“Mr Baggins!” he cried. “Here is the first payment of your reward! Cast off your old coat and put on this!”
With that he put on Bilbo a small coat of mail, wrought for some young elf-prince long ago. It was of silver-steel, which the elves call mithril, and with it went a belt of pearls and crystals. – The Hobbit, JRR Tolkien
Thus we are first acquainted with that beautiful mail tunic that saved the lives of both Bilbo and later, Frodo.
Because of its qualities, Stansborough’s Mythral is named after the essence of mithril, and I can see why.
I was knitting with Stansborough Mythral today, and greatly admiring the glimmer and gleam of the yarn and wondering how I could illustrate this quality to my readers. I decided that it might work if I took a picture of it next to other yarn, to show just how glittery it is.
In the photo below you can see from left, an 80% alpaca/20% merino yarn; a 50/50 merino silk blend, and finally, Mythral 100% Stansborough Grey wool.
I have not altered this image, it was taken in daylight, on a foggy, rainy day. Yet, can you see how the Mythral outshines even the silk in the skein next to it?
Here’s another picture, showing a pure Corriedale wool next to the Mythral along with the alpaca and silk/merino blends.
I think it’s a rather appropriate name, don’t you?
