Thrumming is a simple technique that creates incredibly warm fabric by knitting with lengths of unspun fleece along with your main yarn. The technique originated in Newfoundland, so as you might expect it’s a great way to create fleece-stuffed mittens, slippers or hats which provide the wearer with fluffy, insulating warmth during the coldest months.
To create the thrums, small sections of fleece are taken from a skein of unspun combed wool or roving. It’s best to use a soft, non-superwash wool, as over time the fibres will felt together with wear, forming a thick, even blanket of fleece. Traditionally, thrums were made with undyed wool, and worked in a lice stitch pattern so they looked like little hearts on the outside of the fabric. Today, many knitters like to play with hand-dyed roving to create beautiful colour effects.
The resultant fabric has a sheepskin-like quality that, once you’ve touched it, you’ll want to use again and again!
