It’s not often I get to say “The usual, please!” to anyone, but when it comes to Townhouse Yarns and their Tara 4-ply, that’s kinda what I got to do a few days ago.
You see, Ard Rí, my “accidental wine bottle” shawl was one of the two that went missing in transit to a yarn festival. It’s always the shawl that gets me the biggest gasp during a trunk show or a workshop, and since I survive on audience feedback like a zombie needs brains, it is absolutely essential to remake it exactly as it was before. No messing around.
My first step (after some liberal sobbing) was to contact Townhouse Yarns to ask if they’d even be able to reproduce the two yarns I needed. It’s been some years since I worked on this one – 2020, mid-pandemic, to be exact – and the gold – despite its stunning warm, antique appearance – isn’t a regular on their rotation. I’d need at least three skeins.
Luckily, Jenny had the recipe filed carefully away in an old notebook and through whatever acrane witchcraft she wields in her dye studio, she was able not just to dye these for me in a matter of days, but to reproduce it so exactly that I can’t tell the difference between old and new.
Tara 4-ply is a blend of Superwash Merino, Silk and Yak; all of which make it a great choice for a tunisian crochet shawl.
Superwash wool in general has a tendency to s-t-r-e-t-c-h when it’s first washed, and that quality (which can be a bummer in clothing that’s meant to fit a certain size) not only means this shawl grows after you’re done crocheting, but it adds drape, too.
The silk, on the other hand, ensures that the superwash doesn’t over-do it. Silk is brilliant for structure, and holds its shape really well once it’s blocked and dried.
And the yak, well, apart from adding softness and warmth and a silvery hue to everything, is also just a fun fibre to include.
I’ll be taking a break from my progress on Bríd now that I’ve eaten up the first of the Ceremony skeins, and then I’ll wind some Rosie’s Gold and get started on Ard Rí.
But I’m curious if you think I should include the original ball of Rosie’s Gold in this new shawl?
Kind of like passing the torch?
Or should I do a completely new copy, with all its own, shiny new yarn?
Catharsis or nostalgia, people?! I don’t know which way to lean!
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Yes. Use that original ball of Rosie’s Gold. Nostalgia is my middle name. ( I don’t actually have a middle name. ) Ard