Skip to content
Annie's Recovery & Knitting Blog
Menu
  • ModeKnit Yarn
  • Books
    • Confessions of a Knitting Heretic
    • Knitting Millinery
    • Flip Knits
    • Knit With Courage, Live With Hope
  • Lymphoma Blog
Menu

Furthering My Education

Posted on October 11, 2012October 11, 2012 by Annie

Pure Wool: A Guide to Using Single-Breed Yarns is not a typically beautiful book.

Some books are like girls who are all dressed up for the London season, curled and powdered and full of frills and gorgeous glossy pictures. They sit poised to pounce on any titled gent who attends the ball, and they get their share of the attention.

Sue Blacker’s Pure Wool is like the country lass who stays home, away from the ball, caring for the farm with a strong back and a healthy beauty.

There is nothing glossy about this book, but that is fitting. Wool is not a glittery fiber, it deserves a solid, hearty book.

INFORMATION RICH

The images are lovely, but the soul of this book is the rich bounty of information about breeds of yarn – presented in an easily manageable manner – so that even a non-spinner, non-sheep savvy person like myself can feel better educated.

I knit, I design and I write. And I crochet (simmer down..) But I don’t spin. I have serious asthma, and the few times I’ve been around a spinning wheel for an extended period led to a prolonged asthma attack, so I steer clear of flying fibers.

Without the intimate, tactile connection with fleece that my spinning sisters have, I feel as though I’m a piker when talking about different types of sheep. I know the basic facts about different breeds, but I lacked a connection between my knitting and my knowledge.  Pure Wool is a book that I will be using to bridge that gap.

I tend to get overwhelmed with wool “encyclopedias”, or maybe I’m just lazy.  They’re excellent for reference, and I am glad to have all that information at my fingertips, but they don’t speak to me personally as a volume with which to curl up in bed and spend a chilly afternoon.

The information in Pure Wool is presented in a way that makes it clear and complete without being overwhelming.

I especially love the tables in the back of the book allowing a knitter to match a yarn to a pattern, determine which fibers would dye best, and obtaining a better understanding of specific breed’s wool characteristics and yarn qualities.

The patterns are hearty and satisfying, laid out like a kitchen table laden with a huge, delicious country breakfast. I can see the garments in Pure Wool becoming perennial favorites among knitters of all levels, they’re good, basic, beautiful garments.  Nothing flashy, just comfortable.

Like wool.

WIN THE BOOK

So would you like a copy of this very useful and very beautiful book?  Leave a comment telling me what your favorite fiber is.  It doesn’t have to be wool – it doesn’t even have to be natural – I’ll make the selection of the winner at random.  If you’ve won lately I’ll pass over your name when drawing the winner, but I’d still love to hear about your favorite fiber!

The images shown on this page are from Sue Blacker’s website.

Share this:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • More
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)

88 thoughts on “Furthering My Education”

Comments navigation

Older comments
  1. Ingrid says:
    October 12, 2012 at 8:11 am

    I have two favorite fibers which I spin preferably in combination
    Baby alpaca and Blue Faced Leicester

    Reply
  2. Chris says:
    October 12, 2012 at 8:35 am

    Narrow it down to just one? That is hard but I do love Blue Faced Leicester for socks.

    Reply
  3. kayT says:
    October 12, 2012 at 10:23 am

    I love alpaca but I’m not a spinner. I did take a spindle spinning class and liked spinning merino but I love knitting with alpaca and wish (not really) that I lived in a cold place so I could wear alpaca sweaters.

    That book looks wonderful.

    Reply
  4. Christine says:
    October 12, 2012 at 10:46 am

    I guess wool, maybe mixed with some alpaca.

    Reply
  5. Taryn Kormanik says:
    October 12, 2012 at 10:58 am

    I think Shetland sheep lamb’s wool is my favorite so far…

    Reply
  6. Robin F. says:
    October 12, 2012 at 11:43 am

    I love alpaca. mixed with wool and/or silk. I just got my first spinning wheel and need this book. I asked my library to purchase it, hopefully they will. Or I hope to win it here. Thanks for the info.

    Reply
  7. Melissa says:
    October 12, 2012 at 1:33 pm

    I might be a touch heretical, but I like superwash wool. You get most of the good parts about wool, without the care issues that turn so many recipients off.

    Reply
  8. KathleenC says:
    October 12, 2012 at 3:34 pm

    My favorite fiber in any form is silk. I love the shine, drape, the feel… I even don’t mind the smell! I like it in it’s smooth glossy form and in it’s nubby noil form. I like it as fabric and as yarn.
    I don’t love how much it costs… but, oh well! Beauty is sometimes worth it! It’s why I save my pennies to buy art (direct from the artist when I can).

    Reply
  9. Susan says:
    October 12, 2012 at 4:51 pm

    Depends on the item, but wool, for me – haven’t settled on one favorite, both the wearing and the knitting. Merino blended with silk is the fave among my non-knitter family. I just didn’t tell ’em about last year’s opossum, which could be a outright fave for me, when I get around to actually knitting something for “moi”. Reallllly, Annie, just “one favorite” ? 😉

    Reply
  10. Nancy says:
    October 12, 2012 at 5:57 pm

    Wool is always my favorite, but silk is a close second!

    Reply
  11. Brenda Cunningham says:
    October 12, 2012 at 8:07 pm

    My favorite is merino wool. I love how soft it is!

    Reply
  12. Kathryn Moser says:
    October 13, 2012 at 6:19 am

    Favorite gotta be wool with cashmere or wool with silk or superwash wool or wool with alpaca or wool with cotton or wool with (uh) wool! Nothing knits up like wool!

    Reply
  13. LaurenS says:
    October 13, 2012 at 7:49 am

    Wool is my vote – I’ve tried all the others, spun just about everything from qiviut to dryer lint, but there’s nothing like warm, insulating, springy, easy to work with, wool!

    Now in the wool family … hmmm … I do like a Lincoln or a Border Leicester … or a Shetland … nah, that’s too hard to narrow down.

    Reply
  14. Anne Ormsby says:
    October 13, 2012 at 9:34 am

    I think my favorite go-to yarn is a wool blend. I can make anything with it; and know the recipient does not have to worry about washing and drying and wearing.

    Reply
  15. Nancy says:
    October 13, 2012 at 3:58 pm

    I love wool of almost every variety, and I’d love to learn enough about different sheep breeds to have a favorite among them.

    Reply
  16. Michelle says:
    October 13, 2012 at 7:45 pm

    Absolutely, one hundred percent wool!

    Reply
  17. Tara says:
    October 13, 2012 at 9:22 pm

    I love the idea of wool, but it seems I have the same sensitive skin as my mom and most types of wool cause me to break out. Favorite fibre has become Alpaca!

    Reply
  18. Cate says:
    October 14, 2012 at 6:41 am

    I’m most definitely a wool girl, though I’m always happy to knit with a wool/silk blend. This book looks to be right up my alley and will probably go on my Amazon “to buy” list if my name isn’t drawn.
    — Cate

    Reply
  19. Cherilyn says:
    October 14, 2012 at 8:15 am

    Wool is my favorite whether it’s in blends like sock yarn (75%/25%) or on its own for cozy warmth. Totally worth the time for careful washing. Sue’s patterns look so knitable! It would be fun to discover the characteristics of the the wool from the breeds available today.
    Thanks for the draw.

    Reply
  20. Amie F says:
    October 14, 2012 at 8:59 am

    I love wool. I especially love yarns that still have a bit of a sheepy smell. My friends and family think I am insane because they seem only to care about softness.

    Reply
  21. Debbie H says:
    October 14, 2012 at 2:31 pm

    My fav fiber is wool. thanks for the giveaway – it looks like a great book.

    Reply
  22. cinderellen says:
    October 14, 2012 at 3:29 pm

    My go-to fiber is wool, but I love alpaca for its drape and warmth. My budget would prefer I stick to wool. 🙁

    Reply
  23. Sarah Jeanne says:
    October 14, 2012 at 4:12 pm

    My favorite fiber to spin is Blue Faced Leicester. My favorite fiber to knit is Finnish wool, in the grease. My favorite fiber to find in a thrift store is undoubtedly cashmere – bless those who know not what they donate! 🙂 Even if I don’t win the book, I learned that there are many others who love BFL above all else, and that makes me happy. They’re a happy sort of sheep.

    Reply
  24. Susan aka paintmom says:
    October 14, 2012 at 7:36 pm

    I love merino! Though silk would be a close second. I do NOT care for cotton, as it makes my hands hurt.

    Reply
  25. LissaG says:
    October 14, 2012 at 11:48 pm

    This looks like a great book and I love wool, especially a hearty BFL… But I also can’t resist cashmere, who can?

    Reply
  26. Janet says:
    October 15, 2012 at 4:42 am

    My favorite fiber is wool, in all its many incarnations. The elasticity of it and the warmth of it just satisfy my fingers as they work.

    Reply
  27. Kandace says:
    October 15, 2012 at 8:50 am

    I love wool, whether it’s hardy Icelandic or soft fuzzy merino. Recently I’ve been knitting some cotton dishcloths as gifts and after a week of that I picked up a wool scarf-in-progress and sighed out loud with relief at how nice it felt!

    Reply
  28. Donna says:
    October 15, 2012 at 9:32 am

    Depends on the project, but usually a blend that is heavy on the wool with a bit of silk, cashmere, and/or alpaca, floats my boat. I love the shine, drape and softness other components can add, but there’s nothing like wool for memory, spring, stitch definition and just joy in knitting. I find myself going back to it when I want an enjoyable knit.

    I’m not a spinner either–have a bit of an asthma problem too–but I still like to understand as much as I can about the different breeds and choices in yarn.

    Reply
  29. Rebecca M. says:
    October 15, 2012 at 10:25 am

    My favorite fiber to knit and crochet with is alpaca . . . but my favorite fiber to spin with is silk! (You might want to try spinning silk hankies, Annie — they’re stickier than other fibers, so there’s far less flying fiber. I spin mine on a drop spindle.)

    Reply
  30. victoria says:
    October 15, 2012 at 11:38 am

    I am a silk junkie!

    Reply
  31. Marjorie says:
    October 15, 2012 at 1:08 pm

    I love knitting with silk and silk blends. So many of my extended family live in hot locations, so silk is better for gifting! I love spinning with wool, however.

    Reply
  32. Donna says:
    October 15, 2012 at 2:34 pm

    I’m not a spinner either but I have a couple of spindles (I won some gorgeous roving – merino/tencel in a gorgeous sky blue). I mostly knit small things: socks (always), hats, baby things. And I greatly prefer fingering yarn. I LOVE wool blends – bamboo wool is fantastic for year round socks & so is wool tencel. Both are very soft & take color well. The bamboo & tencel both make for less warm socks that can be worn pretty much year round.

    Reply
  33. Kay says:
    October 15, 2012 at 3:38 pm

    Sounds like an amazing book and the pictures are gorgeous. I’m a knitter not a spinner and reading about why you’re not a spinner, I probably will never be one either. But as a knitter I am a huge fan of wool, although my partner and I do have a thing about hunting down alpaca farms and I do have to get a trophy from those successes *g*

    Reply
  34. Barb Moff says:
    October 15, 2012 at 7:39 pm

    I love alpaca. I do cotton a lot also.

    Reply
  35. Terrie says:
    October 16, 2012 at 9:47 am

    Long staple wool. I am a worsted girl who likes it smooth, controlled, and somewhat shiny. Yea, I know, boring… Thanks for the chance to win this book!

    Reply
  36. Susan says:
    October 16, 2012 at 1:59 pm

    I don’t spin yet (though I received two supported spindles last Christmas, so it’s time), but I have a bit of Icelandic wool that I’m eager to try. And as for knitting, I love a nice sild and merino blend. Soft, warm, smooth — just yummy!

    Reply
  37. Laura says:
    October 16, 2012 at 5:47 pm

    I love squishy soft medium weight wools like merino. But also appreciate many different fibers depending on what I am working on (how can you pick just one 🙂 )

    Reply

Comments navigation

Older comments

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Knit With Me?

Buy Split Cable Wimple Pattern Now Via Paypal for $5.00

Be a NUN - or just look like one! In all honesty, the pattern is NOT well reviewed (there's only one 2-star review...) but it's always been one of my favorites.

Search This Blog

Previous Posts

  • New Chemo
  • Color Me…
  • Detour
  • Anti Climax
  • Cancer Dancer
  • Hope
  • Catching Up
  • New Wheels!
  • Two Weeks At Home

Follow me on Twitter

My Tweets
©2021 Annie's Recovery & Knitting Blog | Built using WordPress and Responsive Blogily theme by Superb
loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.