Knitting With Handspun

Confession time: I've been spinning yarn faster than I can knit with it (and let's not even talk about yarn purchases), so it's always exciting when I can find a good project to pair with handspun yarn.

I had a ton of Swalesdale wool fiber that I'd hoped to turn into a sweater, but I changed my mind when I started spinning it because it seemed a little too scratchy for next-to-skin wear (plus, it had a ton of kemp and VM). It does, however, make a fabulous knitted pillow, and I thought the natural and the hand dyed green yarn would look great in my living room as an oversized pillow. I used US 17 needles and cast on 40 stitches, knitting each row for a simple garter stitch to make each piece, which I then crocheted together - so easy! I was able to buy a pillow insert on Amazon for less than $10, making this a pretty affordable project.

When I spotted this free pattern from Manos del Uruguay, I wanted to knit it in the called-for yarn (Serpentina), but couldn't get my hands on a skein. Then I remembered the yarn I'd spun with some beautiful Manos Merino and decided to cast on with it instead. This was a super-easy and fast knit, I think I finished this cowl in just a couple of days!

While I love finding projects for my handspun, I have also decided to sell some skeins in my Etsy shop (click here if you want to see what's currently available, and be sure to check back - I'll be adding more soon). Since I can't possibly use all of this yarn myself, I love the idea of each skein finding a loving home where it can be used. If you buy a skein, let me know what you make with it on Instagram by tagging me (@stefaniegrrr) in your post!

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