I purchased Yorkshire Wildlife Trust’s Hebridean Aran yarn a while ago, having seen it on a episode of Fruity Knitting; however it’s taken me a little while to decide what to make with the two balls I had.  In the ball the yarn feels quite rustic, and I was loath to put in near my forehead or neck.  In the end I really fancied a pair of travel slippers, and this seemed like the best option from the yarns in my stash.

The pattern is Simple House Slippers, which has been really popular on Ravelry recently. I knitted them on 4 mm needles hoping to make a dense, hardwearing fabric.  The gauge came out at 18 stitches over 10cm, pretty much perfect for an Aran yarn, and feels really nice.  They have a crisp feel, and the fabric has a nice structure.  The stitches disappear completely, and there isn’t a lot of stitch definition even in the garter stitch section.

I used the leftovers to make a swatch on 4.5 mm needles, and turned up a gauge of 16 stitches over 10 cm.  While the fabric in the swatch has more drape, I prefer the density of the slippers.  The tighter gauge would make a lovely warm outer wear garment.  The stitch definition was still entirely lost. Can you even see the rows of eyelets?  I’m kicking myself for not trying a cable.  Although, I suspect the dimensional detail of a twisted stitch pattern would still get lost with this yarn.

The armpit test is in progress, and I’ll be back on Monday to share the results.