Saturday, December 31, 2022

result

On Christmas night, I took a project off the needles. I can only knit in short sessions these days - no handknitting marathons in the foreseeable future - so this second Hansel Hap has been in the works all Autumn.



Before washing and blocking, I couldn't resist taking one picture of the hap in all it's rumpled disarray:


In case it looks slightly familiar, this is the second version of the hap I made for my Occasional Helper and his wife when they were expecting their first baby. You can probably guess why I made this one!

The wool was all ordered from Jamieson and Smith in Shetland again, and this time I bought the main color on a single cone instead of in multiple hanks or skeins. It's slightly more economical that way, plus saves a lot of splicing. Yarn on a cone still holds some of the oil used in processing, and I wondered if it would affect my tension, especially in a project combining oiled and washed yarns. I considered winding off the amount needed for the hap, making a hank, and washing it before knitting with it, but was told it shouldn't be necessary. And I actually forgot all about the oil until just before washing the hap, but then I remembered and it's a good thing, because it might have been a bit of a shock when, after an hour-long soak, the wash water looked like this:


Downright murky!
It took three rinses before the water was clear:


Then the hap was gently rolled up in a big towel and Moxie and I pressed as much water out of the yarn as possible before beginning the blocking process. Blocking a blanket is a lot of gentle stretching and flattening and pinning. 

First this side...


then that side...


then around a corner...


and around and around and around.

Until what initially seems like an acre of unmanageable stretchy wet wool

becomes an orderly four-foot square.


It's quite satisfying when done, but the blocker may need a little lie-down.


~~~~~

12 comments:

  1. So beautiful. Thank you for sharing the wash water; I'd have been startled too!

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    1. I gasped aloud! The water had been clear when I went out to do morning chores, and looked like THAT when I came back in! :)

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  2. My goodness - I would have had a definite attack of the vapours if I saw that wash water!! That design is spectacular and you've created a work of art for some lucky someone.
    (Happy New Year!)

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    1. Right?! For a split second I thought a lot of dye had bled, but then remembered the yarn is all natural colors, with no dye at all. Yikes!

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  3. It is beautiful! Such very nice work.

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    1. Thank you so much :) It's one of those patterns that isn't hard at all, as long as you pay attention. Which I learned the hard way ;)

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  4. Oh, that is a beautiful shawl. Blocking is certainly a process. I have never blocked anything crocheted but am going to use a starch mixture to stiffen some small projects that could use a little help retaining their shape. Lovely photos in your post. Glad to see you back and hope we'll have more visits in this new year. Happy 2023!

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    1. I'm very glad we are both back, Tammy! Here's to a wonderful and creative year ahead :)

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  5. Quinn, that is amazing! What beautiful work. I have never heard the term "hap" before. Will have to look it up. Happy new year, my friend!

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    1. Thank you very much and happy new year to you and Larry also! I think "hap" may be a Shetland term, but if you find it elsewhere, please let me know :)

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  6. Happy New Year, Quinn, and health and joy to you and your four-footed family. What a beautiful hap! I recall the first one you made, and suspect this is for another 'happy occasion'? My goodness, that is a lot of intricate handwork.

    Chris from Boise

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    1. Thank you, Chris - and all the same good wishes heading East to West right back to you and Mike! The pattern is one of those gems that makes every knitter look like a better knitter ;) And yes, if my Occasional Helper and his wife decide to go for three, we'll have to see what other undyed Shetland wool options can be added to the mix! :)

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