I’m actually writing this post 10 months after finishing it! I realised I’d forgotten to do an FO post for it. When I finished it I wasn’t loving it but now we have just had some really cold months I can definitely say I love it. It is incredibly warm, easy to wear and snug around my neck and can be pulled over my face. It has been my go to scarf when the temperature is <3°C, so it deserves an FO post…better late than never.
Details
Pattern:
Void by Melanie Berg
Yarn:
Rowan Lima yarn (84% alpaca, 8% merino and 8% nylon) in the colour Guatemala. 110m/50g Worsted weight. Chained yarn.
Cost:
Pattern: €6.60 incl VAT which was £6.18 at the time.
Yarn: I paid £3 for 6 x 50g balls and this used 5.5 balls! The yarn was bought at a de-stash sale and what a bargain!
Total (excluding labour): £9.18.
Timeline:
Started – 19th December 2018
Finished – 3rd April 2020
Pattern summary
I learned some new stitches and I would say this isn’t a pattern for beginners, but ones with a little more experience.
This was a real love/hate project. The chained fluffy yarn was not ideal for the tricky stitches required in the pattern. Perhaps in another yarn it would have been more enjoyable an experience to knit. The rows were so enormous and I kept losing the will. Just when I was thinking of finishing it early and jumping to the garter stitch section I counted my stitches and found I had actually knitted more repeats than was needed!!! So I had 425 stitches on the row when I stated the garter section.
I forgot to change needle size for the cast off but it has been fine and not tight.
The pattern gives the option of doing a yarn over which you then drop stitch on each row and I would say this shouldn’t be optional, it is absolutely needed otherwise it is too tight and pulls in.
I didn’t get the full width or depth that the pattern schematic showed which is weird since I knit more repeats, but perhaps I didn’t do a gauge swatch.
Yarn Summary
This yarn is discontinued. It has a chained construction so not the easiest to knit with but very incredibly warm and soft. I’m saying it isn’t easy to knit with but I’m about to start a cardigan with almost identical yarn but DK weight! It’s incredibly warm and soft though.
Photo Gallery
On my blog I have added to the menu “FO Review” as a way of easily finding similar reviews I have done on finished objects.
HighlandHeffalump 
You look so snug in a purple void! I love your coat, too.
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I just ripped that coat on a nail the other day so need to try to mend it…doh! It comes down to my knees and is the warmest one I own that still fits lol
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It does look nice and warm. Too had the yarn was not a pleasure to work with.
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That looks very warm and cozy! After this latest blast, I may just have to knit up a scarf. I have several wool fabric ones but nothing think and knitted. Yours looks so warm, I am inspired!
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I recommend alpaca for warmth, the hat is also alpaca that I’m wearing and by far my warmest hat.
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Thanks for the tip!
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I guess the warmth of the chained yarn is the trade-off for the difficulty in knitting it. Never having tried this type of yarn construction, can you offer any suggestions in working it?
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The stitches I found most difficult were the LT2 and RT2 (left and right twist), so I’d say avoid using it on a pattern like that. There is less give in it than normal wool so a challenge.
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It looks and sounds amazing but I don’t think I’d attempt it based on your struggles. Glad it’s been keeping you warm and cozy!
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That is so pretty on you. It compliments a lot of your outerwear, too!
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It is so pretty and looks very warm and cozy 🙂 Sorry it was a pain to knit, but at least the result is a good one!
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[…] I have cast on Fine Sand by Heidi Kirrmaier, using Rowan Alpaca Merino DK yarn which comes in 25g balls. I have 10 balls…this is going to be interesting if I manage to get a cardigan out of 250g! The maths say I’m 50 metres short…time will tell whether this is achievable or this will end up as a shrug! It has a weird yarn construction, like the Rowan Lima yarn I used for Void. […]
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The color is so nice and rich, And anything warm at this point would be good. Here it is almost mid March and we’re still at 12°F – On Cape Cod! I’m using all my sweaters and scarves and cowls. Good for you!
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[…] Rowan Alpaca Merino DK (83% alpaca, 7% merino and 10% nylon). Colour is 114 Walton (I’d call it charcoal grey). It has a chained construction like Rowan Lima yarn I used on Void). […]
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[…] try making a crescent shaped homespun DK version if I can work out how to. I love the shape of my Void shawl, but the slipped stitch pattern of […]
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[…] together they give a really heathered look and I think the hat will go really well with my Void shawl which is also […]
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