I recently came into a small stash of Soft Chunky by Wenlan Chia (more on how that happened later) and was trying to find a responsible use for it. I'm not big on super bulky garments - while they're awesome to knit and faaaast, I find they rarely ever get worn, by me at least.
So when the recent CE Webletter dropped, featuring a chunky throw also by Wenlan, also in Soft Chunky, it was wonderful timing! My obsession with handknit blankets is receiving it's regular feeding! [One step closer to my ultimate fantasy of being buried under a mountain of woolie afghans]
Soft Chunky is just that: Really soft. Really chunky. It's a single ply virgin wool - no coarseness at all. It does feel odd knitting with little aluminum broomsticks, but dang if I don't feel like a productive little knitter. Which right now seems miraculous.
The pattern is about as straight-forward as can be - a rectangle of the simplest of all lace patterns, trimmed in garter stitch. It's like a swatch on steroids.
The lace is key - it keeps the weight down and plays up how soft and snuggly this stuff can be. The best part: I'm about half way in and it's already functioning as a blanket while I'm knitting. The photograph above is the "WS" of the fabric, which in this particular pattern I think looks better (so I guess it's the right side for me. Oh so right).
And in other news - check out these cocoon like bats that I received from a friend in Michigan last week.
Texture-philes beware! They're a mix of Romney, Corriedale, Bombyx and Tussah Silk with plenty of tweedy bits for super textured spinning (from Crosspatch Creations) - Hopefully I can squeeze some in soon...
Isn't knitting awesome!?
