The Fibrecrafts Merino wool tops have a long fibre length which means that it can be knitted or crocheted without being spun, to create a thick, dense knitted fabric ideal for making Afghan squares, scarves and hats. If you would like to learn how to knit, please visit our “Knitting, Casting On” page to get started!
The wool tops are delivered to us in big bails which are wound in a continuous length. We try to keep this length intact when bagging the tops into smaller quantities.
In this photograph, the length has been split into 4. 10 stitches have been cast on to 12 mm knitting needles.
The length needs only to be long enough to create a number of stitches as the joins are very simple to achieve.
Leave enough of the tops so that the end of a new length can be overlapped, and at least 2 stitches can be achieved with this doubled length.
The tufts from the ends of the wool top can be snipped off with sharp scissors and the remainder becomes lost in the stitches.
The wool fabric is washable and can be hand washed in cold water to maintain the stitching. Wash with hot water and soap (or in the washing machine) to create a more dense, felted fabric.
The hotter the water and more aggressive the agitation, the more dense the fabric, and therefore shrinkage. We recommend that you test and experiment with your knitted squares before proceeding with large projects.
The Finished Piece
This piece has been knitted using the length split into 6. The tops are more fragile but still knit into a good solid fabric.
