TROUBLE WITH ROVING
Q I’m currently working with a rovingstyle yarn that splits and breaks quite easily while knitting and I’m worried about it breaking while I’m sewing my jumper up. Should I use a di erent yarn for this? I don’t want it to show through the seams and not have a tidy finish. Moira Thompson, via Facebook
It’s very di cult to sew neatly with unspun yarn, especially as, like you say, it may break if you pull too tightly on it. If you are really concerned about a slightly di erent shade showing through, you could sew up with the same yarn you are knitting in – but only do small sections at a time and cut short lengths of wool, so that if it does snap, you don’t have too much to take back. The more practical option is to find a sturdier yarn in a very similar shade to sew with – you need to make sure that the yarns have the same fibre content and washing instructions first though, so you don’t get a nasty shock later on! If you don’t already have something suitable in your stash, King Cole’s Merino DK is often handy for this, as it’s 100% wool (like most roving), comes in a large range of colours and can be purchased in 50g balls, so you don’t end up with a lot left over afterwards. Good luck!