Introducing Wool on the Exe Book 1

Introducing Wool on the Exe Book 1

Back in April we asked our friends and customers if they had any ideas that they would like to contribute for a book. This was a completely new project for us so we had no idea what to expect. We were absolutely blown away by the amazing submissions that were presented to us! The project grew into something larger, and took a little longer than we anticipated, but now it's here!!

We are delighted to present, Wool on the Exe Book 1

It's packed full of beautiful content including eight knitting patterns, five crochet patterns, two needle-felting tutorials, an essay, and a recipe. 

There is a lot to share!

For now, here is a brief introduction to the book and some yarn ideas for the patterns. You can also explore the patterns on Ravelry.

The Knitting Patterns

Meadfoot Shawl by Hannah Bowley

An asymmetric, triangular shawl that curves inwards. Knit using two skeins of Wool on the Exe hand-dyed Merino Chunky it would also look lovely in our hand-dyed Merino Singles or Re:treat Chunky. 

Northern Lights Hat and Mitts by Debbie Judd

A lace beanie hat and pair of mitts knit in the round. These use Northern Lights but would also work well in most of our aran weight yarns. Debbie knit the complete set from just one skein of Northern Lights!

Making Waves by Mirja Rutger

A long infinity scarf worked flat and joined at the end to make a loop. The yarn used is Loch Lomond Bio DK, two skeins of the main colour and one skein of the contrast colour used for the striped and dots. This design would also look beautiful in the new Croft DK, or for a super soft and smooth version you could try using Milburn DK

Be Kind Wall Hanging by Trudi Johnston

A decorative wall hanging worked flat from the bottom up and finished with a fringe. Trudi used Re:treat Chunky, which really is the perfect yarn for this project! Pick two colours with a high contrast. You need two balls of the main colour and one ball for the text.

Pip Hat by Ella Austin

A colourwork beanie hat knit in the round from the bottom up with an optional turn up brim. These hats were knit using Pip Colourwork, an ideal choice because the yarn comes in 25g balls, but this design could work well with Cambrian 4ply. You could try using Socks Yeah!Milburn 4ply or Country Classic 4ply if you would like to use a smoother yarn. For any of these you would need one ball of each colour, three in total. We recommend a high contrast for the colourwork pattern to show, so it makes sense to go for either one light colour (for the main body of the hat) and two dark colours (for the colourwork detail) or one dark and two light. If you use the colours shown in the samples then the leftover yarn can be used for the Woodland Flora Felted Patches project.

By the Sea by Catherine Whelan

A close-fitted cabled cowl worked flat and joined at the end to make a loop. Catherine used two balls of Milburn DK for this sample, but she also suggested one skein of Vivacious as a nice choice for the pattern. An alpaca yarn could also work well, we have Superfine Alpaca and Superfine Alpaca Speckledy, you would need two balls of these. Panache is another yarn that could work well and would make the project very affordable, requiring only one ball.

Arwen's Blanket by Jackie Millichap

A square DK baby blanket knit flat all in one piece. This blanket uses Bo Peep DK, 4 balls of the main colour and one ball each of three additional colours. The blanket could look lovely in any of our DK yarns, although solid colours work well with the colourwork detail.

Sheep Farmer Socks by Emma Skegdell

A pair of thick socks knit in the round from the cuff down. Emma used Diploma Gold DK, three balls in the main colour and two balls in the contrast colour used for the cuff, heel and toes. This yarn works well because the nylon content gives it extra strength but you could choose a different DK yarn. Go for two contrasting colours so that the colourwork pattern shows up.

The Crochet Patterns

Riversmeet Cushion by Sam Linney

A mosaic crochet cushion worked flat using aran weight yarn. Sam used one skein of West Yorkshire Spinners Aran Fleece and one skein of The Croft Wild Shetland. These yarns work perfectly for the design but you could also try The Croft Aran or Northern Lights. For a very reasonably priced version Forest Recycled Aran would be a good choice. Picking colours with a high contrast works well to show off the mosaic pattern.

Quayside Wrap by Rosina Northcott

A triangular shawl crocheted flat from one side to the other, using increases and decreases to form the shape. This shawl was made using four colours of Cambrian 4ply. Rosina used 3 balls of the main colour (in this case the grey) and one ball each of the other three colours. You could go with almost any 4ply yarn for this project, but it would work best in solid colours, such as Socks Yeah! or Eden Cottage 4ply. Bio Balance would make a nice summery version. Suri Alpaca 4ply would be ideal for a luxurious, super-soft version and Country Classic 4ply would work well for an affordable choice.

Grazing Sheep Garland by Abigail Setters

A decorative garland featuring four amigurumi sheep spaced between five smaller ball shapes, representing the grass field. This pattern uses Illustrious for the green grass and two natural shades of Bramblecot DK for the sheep. Unfortunately the grassy green colour of the illustrious, Fern, is currently unobtainable but Exmoor Horn Wool has a fern colour. Bio Balance  and The Croft DK also have a nice green colour option. 

Iska Mitts by Heather Gibbs

 

A pair of mitts worked in textured crochet stitches. This design uses one skein of Vivacious DK and would also look lovely in pretty much any of our DK yarns.

Running Water Scarf by Joanna Beswetherick

A wide scarf worked flat from one end to the other using 4ply yarn. Joanna used four colours of Socks Yeah! As with Quayside wrap you could go with almost any 4ply yarn for this project, but it would work best in solid or semi-solid colours colours such as Vivacious 4ply

The Needle felting Tutorials

Felted Bees by Lynne Dewberry

A needle felted 3D bee made using cheviot core wool and coloured merino wool. We currently sell the fibre tops and tools to make these instore. We're also working on getting in some kits that would have all of the materials needed to make your own bees!

Woodland Flora Felted Patch by Nicola Kelly

Small needle-felted patches made using scraps of 4ply wool. Pip Colourwork is the ideal yarn for this project.

The Recipe

 Overnight Loaf submitted by Anneke Stephens

A white bread recipe courtesy of the amazing young baker Kitty Tait of the Orange Bakery in Watlington Oxon. It uses the no-knead method, relying on 12 plus hours of proving so the fermentation process starts on its own. You end up with a loaf that is half-way to a sourdough.

The Essay

Finding a Knitting Society by Eleanor Cook

Eleanor tells us about Exeter University Knitting Society and what it has meant to her to be a part of the group.

We are in awe of the talent displayed on these pages and grateful for the generosity of the contributors. Profits from the book will be split between the charity Knit for Peace and the social enterprise projects of Wool on the Exe. 

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