Working with Linen

linen_handtowel2.jpg
Originally uploaded by Lynn1144.

The Mason Dixon Knitting book has a lot of patterns that call for linen yarn. I was interested in this, as I like linen as a fiber a lot, but I had never knitted with it. I have used hemp for a baby sweater, and I had heard that it has similar qualities to linen. Both yarns start of stiff, especially if they are dyed, and both soften up a lot after a few washings. I can say that the hemp softened more as I worked with it by knitting it, and the linen softened up more after one washing. Linen looks very thin and holey as a fabric when you first knit it - I wasn't sure my Moss Grid "hand towel" was going to look anything like an actual hand towel at first! But, after washing it once and putting it in the dryer, it filled out and softened up significantly. I wish now I had done a before and after shot. But here is the after shot at least.

It was a great pattern to use to get used to the linen yarn. It only takes one skein, so it's less commitment (and at the price, I wanted lower commitment for my first project.) I used what the pattern called for, Louet Sales Euroflax sport weight linen yarn, in Jungle Green (I think). I also bought some blue, so I can make one for myself... after I finish the rest of the ballband washcloths I'm going to make...