Yarn Test Kitchen – HanJi from Aio Knit
Keeley Richardson
Founder and Chief Fiber Officer
Welcome back to The Woolpack Yarn Test Kitchen!
This month we were treated to a yarn that’s a little different from our usual fibers – Hanji from our friend Jin at AIO Knit. Our show and share revealed that we all had crochet on our minds this month, but a different fiber art also made an appearance in the Yarn Test Kitchen. We all fell in love with this intriguing plant fiber yarn and are excited to share our makes with you.
We decamped to a favorite spot in Issaquah for this edition of the Yarn Test Kitchen – Paisley’s Tea Rooms in Gilman Village. It was warm enough to sit outside (just) and enjoy a selection of their fine teas and a baked good or two (the strawberry and cream scone is highly recommended).
Our fabulous yarn: Hanji from AIO Knit. Weight: DK, 100yds, 100g.
PNW based Jin is well known for her range of interesting fibers, you may have come across her Cotton Pasta and Jellypop yarns that are favorites amongst artists and crafters looking to make accessories with both pop and durability. Hanji is the newest addition to the AIO Knit range and is created from the inner bark of Mulberry trees. This fascinating yarn is steeped in tradition, as Jin explains on the AIO Knit website:
“Hanji is more than just paper; it is the soul of Korean craftsmanship, created from the inner bark of the mulberry tree by skilled hands. Throughout history, hanji has been cherished across East Asia as a high-quality luxury, adored by artists and scholars for its beauty and durability. This same tradition produces hanji thread, which is softened, strengthened, and hand-dyed in small batches by artisans whose techniques have been passed down for generations. The result is a lightweight, durable thread with a gentle sheen and the quiet beauty of heritage in every fiber.”
It was a privilege to experiment and create with this beautiful fiber.
Tester: Keeley – Color Way: Soft Clay – Pattern: Granny Square Plant Hanger by Brielle McKendry
The name and earthy tones of this beautiful color way immediately brought terracotta plant pots to mind and initially I toyed with the idea of a macrame plant hanger. I have made them before with cotton cord, but I am also in a bit of a crochet era, so I was curious to see what I could make work using my trusty crochet hook. As luck would have it, I came across this simple but effective design whilst searching for other granny square projects on Ravelry, and I thought I’d give it a go.
Crocheting the four granny triangles with Hanji resulted in a sturdy fabric and I am pretty sure that my plant hanger will stand the test of time (I’ll let you know). I made a couple of modifications to Brielle’s pattern – instead of an icord I used chain stitch for the hanging cords. They were turning out to be too thick using the icord technique and I prefer the look of the chain stitch that Hanji creates. I also added beads to give a little contrast and interest.
I love the results, particularly how the green of the plant’s leaves are emphasized next to this Soft Clay color way, but more importantly I feel like I have found a totally new type of fiber to return to again and again. Although Hanji is made from paper, it is easy to crochet and gives the feeling of almost sculpting a design as you work. It really is a unique yarn, and I am curious to try creating other accessories and craft projects from it.
Tester: Caitlyn – Color Way: Sunlit Apricot – Pattern: Summer Raffia Clutch Bag by Anna Ushakova
Caitlyn in her own words “I love experimenting with new materials and new techniques. Crochet seems to be my current crush!”
Could this be the perfect summer purse? We think so! When crocheted with Hanji, this purse becomes both stylish and practical and something that Caitlyn will reach for on multiple occasions throughout the summer months. Anna Ushakova’s pattern results in a flat folded purse and because she wanted something a little roomier, Caitlyn added a one-inch strip to create a gusset. A game of yarn chicken ensued, and Caitlyn was able to complete her purse (just) from her single skein, except for the edges that were sewn together with embroidery floss. Such a wonderful accessory that gives serious designer vibes and all for the price of a single skein!
One of the things we all noticed with Hanji is how the look of the fiber alters as you work with it. In the skein it appears flat, but as it is worked into a fabric it reflects light giving dimension and texture. This aspect of the fiber shines through with Caitlyn’s project and the Hanji yarn creates a very subtle glow in the light. It is a great substitute for the raffia that the pattern calls for.
YTK Top Tip: when looking for projects for Hanji on Ravelry enter “raffia” in the search term and you will get tons of options, just be prepared to play around with tension and hook size.
Yarn Tester: Kristen – Color Way: Twilight Clay – Pattern: Lucca Hat by Susanne Muller
Kristen in her own words: “Some people collect souvenirs – I collect sparkly stories, soft skeins and soul filled silliness. Equal parts crocheter and knitter, designer and teacher, fiber artist and enthusiastic yarn collector, I love helping others turn a ball of string into something beautiful.”
As Kristen began to make the Lucca Hat, the designer in her took over and she found herself going freestyle. The fedora type Lucca Hat morphed into this adorable sun-hat. Look at the cute wavy brim – such a fun look for summer and practical too. No more squinty eyes! A lilac ribbon and beautiful brooch (a treasured gift from Kristen’s parents), add the finishing touches.
Like all of us, Kristen fell in love with Hanji describing it as sturdy but elegant – she loved the way it held it’s shape. Having worked with many different types of fiber, Kristen was struck by how soft it feels as it slips through the fingers. In Kristen’s words, “it felt like silk.” This is set to become one of her favorites. She is excited to try new designs, and we are excited to see where this new fiber adventure takes her!
Yarn Tester: Talia – Color: Forest Moss – Pattern: Beltway from Paper Yarn by Uta Donath, Eva Hauck, Petra Hoffman and Claudia Huboi
Talia in her own words:
Talia brought the wonderful craft of macrame to the Yarn Test Kitchen – such a great choice for Hanji yarn! She had enough yarn to make this super cool belt and also a shoulder strap for one of her favorite bags. The basic belt pattern can be found in the book “Paper Yarn” which is bursting with ideas for this type of fiber from purses to lamp shades. Talia modified the belt pattern by adding beads from her craft stash that had been waiting for the right project to come along. The result is an elevated accessory that will add a cool boho touch to an outfit.
Forest Moss is a beautiful teal color that Talia adores! It’s subtle but makes a great neutral that will work with most colors. Like all of us she felt happy to discover a new fiber to add to her craft rotation and will be exploring with Hanji again in the future.
We all enjoyed these four beautiful skeins of plant fiber immensely and we would like to say a very big thank you to Jin for sending us such marvelous fibers to sample. Do check out the full range of yarns on the AIO Knit website and look out for Jin at future fiber festivals.
Coming soon in the Yarn Test Kitchen: Puget Sound LYS Tour Pattern Review
As always, if we have inspired you to knit/crochet any of the featured patterns, simply click on the pattern name to head to Ravelry.com. You can also find all of the Yarn Test Kitchen featured patterns on our Ravelry Projects Page – PSWoolpack.
Yarn Test Kitchen
Your Monthly Yarn Review
One of my all time favorite knitting activities is a “show and share”, with friends – it’s a perfect way to seek ideas, gain inspiration and get helpful advice. This is the idea behind the yarn test kitchen – I hope our projects will have you reaching for your needles as we bring you our ideas on how to turn those neglected single skeins of yarn in to “One Skein Wonders”, and inspire you to try new yarns that are produced and sold across the Puget Sound Region.
Oh, and I’ll also be sharing monthly baking recommendations as we go. After all, who doesn’t love a slice of cake or baked good? Yum!
Happy reading!
Keeley