Yarn Test Kitchen – Lavender Sheep
Keeley Richardson
Founder and Chief Fiber Officer
Welcome back to The Woolpack Yarn Test Kitchen!
We are past peak fall, sweater season has arrived and here at The Woolpack we couldn’t be more excited to have beautiful garments taking shape on our needles! However, regular readers will know that we are also extremely fond of a one skein wonder – it’s what the Yarn Test Kitchen is all about. Creating something special using just one skein is a great “palette cleanser” in-between larger projects and a speedy way to create a treasure trove of gifts for knitworthy loved ones for the Holidays. This month we are delighted to bring you four project suggestions that will fly off your needles and hooks in no time at all to guarantee happy holiday gifting – here’s what we created using Mosaic Bulky from Lavender Sheep.
Our November Yarn: Mosiac Bulky from Lavender Sheep 86% wool, 10% Nylon, 4% Poly. 110yds 100g skein. Bulky Weight.
This unusual, vibrant and delightful yarn is hand dyed with love in Duvall by Yvonne Ellsworth of Lavender Sheep. An Oregon native, Yvonne launched Lavender Sheep in 2006 and has been dyeing stunning skeins ever since. Luckily for us Puget Sound locals, she moved to Duvall a few years ago and her beautiful hand dyes are available online or at the Clear Creek Farm Craft Center. We were all very excited to knit with this intriguing bulky yarn – Yvonne’s dyeing expertise shines through with these lovely skeins. The wool fiber is surrounded by a nylon/poly netting that maintains the structure of the yarn, and we were all curious to see how it behaved when we got it onto our hooks and needles. As you will see, we all went in four very different directions.
Our Seasonal Baked Treat : Chocolate Tiffin from BBC Good Food
Full disclosure – this was not my intended bake for this month. My plan was to make an apple loaf cake, but I overmixed the batter and it looked ugly when it came out of the oven. It tasted even uglier! In an effort to rescue the sorry looking bake I had the bright Idea of making a caramel sauce to pour over and disguise its appearance. The caramel was delicious but too runny, and once it was poured over the cake the whole thing resembled a meatloaf and gravy. Naturally, I could not serve this to my YTK guests.
Thankfully, I had this wonderful recipe in my back pocket. It’s a Richardson family favorite and I have been making this Chocolate Tiffin since my boys were very young. It’s a very simple fridge cake – just melt, butter, sugar, golden syrup and cocoa together in a pan and stir in dry ingredients. The mixture is then pressed into a baking tray, chocolate is poured over, and it’s left in the fridge to set for a few hours.
If you decide to give it a try, do be aware that it’s a British recipe and “biscuits” means cookies. I find Graham Crackers are a perfect substitute. I also subbed in dried cranberries (craisins) instead of raisins. The result is delicious and always a crowd pleaser – my YTK friends and I savored a couple of slices with a cup of coffee during our show and share – who doesn’t love a chocolate boost in the morning?
Tester: Keeley – Color Way: Midnight Blue – Pattern: Not Another Bulky Beret by Madelaine Pippa Bartlett
I have been thinking about knitting a beret for some time and have been waiting for the right skein of yarn to come along. When Yvonne’s package arrived in the mail, it was time to call off the search. My concern has been that if a yarn is too soft or stretchy, a knitted beret may not keep its shape. This is quite a structured yarn thanks to the outer acrylic, and I was curious to see if it would maintain the beret shape once knitted. Happily, it did and I am rather fond of this cute little hat.
This fabulous free pattern was easy to follow and knit up in no time at all (size 10.5 needles). You could easily make one in an evening. It’s a little on the small side for me – more of a large child or small adult sized hat, but there is enough yarn in a single skein to modify the pattern and add a couple more increase rows if you need a larger fit. I decided to use my leftover yarn to add a cute little rosette that I attached to a pin for versatility, but you could also add a pom pom as there is enough yarn in these generous skeins. I am excited to explore more projects with Mosaic Bulky.
Yarn Tester: Caitlyn – Color Way: Summer Bouquet – Pattern: Stainless Steel Water Bottle Sling by Tamara Kelly
Caitlyn in her own words: “I enjoy crafting during the rainy days. Curling up on the couch under a blanket and crochet the day away; that’s my idea of a great time.”
We all agreed this is an ideal yarn for craft type projects, and Caitlyn was excited to see if it would work for this fabulous water bottle carrier that has been in her Ravelry Yarn Test Kitchen folder for a while. Happily, Mosaic Bulky and Tamara Kelly’s pattern are perfect matches!
Caitlyn has been moving away from carrying a large purse wherever she goes, preferring to travel light with just her phone in her pocket. However, she has been looking for a solution for taking a water bottle on the go – step up the Water Bottle Sling! The structure of the Mosaic Bulky yarn means that there is minimal stretching, and Caitlyn expects to get plenty of use out of this handy accessory. She had enough yarn left over to make a cute tassel and loves that the yarn does not fray at the ends. The pattern is very straightforward and is highly recommended, but Caitlyn modified the base slightly and chose to use the back post single crochet technique over two rows to make it stronger.
With Holiday Season approaching this pattern could easily be modified to make a festive reusable gift bag for bottled presents. Time to reach for your crochet hooks!
Yarn Tester: Stephanie – Color Way: Apple Blossom – Pattern: Skagit Tulips by Lori Maul
Stephanie in her own words: “Using vintage aluminum knitting needles in this project connects the past to the present. Honoring my German Great Grandmother who taught me how to crochet first and then how to knit.”
Pink and green – Stephanie’s signature colors, combine to make the prettiest of this month’s makes. These adorable, crocheted tulips will bring a pop of springtime happiness throughout the long gray winter. There are so many hues and tones of green and pink in this beautiful skein of Mosaic Bulky making it perfect for a project that will be on display in the home.
As the name suggests, this pattern has a local connection – these Skagit Tulips were designed by Lori Maul of Fidalgo Yarns in Anacortes for the 2023 Puget Sound LYS Tour. It’s a relatively simple crochet project but hugely effective. Each tulip is made in one piece and then sewn onto a “stem”. Stephanie found her color coordinating knitting needle stems in a local antique shop, (Blue Iris in Carnation), adding a delightful vintage touch to her blooms.
“I fell in love with this yarn and immediately envisioned flowers. I knew exactly what I would make with 110 yards – crochet tulips!”
Yarn Tester: Heather – Color Way: Emerald City – Pattern: Holiday Rose Wreath by Nicky Epstein
Heather in her own words: “Even after many FOs, knitting still feels like a magical event. I love working through the entire process – finding the perfect pattern, learning new techniques, and watching as a ball of yarn turns into a created object. It always kinda amazes me when I ‘m done to see a strand of yarn transform into something functional.”
When Heather saw this gorgeous vibrant green yarn, she immediately thought of the Holidays, and what a perfect way to deck your halls this coming festive season! The many shades of gorgeous greens in the single skein of Emerald City Mosaic Bulky lend themselves perfectly to the Holiday Rose Wreath design, and with just a few modifications to the pattern Heather was able to create this elegant decoration. She chose a wire frame instead of styrofoam and went down a couple of needle sizes to make the yarn gauge work. Heather adorned her wreath with leaves made from scrap yarn (directions are included in the pattern), and added pearl buttons as her finishing touch instead of a rose.
Such a beautiful decoration to welcome the Holidays and best of all there is still plenty of time to make your own to add to the festive cheer in your home. Heather is gifting her Holiday Rose Wreath to one of her nearest and dearest – the recipient is sure to be over the moon!
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.
Huge thanks to Yvonne for providing us with such beautiful skeins – they were great to create with! You can check out all of her beautiful hand dyes on the Lavender Sheep Website.
Coming next month in the Yarn Test Kitchen: we review Marie Greene’s new book – “Knit in One”
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