’m sure I can’t be the only reader who

doesn’t use animal-based fibres. Can you

recommend any vegan yarns?

Charis Flavell, by email

YOUR QUERIES ANSWERED BY BRONAGH MISKELLY

ASK BRONAGH

There are plenty of yarns that don’t use

animal-based fibres, which you can choose

depending on what you make and your

reasons for avoiding animal fibres.

Vegan yarns can be divided into two

categories: plant-based and synthetic,

otherwise known as manmade.

Synthetic yarns are often designed to

mimic the behaviour and feel of wool

and other animal-based products. This

means you can often use them in the

same patterns. Premium acrylic yarns are

widely available and very popular with

lots of knitters. However, they are not

biodegradable, being made from fossil fuels,

and the microfibres they can shed when

washed add to water pollution.

Recently, we’ve seen the development

of a number of recycled synthetic yarns,

reducing the amount of manmade fibre

going into landfill – this can make some

synthetics a better environmental choice.

There are a wide variety of plant-based

fibres made from everything from bamboo

and cotton to seaweed and eucalyptus. In

terms of the knitting experience, the feel

of these yarns is different to wool, alpaca,

etc, with much less spring in the yarn.

This means they generally give a more

drapey fabric and you need to be careful

not to over-stretch your pieces when

blocking or washing.

As well as the feel of the yarn, you may

want to think about the production process.

Each type of plant-based fibres will have a

different environmental impact in terms of

growing and processing.

For example, bamboo is a fast-growing

crop that doesn’t require excessive

amounts of pesticides or water, which

are positives in its production, but

increased demand for the crop has led to

deforestation in some areas.

Cotton is the most common plant-based

fibre for knitters, but production can use

a lot of chemicals and water. Look out for

PHOTOGRAPH: EDITA PAULAUSKIENE/SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

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