Wool

My mother taught me to crochet. Just the basics. And I made a scarf, all by myself. Still have it as well, though I never use it now.

Clearly I did not have any notion of matching different types of yarn and using the correct size hooks. But the colours match each other. At least it's not a collection of different left over yarns, but actually some quite nice Norwegian wool. hand-dyed in cream and rusty brown. The ends and the edging is fine thin wool of a dusty brown variety. Hook size used; probably a 3.5mm or 4mm. Not the right size for wither of the wools, but nicely in the middle.

It's somewhere in my wardrobe, but it's too chunky to actually wear. I look at it with a sense of pride from time to time, but I really ought to unravel it and make something else out of it.
The wool it too nice to let it go to waste like that. It was wool I got from my grandmother when her arthritis and limes disease got too advanced for her to continue to knit. She bought it herself on one of numerous trips she did with my grandfather to Norway when they were younger.

Yes I must really unravel it and create something worthwhile and deserving. It's only fair on the wool. And my grandmother.

I live in Scotland. One of the countries which has the largest amount of sheep. Wool comes from Sheep as we all know.

Therefore you'd think there would be an abundance of wool mills around and that the wool would be easy to get to at a fair price. Even people I know who knit or crochet in Denmark are jealous of me living in "the land of all the wonderful and cheap wool". Well. Unfortunately that is not the case. At least there are none anywhere near anything that I have ever heard of!? Unbelievable. Scottish wool costs the same to buy in Denmark as it does in Scotland. Something wrong with that picture.

It's actually easier to find the wool in Denmark thank it is in Scotland. There is a severe lack of wool/yarn shops here. The only shop near where I live, which sells yarns (most of them being Acrylics) is a Sewing Machine repair shop. Odd.

Last year I went to Portugal for a long weekend to the Algarve. Small touristy town. Nice and sunny. And there were three, 3, wool shops there. Three.

I just don't get it. It's a shame really. Last time I bought wool was in Denmark. I hope more wool or yarn shops will show up in Scotland. Would be nice actually.

Instead I have had to get whatever yarn I could find at a reasonable price and quality. I have a lot of Cotton. I like the cotton. It's less itchy.

I am making a lot of stuff in non-wool these days. I have yarn with bamboo, some with silk and even some with milk protein. Milk protein? Really? Yes really. Wonder who came up with the idea of adding milk protein to yarn?

Stuff I have crocheted so far include baby blankets. All my nieces and nephew(s) will have been wrapped in a "Moster Mette" designed baby blanket during their first years. That's really a nice thought I think. I've also created stuffed animals and baby hats. Never really get around to creating anything for me. I made a nice sweater for myself. In really nice thick wool. It took forever to complete and I remember sitting in the garden in August, dying in the heat, crocheting a woolen sweater. It took me months to complete. Only to find that when it was finished the sleeves were ever so slightly too short. And I don't care much for the colour of the wool. Was nice in the skein, but all together like that as a sweater... I'm not so sure about it .

I love making the baby hats though and I am toying with the idea of setting up an etsy shop at some point. Watch this space!

But for now; perhaps I should get back to unravelling that scarf and make something for myself.