Saturday, 23 December 2017

Devonia Review + FREE Simple Rib Cowl or Scarf Pattern

Devonia is a blend of three local Devon breeds of sheep - 50% Exmoor Blueface, 30% Devon Bluefaced Leicester and 20% Devon Wensleydale. John Arbon Textiles, its creator, sent A Woolly Yarn two DK skeins to review - all views are our own.

Firstly, Devonia gets a big tick for being 100% British wool and using local sheep breeds. The skein feels soft to the touch and yet has enough springy toughness in it to be a workhorse yarn, lasting a long time and keeping the wearer warm. The wool has a slight halo and an attractive slight variation in colour as you knit it up.

I created a simple pattern (see below) to test Devonia out. It knits up easily with no splitting and there was no colour transfer. People with sensitive skin may not want to wear it directly next to their skin but it's certainly soft enough for me to wear as a cowl against the neck - perfect for this cold winter weather!

Juliet Arbon explained that the colour inspiration came about after a visit to an exhibition in France of the renowned tapestry artist Jean Lurcat. Apart from the cream and grey shades the colours are all warm and bright - nothing muted here.

All in all Devonia is a pleasure to knit with and I love the retro design of the skein band.




Devonia DK costs £15 per 100g skein plus P&P when ordered directly from John Arbon textiles. There are 14 shades in both DK and 4ply to choose from.

Simple Rib Cowl or Scarf Pattern




As you can see from the photo the rib in this pattern works well with the stitch definition and slight haze of Devonia. One 100g ball creates a snug cowl when wrapped around the neck twice. For a scarf or a looser cowl you will need two balls.

With 5mm needles cast on 50 stitches.

Row 1:*  K2, P2 - repeat * until the end of the row.
Row 2: * P2, K2 - repeat * until the end of the row.

Carry on until you have your desired length. Leave enough yarn to cast off.

For the cowl neatly sew the short ends together to create a tube.

For the scarf sew in the cast on and cast off ends neatly.



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