The Magallanes Has Spoken

Thank you all for your generous comments about Hayley and her new sweater. The sweater went to school today, and when Hayley came home, I asked if she had received compliments. "Tons!" She exclaimed, "They loved the buttons!"

As I was finishing up the last details on said Buttony-Sweater, a skein of Araucania Magallanes politely inquired if I might be inclined to roll it into a ball and maybe think about swatching, if I didn't have anything better to do. Once I had it in a ball, it waited until after dinner and then mentioned that what it had always wanted to be, even whilst on the back of a sheep, was a Wool Peddlar's Shawl. You know the one from the Cheryl Oberle book?



That's not a bad idea, I thought, especially since I've been wanting to make a Wool Peddlar's Shawl for several months. I told the Magallanes that we would see how it performed in a simple garter stitch pattern, and that if all went well, we could just keep on going.



As it turns out, the yarn seemed to know exactly what it was meant to be because we are both enjoying the experience tremendously. Now don't get too excited about this triangle. It is really quite a small triange with delusions of grandeur. But it's going places. Oh yes it is.



The first three photos show the colour reasonably accurately. This is colour 303, a mix of greens that ranges from deep, almost black, bluey-green, down to pale buff/grey tones with shades of sage and dried grass in between. Magallanes is spun thick 'n thin, and the thick and thin sections repeat regularly, about every eight to ten inches. At its thinnest, it's sport weight, at its thickest heavy worsted. I'm working with a 5mm needle, and I like the fabric I'm getting. I've included this last photo, taken in sunlight because I think it gives the best picture of the texture. Don't forget you can click on all photos to enlarge them.



The yarn is a pleasure to knit, even in a repetitive stitch like garter because the colour and thickness is always changing. The fabric is visually and texturally interesting to watch, even while knitting. It puts me in mind of marsh grasses.

And how does it feel? Well it's not decadently soft like merino. It reminds me of Noro Kureyon, but it's much nicer on the hands than Kureyon. I wound a 100g/240yd skein into a ball and found no twigs (ok, one twig) and no knots. The yarn feels wooly and hairy but does not scratch my hands like Kureyon does. It's rustic without being annoying. I have a feeling I'm going to miss knitting it when it is all gone. I've heard this stuff felts well, and I can believe it. Spit-splicing will be a breeze. I suspect it will soften a bit in the wash, but I don't expect to wear this one against bare skin.