Welcome to another exciting week at KNITmuch, where I’ll be knitting with Lion Brand Wool-Ease, which is a medium weight yarn that blends the warmth of wool with the ease of acrylic.
Available in 12 different colors that include natural shades, heathers, soft tones, and bold solids like Tawny Port, Wool-Ease is an extremely versatile yarn for making afghans, sweaters, and accessories. I’ll be knitting with Oxford Grey and Tawny Port this week, which are two of my favorite colors for winter accessories.
Lion Brand Wool-Ease is available in 12 different colors . . . Oxford Grey and Tawny Port are my color choices for this week.
I’m often asked by other knitters for colors that are suitable for men’s garments. I would definitely recommend Oxford Grey as it’s on the darker side of medium that is great for menswear, but not exclusively, as I like it too. I love a good burgundy … both in a stemmed glass and in yarn, and Tawny Port is a lovely burgundy color.
Each 3oz [85g] ball contains 197yds [180m], with a recommended knitting needle of US 8 [5.0mm] = 18 sts x 24 rows = 4” [10cm] in stocking stitch. The recommended crochet hook is US J-10 [6.0mm] = 3.2 sc x 16 rows = 4” [10cm]. The recommended gauge for this medium weight (4) yarn is applicable to an Aran weight, but I discovered that it knits quite nicely at a Worsted weight gauge of 20 sts = 4” [10cm].
Wool-Ease is a blend of 20% Wool and 80% acrylic which makes for easy care – machine washable and dryable is perfect for laundering those hats and mittens that can come home rather messy.
Wool-Ease in Oxford Grey is a deep grey heather color.
In a close up view of an individual strand of Oxford Grey, you can see the heathery tonal quality of the yarn. It looks very wooIly, but is actually quite soft to the touch. Another knitter in one of my knitting circles has an allergy to wool and can’t knit with it. She wanted to make a sweater for her husband and decided to try a wool acrylic blend. Much to her surprise, she was able to knit without it affecting her. That may not be true for everyone with a wool allergy, but it was a pleasant surprise for her. Depending upon how it affects someone, it may be worth trying a smaller project like a hat.
I wouldn’t normally reveal the final project until Day 5, but this week is an exception. I’ll be making the Galway Poncho with Wool-Ease in Oxford Grey. This pattern is rated for Experienced Knitters, but it’s my belief that the only way to become an experienced knitter is to take on new challenges.
The Galway Poncho is a free pattern designed for Lion Brand Yarn.
If you feel intimidated by all those patterns being used together, don’t be. This week is all about smaller projects that use some of the motifs and then tips on how to work them all together in a single project in the hopes of replacing intimidation with confidence.
Tomorrow, I’ll be knitting some swatches to determine my needle size, and to play with a couple of different pattern motifs to measure the gauge. I hope you’ll join me as I explore knitting with Lion Brand Wool-Ease.
