Discover one of the rarest wools.
Why does the Tweedy only appear sporadically throughout the year?
AND only in a few stores around the world?
Does it come from an almost mythical animal? Or a sheep shorn every leap year? No and no. The Tweedy is rare following a meticulous act of love (think of the "Ideal Palace" of the Horseman. A work built by one man with stones gleaned on the way: a little nod to the Horseman ).
All this can be summed up in one word: RECYCLING or, how to give a second life. In the case of Beata Jezek, creator of the Hedgehog brand, the recycling started with the small yarns that wrap around the skeins during the dyeing process.
These wool knots prevent the skein from getting tangled in the dye vats. It is important that they are made of wool, so they also take the dye and do not leave a white line on the skein.
Out, who knows (or does not know?) Hedgehog yarns. They are recognized for their joyful palettes, flirting with neon, gourmet colors, psychedelic but also wiser mixtures.
Whether it's an almost Bollywood explosion or a cameo of pastels, the result is always controlled and the fingers quiver with anticipation.
Parenthesis : I have never suffered from the famous "second sock syndrome" when knitting wool with Hedgehog stockings! But, that's another story we'll talk about...this summer; )
I will sum up by quoting the mission Beata has given herself: To make the best wool in the world .
In short, here is the dyeing team of Hedgehog who recover one by one each little piece of colored yarn and put them aside for the day when ... A spinning mill would agree to mix them with a wool base.
Challenge met, a spinning mill embarks on this somewhat crazy project and here is the Tweedy which is born: a composition of 12.5% of multicolored wool ends , 37.5% of wool recycled from Hedgehog customers and, icing on the sundae: 50% of wool from the Falkland Islands (to discover this very special wool, I refer you to my blog article: Falkland Wool, in the kingdom of sheep and penguins ).
The Tweedy comes in just two colors: a grey/beige base and a black base.
Photo credit: Hedgehog Fibers
So why is it so hard to get your hands on a skein of Tweedy?
Let's say that recovering enough small knots of wool takes a little longer than putting a sheep under the mower ( record of 4 mm to mow a sheep won by an Australian... )... And the population of sheep of the Falkland Islands must share the territory with these famous penguins, which, as adorable as these waterfowl are, do not produce much in terms of knitting yarn.
So production happens very sporadically throughout the year and is restricted to a few stores around the world. I'm very proud that the Maison Tricotée was chosen even if it's a little bit "Tantalian". Yes, the desire to keep them all to myself has crossed my mind, let's say, since I opened the box. We are limited to 50 skeins only in the 2 colors...
For more information on yardage and recommended needles, here is the link to the Tweedy: online store .
And, if you had a lucky hand and those skeins are yours, what to do with them?
Carolie showed me Sari Nordlund's awesome pattern: the Sawyer
Photo credit : Sari Nordlund
I'm also thinking, of course, of Andrea Mowry's Beach Cardigan . I've also seen it in black on Ravelry projects and it's superb!
Photo credit : Andrea Mowry
Or the Pink Fizz of this same designer
A small important note to avoid frustration : do not play "yarn chicken" with this yarn because you could wait a little "end" before getting your hands on a skein. Make sure you have enough to complete your project!
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I hope you have enjoyed this article. Do not hesitate to send me your comments! Warm regards, Celine