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I lived in Montréal for ten years, and one of the most fun things about learning French was figuring out all manner of knitting terms so I could follow French patterns! Well, I was proud of those French lessons when I opened this month’s KnitCrate and saw a gorgeous marled yarn perfectly named “La Brebis Fluffy Wool”.



‘Ewe’ know you want to know what that means! Yes, a ‘Brebis’ is a female sheep, or ewe, in French. This new yarn line is all about celebrating natural and raw fibers. To get its characteristic marbling, Fluffy Wool combines undyed wool from sheep of different coat colors into a bulky, 1-ply yarn.



It’s not only the color that makes the yarn special, but also the way the yarn is spun. A slight over-spinning creates occasional little curls that are reminiscent of the long luscious locks on certain sheep breeds!

TIP 1: Learn how to splice yarn of any ply number, invisibly.

I got to thinking about knitting with bulky 1-ply yarns such as this one and knew there was one ESSENTIAL tip for those of you knitting with it: so-called “spit” splicing. Bulky yarn skeins always have short yardages, and 1-ply yarns of any weight can break occasionally. By becoming an expert in this technique you will eliminate most of the ends you have to weave in for your project!

And don’t worry – in my video I show you how to do it with any liquid you like (yeah, you read right! You can even use that white wine you love during knit night!)



TIP 2: Learn how to cast-on 1 stitch and make an earflap.

The knitting pattern in this month’s KnitCrate by Emily Johannes is an item that any Mainer (like me) needs: an earflap hat. Obviously, I like earflap hats to cover my ears against -10F – but don’t forget that you can also tie the earflaps above your head for a cool, rugged look!

To make most earflap hats, you knit 2 earflaps and then link them together by casting-on stitches for the hat body. Easy enough to say – but earflaps (and other types of steadily increasing designs) do have a rather unorthodox beginning: CAST ON 1 ST.

How do you cast-on 1 stitch and then increase neatly?! I have two methods for you, as well another tip to make sure that your earflaps are symmetrical when you start making that hat body.

TIP 3: Learn how to braid with any number of strands.

An earflap hat doesn’t work if you don’t have braids. They actually serve 2 purposes. Obviously, they give you an extra defense against the wind when you need it, but they also weigh down the earflaps so that you don’t risk flying away!

This hat uses 3 strands to make a braid, but if you have extra yarn, maybe you’d like to make a chunkier one. Or you can be like me, and use a scrap of any weight yarn for a funkier braid! In this video, I show you how to braid with any odd-number of strands.

I hope you loved these tips, comment below if there is anything you wish i would show you or even just to say hi!

Until next time!

With love,

- Dayana Knits

If you want to try a KnitCrate with me, visit the KnitCrate website and use coupon code “DK20” for 20% off!

And for other tips and tricks, you can follow Dayana Knits any way you like:

Blog: www.dayanaknits.com

Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/DayanaKnits

Ravelry: www.ravelry.com/people/DayanaKnits

Instagram: www.instagram.com/dayanaknits