Boucle is hard to gauge, so I’m kind of winging it by going down a needle size to get the right fit.

In another experiment with yarns found outside the US, I’m using Cushendale Woollen Mills boucle from Graiguenamanagh, Ireland, south of Dublin. This six gen, family-run factory has been producing wool textiles since the 18th century. I found this little Irish jewel when I did a general yarn search on Rav looking for a quality boucle yarn, and I’m glad I did. The quality of the yarn is fantastic, and the saturation of the color is even and deep. It’s very sturdy--I was able to frog my swatch and (unlike many boucle yarns), the fibers were still crisp and looked brand new. The price point for the quality is very reasonable after you subtract the international shipping. My order shipped within a day and arrived well-packaged with a hand-signed thank you. Well done, Cushendale, well done!

4/7/21
Ready for sleeve island--just waiting for delivery on my HiyaHiya Flyers Double Points to give flexi needles a try. I like the cuffs in the version SaKoc made--I think it breaks up the fabric a bit and gives more interest.

The yarn continues to be fabulous, but it’s not a forgiving, stretchy fabric so it’s important to get gauge and knit to the specific schematic measurements. Also, I wish I had switched to a larger needle for the bind off--it’s almost too tight. I’m thinking of redoing the bind off…sigh.

Sleeve mod:
PU 52 sts, k even for 25 cm.
Begin 2x2 rib for 4 cm.
Switch to smaller needle and continue rib for 15 cm. Bind off.