Maker of the Week #1: Madeleine @knit.one.purl.one

Welcome to the new series here at Abbie Knits! Every week, a maker of the week will be featured with the aim of growing our community and celebrating all the lovely crafters who we share our cosy corner of the internet with.

The first maker of the week is Madeleine from @knit.one.purl.one who I’ve had the pleasure of following for some time and along with @maisie.knits, introduced me to the LAD Chunky Merino (for which I will be forever grateful!

I love everything she makes and her work encourages me to try different yarn weights and after seeing her cabled sweater she designed herself, I knew it was something I needed to learn!

Madeleine’s first knitting pattern The Oldenburg Sweater is being released to the world on 03.07.2021 so if you’re looking for a lovely and classic raglan sweater, this could be the perfect project for you! Enjoy getting to know Madeleine, and make sure to give her a follow @knit.one.purl.one ❤

The Oldenburg Sweater - designed by @knit.one.purl.one made with The RE:TREAT yarn by West Yorkshire Spinners.

Hi, I'm Madeleine a knitting obsessed human living in West London, but originally from Wiltshire. By day I'm an accountant, which funds my many evenings of knitting! When I'm not knitting I love to get outside in the countryside for walks, read a good book (oh how I wish I could read AND knit at the same time!) and explore new cities, countries and cultures.

How do you like to craft?

I've tried my hand at most fiber arts going: crochet, weaving, macramé, embroidery, needlepoint, cross stitch and punch needle, but knitting is the one that's really stuck with me since I picked up the needles. I just find it so relaxing once you get into the rhythm of it and love spending hours finding beautiful patterns to knit and deciding which yarn to make them with (I rarely seem to use the suggested one!)

Where did your knitting adventures begin?

Not counting a teddy bear sized scarf my grandma taught me to knit when I was much much younger, my first project was the chunky scarf from Lauren Aston Designs. I had been following her for a while on instagram, just in love with the chunky knits (and her!) and when she launched the beginners scarf kit in April 2018 I snapped one up and gave it a whirl. I was absolutely terrible to start with, it took me at least four attempts to cast on and my tension was all over the place. But I still have and wear the scarf and it just reminds me of how far I've come.

Where do you look for inspiration?

love following loads of different knitters on IG, everyone has such individual and cool styles and there's always elements of people's projects that I love and find inspiring. My most recent jumper was inspired by seeing blue and white striped knits everywhere. The only reason I designed my own pattern for it was because I had some blue yarn already in my stash, but couldn't find an existing pattern that I could use it on and wanted to make.

Favourite ever project?

Do I have to choose?! It's probably a tie between the Clotilde Jumper and the Christmas jumper. Both were challenging pieces where I learnt lots of new techniques. I'm never that scared to try new techniques with knitting as if it goes wrong, it's rarely the end of the world as you can just frog it back (painful but worth it).

Favourite yarn?

It has to be the LAD super chunky merino, it's just so soft and squishy. It was probably all I knitted with for a solid year when I first started, although it means I now have way too many chunky knit jumpers/cardigans (11 at last count), so don't use it as often now!

Favourite accounts?

There are so many, but some that pop to mind are:

@Hive_Kints - she was the one who inspired me to start my knitstagram page
@oshenknits - she has some gorgeous and super original chunky knit patterns
@knitsandbobsbyeve - a mixture of knits and crochets, she seems to be able to make any crochet requests she gets (which really makes me wish I was better at crochet)
@minimalistknitting - for when you feel that your addiction to yarn is getting out of control

Hope you enjoyed the first instalment of this series! If you would like to be featured, please get in touch at abbieknits@gmail.com

Happy crafting,

Abbie xo

Yarn review: Lauren Aston Designs Chunky Merino

Lauren Aston Designs (LAD) merino chunky yarn is my all-time favourite chunky yarn. It’s colourful and soft and Lauren is a knitting queen. I get a fair amount of questions about it so here is my in-depth review which will hopefully answer any questions you have and maybe convince you to give it a go.

The ‘Wool You Be Mine’ Sweater made with chunky merino in Natural White and Poppy (limited edition colour).

Need to know
Price : £13.00 for 200 g (130 m). 4 hanks for £46 (12% off).
Fibre : 100 % merino wool
Needles: 10 -15 mm (I like to use 12 mm).
Colours available : 25
Suitable for felting: Yes

This yarn isn’t plied but is spun and is light and fluffy despite being a chunky yarn. It’s very easy to knit with, even with unhappy hands from all the hand washing. Click here to browse.

Chunky merino in Sage, Bubble, Lilac, Bubblegum and Emerald.

Colours
The super chunky merino is available in 25 colours and they’re all available pretty much most of the time (which can’t be said for We Are Knitters and Wool And The Gang). The photos of the yarn on her website are true to life and the range is excellent. If you sign up to one of the subscription boxes there are secret limited edition colours which you can order anytime so really, the crafting possibilities are endless.
My favourite colours: Mink Blush, Lilac, Sky and Soft Peach.

Texture
The LAD chunky merino is chunky but it is much lighter than other chunky yarns. It’s nice to wear under a coat without feeling like a toddler in a one-piece ski onesie and it’s very soft against your skin. Every person is different but I have very sensitive skin and chronic, persistent eczema and it doesn’t irritate me at all and I can wear it with nothing underneath. It will need de-bobbling with wear but this is the same for any chunky wool based yarn but if you look after it well, it will stay looking lovely for a long time.

The company
In addition to having excellent products and patterns, LAD have really good customer service. They reply to emails pretty quickly (especially current circumstances considering - we’re currently in the third UK lockdown because Covid. If you reading this from far away in the future, be proud of yourself that you made it ❤) and if there are any issues with your order, they keep you updated and are very considerate of you as a customer. The yarn is packaged all with recyclable packaging and it looks beautiful and is very much a gift for yourself.

Recommended projects
If you’re looking for a knit kit using this yarn, I’d recommend the Button (Kn)it Up Cardigan. It’s a really good project for beginners but also a great TV knit for more experienced knitters. An alternative if you just want to purchase the yarn, is the Seaside cardigan which is available for free on this site. It uses simple techniques and 12 mm needles so it’s a great beginners project.

FAQ

How does this yarn wash?
This yarn needs to be hand washed and with a wool friendly detergent. It will take a long time to dry - several days and possibly longer if it’s chilly. I recommend spot washing where possible and if it smells worn to air it out before putting into storage.

How does this yarn wear?
Very well. It behaves like wool does and needs a little extra looking after. This little extra care will ensure your garment will last and this is what slow fashion is really about.

How accurate are the images online?
Very. The colours are exactly how they look online.

What about crocheting?
I’ve tried crocheting a kind of granny square jumper with it and it didn’t work out so well. But I would like to try again. I think perhaps a chunky crochet cardigan so watch this space.

Summary
I love this yarn. The only downside is that the price isn’t that accessible but considering it’s 100 % merino, you couldn’t shop-buy a knit for £46 (4 hanks are needed for a cardigan) made of the same fibre. I have no criticisms of it and in my opinion, it’s the best chunky yarn out there.

Other makers’ projects

Left - right - @maisieknitsx in the dreamy cardigan @knit.one.purl.one in her own design in and @_abbycreates in her brioche scarf and rainbow cardigan.

Note: All opinions my own, I’m in no way affiliated with Lauren Aston Designs - I’m just a huge fan girl.