Fine Finishing — The Joy of Wool

Wool has long been one of my favorite fibers.  In fact, I am sure that wool is what knitting was designed for way back when it was invented.  Maybe I have always had a place in my heart for wool since by the time I was born, the only animals on my grandparents farm was a small herd of sheep (used for keeping the grass down).  Regardless of why I like, you would have to agree that wool and knitting were meant to go together.

As a knitter, one of the main reasons that I like wool is specifically related to the finishing of a project.  If your tension is not “spot on”, often a bit of blocking will even the stitches out.  If the finished project is a bit too big (like my jacket), then you can full it a little to shrink away 2″ – 4″.  You may need to make some adjustments (like I am not happy with the button band at this point), but it fits much closer to the way I want it without having to re-knit the whole thing.

Or you can do a true felting like is done on the mittens, making the fabric practically water proof.  I didn’t go quite that far with these mittens, since they are samples and lots of people will want to try them on.  But I would for my own pair!

I often say that some of the most important finishing choices are made at the beginning of the project.  And the selection of the fiber, is definitely one of them. BAA BAA BAA!!!