October Spotlight: Knitting Romney wool with Abbie Knits
Updated: Oct 9
This month we want to show you how Romney wool catches colours in stranded colour work. We have Romney wool from Blacker Yarn paired with Tin Can Cosy series by AbbieKnits, including ear warmer kit and a sweater pattern.
Overview
Cornish Romney Wool: A worsted-spun yarn with a fine handle and crisp stitch definition—perfect for keeping out the British autumn chill.
Tin Can Cosy Ear Warmer Kit (£15): The ideal project for colourwork beginners. Quick to knit and complete with a charming fish motif, it includes everything you need for a cozy accessory.
Romney Sample Kit (£8): Want to test the gauge and feel the texture first? Our 4-colour sample kit is perfect for swatching or intarsia bobbins.
Tin Can Cosy Sweater: Ready to scale up? Use the same familiar fish motif across the yoke for a striking, wind-resistant sweater (or lengthen it into a cozy cape!).
Yarn Spec
Weight: 5 ply
Skein Length: 232cm /100g
Tension: 30sts / 40 rows (using 2.25mm needle)
Finish: Worsted
Handle: Fine
This yarn is made from Romney sheep, coming from Bodrugan Barton Farm, Mevagissey, Cornwall.
The worsted spinning creates a crisp and lean yarn with excellent stitch definition for fancy textured guernsey designs but also helps soften the handle of the local wool whatever breed it is from. -- Blacker Yarn
Romney’s lofty, slightly rustic fibre gives colourwork a soft halo, while the cream fish still stands out boldly against the deep burgundy
Learning Stranded colourwork through Tin Can Cosy Ear Warmer kit
If you are starting to knit stranded colourwork the Tin Can Cosy Ear Warmer is the best starter. It has a simple fish motif and you knit the fish one by one either with duplicated stitch or stranded colourwork.
The kit has two colour options:
Main colour Navy, Contrast Colour Grey
Main Colour Burgundy, Contrast Colour Cream
Each kit comes with Main colour in 50g skein and contrast colour in 10g ball, pattern delivered via email upon purchase. The yarn is secured with extra ties so you just need to snip the tie and unwind.
This kit is the perfect start for a colourwork beginner, I knitted mine in one night, although I missed most of the TV while following the chart. It's quick and rewarding, and so chic to wear on a foggy morning!
Yarn Sample Kit
If you prefer having smaller portion, there's also the yarn sample kit available for £8.
It contains 4 colours (navy, cream, burgundy and grey). You can swatch it and feel the wool, or you can use it as an intarsia bobbin. Additionally, you can use it to swatch a mini fish, like I did.
Tin Can Cosy Sweater
And finally, if you enjoyed the yarn, why not knit the Tin Can Cosy Sweater that is made for this yarn? It's the same fish motif you are familiar with, and it will be a whizz before you realise you have finished the yoke!
It is recommended that you knit a gauge swatch of the colour work prior to casting on. This is because commonly, knitters are required to go up 1 or 2 needle sizes (in this project up to 4.5 mm or 5 mm) to maintain a consistent gauge whilst knitting colour work.
My personal preference on this sweater is, as the yarn is so wind resistant, you can finish the yoke, and extend the length a bit, and make it into a cape!
Gauge: 20 sts and 26 rows to 10 cm on 4 mm needles,
Sizes XS to 5XL.
You’ll need roughly 4 skeins for an XS and up to 9 for a 5XL, including the contrast colour.
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