Autumn at last!

Hello!

It’s been a little while since I last blogged, but now it’s feeling like autumn I’m definitely in more of a knitting mood!

I’ve been having problems with sticking to just one project just lately, does anyone else get that? I just want to knit all the things! I’m currently surrounded by 8 different projects. I’m making a chunky jacket/cardigan, a lovely fair isle yoked sweater, two pairs of socks, some fair isle mittens, a scarf, and two shawls. Goodness me, I’m never going to finish anything 😆

I can’t even say that much of it is for presents like they would usually be by this time of year – everything is for me except one shawl. I would like to make more presents, I’m just not sure what to go for. I made all my knit worthy friends fingerless mitts last year, so can’t really do gloves. Scarves take too long, only one friend would appreciate a shawl (already cast on and going reasonably well!) and I’m just a bit stumped really. I’m sure I’ll work something out, and in the meantime at least I have plenty to work on!

In other news, my Etsy shop is still ticking over quite nicely – I’ve been working on my advent calendar over the summer and I’m really excited to be putting it all together! I’ve had an amazing time picking out all the extra gifts that are going into it, I really hope the people who receive one love them as much as I do!

I’m also pleased to say I’ll be starting up my own website soon which will link into the shop but also let me be more creative and put more of myself into what I do. I’ll also be creating a mailing list so I can send out news and coupon codes directly to those who are interested rather than just relying on Instagram to get the word out there!

Next up on my dyeing list will be Christmas themed yarn. I’ll be doing some sock sets on merino and nylon 4ply and on a pretty sparkle base, and I’ll be dyeing up some festive mini skeins along with some winter themed ones! Lots of new goodies to look forward to. I’m hoping to be able to get in some more mohair and silk yarn too, but my supplier is out of stock again, so that will have to wait!

I hope you’re all feeling lovely and creative, and that you’re all making things that make you happy.

Talk again soon,

Jenny x

Mitt kits!

I’ve just started to sell kits to make a pair of mittens, which are called Mandy’s Mitts kits. I’m really excited about these because all of the things you need to complete the project are in the bag!

Mandy’s Mitts kits

To start with I’ll be doing sets in just my repeatable colourways, Magical, Love Hearts, and Azalea. You can chose between knitting them on two needles or 4 needles, and the yarn, needles, pattern and stitch markers will all be there ready for you to get started straight away! The yarn is wound into a neat cake so everything is ready to go out of the bag.

It might be a little bit early to be thinking about Christmas knitting (although I have started mine…) but these kits would make a fab present! I’m also making a shawl for my friend who loves pink, and I’ll be making presents for at least five or six more people! They are all totally knit-worthy though, so it’s a pleasure to do.

It’s going to be my birthday in a couple of weeks, and I’m thinking about doing a yarn giveaway to coincide with it. I have a fab skein of self striping sock yarn and some stitch markers which match well, so keep an eye out on instagram for that coming soon. I’ll probably start the giveaway on my wedding anniversary, and let it run until my birthday, so look out on July 28th!

Hope you’re all having a wonderful summer, and fitting in at least a little bit of knitting and crochet!

Jenny xx

Summer knitting

In the UK at the moment we’re having a heatwave, and it’s very hot. I feel quite lucky that my living room is quite shaded and stays fairly cool, and I can hide out in there without getting too overheated.

So, what’s a girl to do? Knitting does make your hands hot, so does crochet, and dyeing yarns is one of the hottest things to do even when it’s cold out!

I have cast on the back of a cardigan with some 4ply cotton yarn, and I can work on that quite happily for as long as I like but it’s a lace pattern and sometimes you just can’t concentrate on it. In these times I tend to reach for sock knitting which I don’t have to focus on too much, and are small enough not to be too warm to knit!

Knitted sock in West Yorkshire Spinners self striping sock yarn, using my own pattern

I’m crocheting a blanket with my sock yarn minis and some leftovers which is getting a bit big now – it’s like having a blanket on your knee whilst working on it so it’s been put aside for now. I love how it’s coming out though, I was supposed to be being random with the colours but I’m not anymore – it was too stressful for my super organised mind!

C2C blanket

It’s around this time of the year when I start thinking about what knitted Christmas presents I need to make – lots of my friends are knit worthy, so I have to start quite early. I’ll be knitting accessories again (everyone got mittens last year!) so they should be reasonably quick to do.

I’ll be adding mitts kits to the shop very soon, I’ve got everything pretty much ready to go now. The only thing left is writing up the ‘knitted flat’ version and getting some nice paper to print the patterns onto. These would make a fabulous present for a knitter, they’ll have everything you need to make the mitts in the bag.

Mandy’s mitts in my Magical colourway

On a ‘not yarn’ note, my husband is taking a week off from work so we’ll be having a few days out in the sunshine which will be lovely. Maybe we’ll go to the zoo or the beach. Whatever we do I’m sure we’ll have a relaxing time!

Hope you’re all coping with the heat, and have a wonderful week!

Jenny x

Which Wool?

In the hand dyed yarn world you can find a lot of different bases of yarn in the same weight, so how do you know which is the best one for your project?

In the Woolly Goodness Yarns shop I dye merino and nylon, merino and bamboo, merino cashmere and nylon, bluefaced leicester and nylon, and a merino and nylon sparkle yarn. All of these are 4ply yarn, so here’s a little look at them all to help you decide!

Merino and nylon

Merino and nylon sock kit

Merino wool is one of the most popular wools available- it’s really soft, takes dyes well and wears well. It’s perfect for a scarf or gloves or even a lovely warm jumper. Wool wicks (absorbs moisture) well, so it keeps you warm without feeling sweaty. Merino is lovely, and when you add a little nylon to the mix you get a hard working yarn which is still nice and soft. This is a really good choice for socks and anything worn next to the skin.

Merino and bamboo

Merino and bamboo mini skeins

Bamboo is sometimes referred to as vegan silk, and looking at the fibre you can see why. Merino and bamboo together produce a beautifully soft yarn which has a wonderful sheen to it. It’s not as hard wearing as the merino and nylon blend, but tends to go a little further so makes an excellent choice for shawls and scarves. I wouldn’t make socks with it however, you’d be needing to darn them far too often!

Merino Cashmere and Nylon (MCN)

MCN in Love Hearts colourway

This is a bit of a superstar – it’s incredibly soft but still has a little bit of hard wearing nylon to keep those natural fibres looking their best. The cashmere is even softer than the merino, so adding the nylon just gives it enough strength to withstand daily wear. It’s perfect for accessories worn next to the skin, and drapes beautifully so a cardigan or jumper would look superb.

Bluefaced Leicester and nylon

Bluefaced Leicester and nylon with pretty speckles

Bluefaced Leicester is another popular wool, this time for its sturdy nature and really woolly feel. Add nylon to it and you get a perfect hardworking sock yarn. This is my absolute favourite yarn for socks, you can wear them for years without having to worry about repairing them. It’s not quite as soft as merino, but still a wonderful yarn to work with for a variety of projects.

Merino and nylon sparkle yarn

Merino and nylon sparkle yarn in Fruit Pastels colourway

Ok, this one is a guilty pleasure – I would add sparkle to everything if I could! With this yarn you get all of the softness and strength you get with a normal merino nylon blend, but with pretty silver or gold stellina to catch the light and add a bit of glitz. You can do pretty much anything with it, and only those with very sensitive skin need to worry about any ‘scratchiness’. I promise, it’s one of the softest yarns I do.

I’m always on the lookout for new bases to try, but these will be the staple yarns of my shop for years to come. I feel that they are well suited for lots of different projects, and they all inspire me to dye them!

There are other yarn weights available in the shop too, like lace weight (perfect for shawls!), aran weight, and double knitting, so hopefully there’s something for everyone. Maybe I’ll go into detail on those another time!

Have a fabulously crafty week,

Jenny x

Stripes!

Hello again 😊 Hope you’ve had a good week!

Over the last week or so I’ve been revamping my self striping sock yarn, and going forward it will just be available as a sock kit like this one:

Fluorite sock kit

Included in the kit is a full 100g skein of self striping sock yarn, a 20g mini skein which matches one of the colours perfectly (dyed in the same dye bath!) and a set of three coordinating stitch markers – one which is for the beginning of the round, and two to use when you’re shaping the heel gusset.

So far the kits have gone very well. I’ve sold half of my stock in a week, so I’m pretty pleased with them! I did have one set which had a big fault in the 100g skein, and a knot in the mini so I’ve kept that one and am knitting up a sample of how it all works.

Sock kit sample shown in Fluorite colourway

I’m really liking the very subtle stripes with this set, it’s called Fluorite, and has the same veins of green and purple with speckles as the stone does. The kit has Fluorite stitch markers, and they are really lovely.

In other news, I’m planning on making up some non-striping sock kits as well, with an 80g skein with a 20g mini in a contrasting colour in my usual 80% merino, 20% nylon sock yarn. I get this yarn on a huge kilo cone, and wind each skein by hand so I can control the quality easily 😊

I’m also planning mitten kits, including needles, yarn, stitch markers, and a simple pattern. I’m hoping these will be available in the next month or so, depending on how long the pattern takes to test properly! I’m doing both flat and in the round instructions, so it may take a little while ironing out all the kinks!

Hope you have a wonderfully crafty weekend,

Jenny x

Oh look, a new blog!

Hi! Thank you so much for coming to look at my blog! I’m completely new at this, so it’s very exciting 😊

My name is Jenny, and I’m the person behind Woolly Goodness Yarns, the Etsy shop. I wind, wash, dye, skein, photograph and everything else to get the yarn from bare and boring to bright and beautiful!

I specialise in dyeing mini skeins on sock yarn 4ply bases. I find all of the different ways to play with colours in these lovely sets is always a wonderful adventure. I rarely have a plan when I go to the dye pots, so each set is unique.

These are a few from my last session of dyeing.

I gave up my ‘real life’ job to focus on my yarn dyeing adventure, and my lovely husband is the most supportive person in the world and really believes in me. He also helps me when the technology isn’t doing what I want it to 😄

I’ll hopefully be blogging about my dyeing adventures every week or so, so pop back soon to see what I’m up to!

Happy making,

Jenny x