Just arrived – Knoll Kilcarra Tweed

I taught myself to knit. When Nicola left for university I took over from her as Saturday girl in the village wool shop. I had never had so much money before.

Having mastered the basics of knitting my first attempt was a cabled jumper, how hard could that be? Having answered that question I progressed to fancy yarns and Emu Butterfly, a multicoloured mohair, this was the 80’s – nice colours but unpicking mohair was soul destroying and then Snowball, a super chunky – the pattern had a hand warmer pocket and garter stitch panels and I discovered the truth that just because you can knit the pattern it doesn’t mean you’ll look like the model.
Then finally it all came together with a trip to the local town and Rowan. A stocking stitch jumper in a tweedy, aran weight yarn with no fancy stitches (I think there was a pocket but I left it out, I’d learned that lesson). I wore that jumper to death.
So, at last, I come to the point of these ramblings, when I saw Knoll Kilcarra Tweed I had to have it. It’s the perfect beginners yarn, tweedy so you don’t need any fancy stitches, aran weight so it knits up quite quickly, and as a single ply with a light halo and nubs of colour, mistakes can blend in.

From left to right: Fintown, Ederny and Ardara

From Donegal it’s meant to be reminiscent of homespun yarn, obviously not any yarn that I’ve ever managed to spin, but it has a slight thick-thin thing going on and when washed it softens and fluffs up. It might still be a bit itchy to wear next to the skin for some but over a top it’d be lovely and warm and because it’s woollen spun it’s a light, airy fabric.

Best of all are the colours.

From left to right: Dunglow, Derrybeg and Bundoran on Greencastle

I’m in love with Raphoe

Derrybeg and Raphoe

And if you’re not a beginner then it would be fantastic for cable work, it’s not so multicoloured that patterns would get lost.