Commemorative Shawl Knitting

A Little History

At the start of last month, Gilbert Baker died. He was just 65 years of age. The name may not mean anything to you but his legacy certainly will. Gilbert was the creator of the rainbow flag; a vibrant symbol for the LGBTQ community and one that is globally recognised. He said he wanted to use something from nature to represent that our sexuality is a human right and to convey the concepts of diversity and inclusion. Originally the flag consisted of eight colours and was only later reduced to the six we’re familiar with now.

The 6 Stripe Rainbow Flag

Red – life
Orange – healing
Yellow – sunlight
Green – nature
Turquoise – art
Violet – human spirit

The creation of the flag was a challenge from Gilbert’s friend, Harvey Milk, who wanted a symbol of pride and hope for the gay community. Milk was the first openly gay person to hold high public office in a major American city in 1977 having campaigned on a platform of positive hope for young gay people. That city was of course San Francisco.

The Project

The reason I’m sharing this sad news and wonderful snippet of history with you is to explain my latest choice of shawl knitting. The Pride Delta, available on Ravelry, is a colourful and eminently wearable shawl.

Aileen’s Pride Delta – Photo © littlebushbaby

My friend and fellow Scot, Aileen D-A aka littlebushbaby, is the designer. As this talented lady put it, the shawl is for those times in our lives “when we need to show our different stripes.” Given the state of the world right now, this is clearly one of those times. The crafting community, in my experience, is also all about welcoming people of all stripes which means this project is a match made in heaven. There’s a triangular shaped version available too.

The Shawl Knitting Materials

I call my shawl “Diversity + Inclusion = Beauty + Strength”. A nod from me to the ever wise Maya Angelou whom I greatly admire. The direct quote is “It is time for parents to teach young people early on that in diversity there is beauty and there is strength.” This will be a British wool project. I’m using J.C. Rennie’s lambswool for five of the rainbow stripes. It’s available in 10g miniballs from Clare at Wee County Yarns in Clackmannanshire.

A selection of Lambswool miniballs

The final stripe is going to be Jamieson & Smith jumper weight as I have some in stash. Not quite turquoise but I like it!

Royal Blue 2Ply from Jamieson & Smith

These yarns will bloom wonderfully when the shawl is complete and blocked. The only decision left is what to use for the main colour. I want an undyed yarn and a slightly darker grey than Aileen used. If anyone has favourites to recommend, do leave me a comment. I’ll be sure to check out your suggestions.

by Lou 1 Comment

10 Reasons Why I Love Wool Crafts

Or more to the point, 10 Reasons Why I Love Wool.

Working with wool is something I love for many reasons. I thoroughly enjoy using all kinds of natural fibres within my wool crafts of course, and those of you who are familiar with my products will be used to seeing everything from cotton to jute making an appearance. Wool though, particularly British wool, has a very special place in my heart.

I’m still surprised when people ask me what makes me so passionate on the topic as I’d assumed it had been discussed to death over the years by enthusiastic knitters, spinners and felters everywhere. Apparently I was wrong! So let’s take a little look at why and if you’re interested in discovering more, you can follow some of the links I’ll provide as we go along.

The List!

First and foremost, wool is 100% natural.
Wool is completely biodegradable. It’s a sad but common sight to see farmers burying unwanted fleeces in their fields.
Raw Wool
Wool forms part of the natural carbon cycle.
Wool is anti microbial and odour resistant. Bear that in mind the next time you ask why anyone would knit a pair of socks!
Hand Knitted Wool Socks
Wool improves indoor air quality; making it a great option for rugs, carpets and home furnishings.
Wool is a renewable resource i.e. it can be used repeatedly because it’s replaced naturally.
It’s breathable which is better for clothing and bedding. Synthetic materials tend to make us sweat.
Wool crafts allow me to help secure the future of native sheep breeds. Blacker Yarns, along with many others working in unity, helped to collect, process, spin and dye Boreray wool in recent years. This has successfully upgraded the Boreray breed from critical to vulnerable in the most recent survey by the Rare Breeds Survival Trust. How awesome is that?
Wool helps me to support my local economy. From independent hand dyers and wood carvers to local yarn shops and smallholders, every time I purchase tools and materials for my crafts, I’m putting money into another small business.
Safety! This amazing material is fire resistant and fire retardant. You’ll find it’s often used for toy stuffing, upholstery, carpets and host of other applications.

Start of a crochet blanket in merino wool

I could make more, equally compelling, points but I’m sure you get the gist. We’re incredibly lucky to live in a country that has an abundance of this natural material and if you’d like to know more about wool in general, check out the Campaign for Wool‘s site.

by Lou Leave a Comment

A Crafting Life – Learning To Crochet and Philosophy

Practice stitches. Making a scarf as I learn to crochet.

I had an epiphany yesterday that surprised me so much I wanted to share it no matter how difficult it might be to put into words.

In recent weeks I’ve been learning to crochet. Slowly. It’s great fun but it’s also incredibly challenging for someone who’s a knitter. At least for this someone. 😉 The whole process is very different in so many respects from knitting, from the abbreviations and stitches involved to the use of only one hook instead of 2 needles. In fact, the basic “how to hold the hook and yarn” was so awkward that it took me days of perseverance to get a remotely natural looking technique going.

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