Hello. I am a poet and translator who was born in Texas. I’ve been living in Northern Italy near Lago Maggiore since 2008. My goal is to use my knowledge of language and culture to make all of the wonderful specificity that I find in Italy and Italian life, the hidden jewels and wonderful opportunities for cultural adventures, available to an English-speaking public. I love to read. I love to cook and I love to knit things for my family. I don’t own a television. I am interested in history and the capillary effects of events and communication…and, I’m truly passionate about wool and wool-working.
Welcome to Wool In Italy!
wool in italy 
Hi – how are you? I just found your blog in my attempt to find a list of Italian terms for the various weights of yarn — do you happen to know of a site that has this info in a complete list? thanks so much for your time!
best,
Emma
(knitting is Swarthmore, PA – and, as of September, in Rome).
Ciao Emma, Italians don’t use the same system so there is no direct translation of which I am aware. Often they refer to the metric number (Nm – for ‘numero metrico’). As far as I can understand, that’s how many meters of yarn in 1 kilogram (2.2 lbs), though yarn is most often sold in 100 gram or 50 gram units, so a yarn with a Nm of 2300 indicates a skein weighing 100 gr. will have about 230 m (in the range of a ‘sport’ weight).
So, If you’re looking for a translation for ‘lace weight’ or ‘fingering’ or ‘worsted’ you’ll be better off using the english terms or noting the weight/length ratio of the yarns with which you like to knit.
A good general glossary of knitting/yarn terms can be found here: http://www.garnstudio.com/glossary.php?langf=en&langt=it
And the Drops brand sizing system, which gives meters per 50 grams for various weights as well as general knitted gauge is here:
http://www.garnstudio.com/yarn-groups.php?cid=4.
Hope this info is helpful! Have a great time knitting in Rome this coming September!
Bonnie, I write to you from Vancouver, Canada. My husband gave his pair of warm fingerless gloves to our son recently when he left for university in Montreal. (Much colder than Vancouver).
I would like to replace them for Christmas and in my search I found your site!
Would you consider knitting a pair exactly like the pair that you made for your husband? They look wonderful and clearly are very sturdy!!
Please let me know.
Thank you.
Jillian
Hi Jillian, I’m really not a production knitter. I made some of these gloves for a close friend and her kids but they can vouch for how slow I am! (Although they did come out quite nice). I’ve made 3 pairs of fingerless gloves for my husband, two of them the ‘workman’s’ gloves for which I made up the pattern. If you want something in time for Christmas I’d suggest you find a local knitter through a Vancouver yarn shop – Baaad Anna’s Yarn Store (2667 Hastings St E) has great reviews as does Urban Yarns (4437 W 10th Ave.) – Any experienced knitter will be able to find a similar pattern on Ravelry and you’d be able to select the yarn colour/texture in person. If you want to look on the Internet you can find hand knitters through Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/ca/search/handmade?q=knit+gloves&locationQuery=Canada). I hope that this information helps you to find the perfect gift for your husband and thanks for taking a look at my blog!
Dear Bonnie, Thank you for your wonderfully helpful reply! I very much appreciate you taking the time to provide detailed information on just where I can have a pair of gloves made locally. Very kind of you.
Thank you again!!
Jillian
Hello Bonnie – beautiful ‘whites’ especially like the texture of the loose ‘laga’. Kay
Hello! I am on holiday in italy and would like to bring some roving home. Do you know where might ii find some. I am currently in Lucca, and will be traveling around the lake regions and on to venice. Ideas for me? Thank you Cyndi
For roving from a native Italian breed (the Brogna sheep) I would suggest going to the town of Molina where you will find the ‘Bottega artigianale Lana al Pascolo’ Via B. Bacilieri, 85 – Molina – Fumane (VR). I was there 2 weeks ago and am spinning some roving that I bought there, it’s really lovely. They also have naturally dyed yarns and felt. This is the closest place that I know of near where you are travelling. This is the website of the shop: https://www.lanaalpascolo.it/la-bottega-della-lana
Ciao Bonnie! I am travelling through Italy (and France soon) and am wanting to connect with people who can help teach me some skills about spinning my own yarn, dyeing it, and in general wool working. I’m open to learning authentically and hearing the stories behind processes. Is this something that you do, or are you able to point me in the right direction? Many thanks!
I’m sorry to say that you’ve missed Feltrosa, which is a great place to meet ‘wool people’ in Italy. You might take a look at their list of teachers: https://feltrosa.com/category/tutors/
If you speak some Italian, it can be very useful. See also https://www.instagram.com/feltrosa/
Another contact is Lana al Pascolo https://www.instagram.com/lana_al_pascolo, they occasionally offer workshops throughout the year, if you look/follow them on Instagram you’ll see their events. There’s also KN.IT (https://www.instagram.com/knit.italia/) but they won’t be holding another event until october of 2024.
Finally, there’s DHG (https://www.instagram.com/dhgshop/) they’re a big supplier of roving, yarn bases for dying, and professional dyestuffs, so they might be able to help you find more info (and if you don’t speak Italian you may find someone there who speaks English).
As for France, I don’t know much. You can look at this link for European Yarn Festivals: https://beingknitterly.co.uk/european-yarn-festivals/
and also follow Franklin Habit on Twitter or Instagram (He’s an American expat living in Paris who posts a lot of info about wool related things in France) https://www.instagram.com/franklin.habit/.
Hope this information helps you find what you’re looking for!