Who, Who Cares What it's Called When it's Cashmere?

Light-Weight Cashmere a.k.a. SuperCashmere Fine

Karabella Yarn Co.
100% Cashmere

Gauge: 7 sts/in. on needle size US 3
50 g = 202 yds.

My Color: 1250

My Source: The Knit-Stop, Indianapolis, IN

Retail Price: $25.00

Stitch Pattern: Tiger-Eye, Barbara Walker's 2nd Treasury of Knitting Patterns

Yet another wonderful yarn from Karabella. This one is super light weight, and a joy to work with. I'd spend many an hour wrapped up in a shawl made from this yarn, and with 202 yards per skein, a smallish shawl wouldn't necessarily be out of the realm of possibilities for a yarn of this price. Though the stitch pattern here is called Tiger-Eye, it looks more like an owl to me. An owl, a tiger, who cares when it's cashmere?

A Safari in Paris

Paris

Drops/Garnstudio

100% cotton

50g = 75m

Gauge: 17 sts x 22 rows per 4 inches on needles size 5mm

My color: 55p

My source: The Knit Stop, Indianapolis, IN

Retail price: $6.00

I was surprised by how nice this cotton was to work with. I'm not usually a fan of cotton, but this was a nice, thick-ish, soft yarn, that works up quickly and evenly. To me, that's saying a lot for cotton.

Habu Textiles Gima Cotton

1/8.5 Cotton Gima
Habu Textiles
Item #: A-174
Laceweight
Suggested needle size: US no. 1 - 3 for single strand
My Color: 13 SAX
My Source: The Knit Stop, Indianapolis, IN

Retail Price: $6.45/oz.

Stitch pattern: Openwork Edging, from Barbara Walker's First Treasury of Knitting Patterns (note: I executed this improperly, but the bottom repeat is what the edging should actually look like on a garment).

From the Habu Textiles website: "This is a cotton, which feels like paper. "Gima" literally means "fake linen" in Japanese. It feels like linen paper if you do not know it! Great to knit in single. Beautiful warp & weft yarn for weavers also. Looks beautiful in simple stokinette, but also great in seed stitch or just garter (very three dimentional). It may feel stiff in the beginning, but will soften greatly."

As they say, this does feel like linen, only not quite as hard textured. It did soften as I used it, but was rather stiff again after washing and blocking. It would work well as a lace item.

Mongolian Cashmere: What's not to like?

100% Mongolian Cashmere
Jade Sapphire
12 ply
55 grams = 70 yards
Gauage: 2½-3 stitches/inch on US 10½-11 needles
My color: Blackberry Fudge
My source: The Knit Stop, Indianapolis, IN
Retail price: $35.00


This stuff is as good as it gets. It wasn't just the color name that made me want to eat it. It is SO nice. Though it would be a bit of a pricey snack, I'd be willing to spend it for this delicacy.

Wabi Sabi Kimosabi

Wabi Sabi

Alchemy Yarns

66% silk, 34% wool

Gauge: 3.5 stitiches = 1" on needle size US 9

50 g = 86 yards

My Color: 36c Dylan's Blue Depths

My Source: The Knit Stop, Indianapolis, IN

Retail Price: $29.00

This yarn is wonderful to work with. It's nice a gooshy, like a good fat, silk and wool yarn should be. It knits up quickly, and would make the most luscious sweaters. Mmm, Mmm, Mmm!

Elen Cashmere

Elen Cashmere

Filatura di Crosa

25% Cashmere, 35% Extra Fine Wool, 5% Silk, 35% Viscose

Gauge: 5.5 sts per inch on 5-6 US needles

50g = 146 yds

My color: 6

My source: The Knit-Stop, Indianapolis, IN

Retail price: $19.75

Stitch pattern: Moorish Lattice, from Barbara Walker's Second Treasury of Knitting Patterns, p. 232

This yarn looks lovely when knitted, and has a drape that would be wonderful in a shawl. This pattern is reversible, so it would make a great scarf, too. The cashmere would give it nice warmth, along with the wool. I think the silk could just as well have been left out of this one, as it didn't add much to the yarn, in my opinion. You don't get the usual sheen of silk with it, and though this effect virtually disappears from view once knitted, while unknitted, the tiny thread of silk running through it makes the yarn look a bit scraggly up close. Mind you, this is unnoticable once you knit it, but I like my yarn to look pretty just sitting there waiting to be knitted, too, since most of it is (waiting, that is!).

Not Too Tart, and Not Too Sweet Either

In the Sunlight

Indoors

Tartlette

Knit One Crochet Too

50% cotton/50% nylon
50 g = 75 yds.
Gauge: 4 sts per in. on US 9 needles

My Color: 285 Fireside

My Source: The Knit Stop, Indianapolis, IN

Retail Price: $11.00

This pretty ribbon yarn comes in quite a variety of colors, and would make beautiful shawls, tank tops, and summer sweaters. I can also see it in belts, headbands, and knitted/crocheted jewelry. One vertical half of the ribbon is matte, while the other is shiny. Knit One Crochet Too has many patterns available on their website for Tartlette, too.

Silke-Tweed

Silke-Tweed
Garnstudio
52% Silk, 48% Lambswool
50 g = 200 m./218 yards
My Color: 15
My source: The Knit-Stop, Indianapolis, IN
Retail price: $13.50
Stitch pattern: From Garnstudio's Drops pattern, Short-sleeved Lace Cardigan in Silke-Tweed

Personally, I don't care for this one. It was as rough as a cob to knit with, though I should be happy that I got a free exfoliation treatment for my hands while using it. I'm not into knitting with Brillo pads, so I don't think I'll be using this one. I will withhold further judgement till I see how it looks after blocking.

Update: Well it is prettier and softer after blocking, I must say. It would probably make a nice, lightweight top or shawl.

Soy Merino Latte

Savannah
The Fiber Company
50% merino, 20% organic cotton, 15% linen, 15% soya
50 g = 65 yards
Gauge: 3-3.5 stitches per inch on US size 10 needles
My color: Blue Sky
My source: The Knit-Stop, Indianapolis, IN
Retail price: $16.80

From their website: "The Fibre Company offers a collection of yarns made from unique blends of natural fibers including alpaca, camel, cashmere, organic cotton, linen, merino, silk, soy and yak. The mission of The Fibre Company is to create sustainable natural fiber luxury yarns paying special attention to environmentally friendly production methods such as the use of low-impact dyes and organic cotton and wool where possible."

I was a very picky eater growing up, so my mom often used the gentle persuasion technique of telling me to "Eat it or wear it!" at the dinner table. I've since forgiven her (can't you tell?), but with this yarn, I actually could maybe eat a part of it, and would gladly wear it. As the mother of two small children, I hold the record for McDonalds drive-thrus, so I don't know from organic. But if you care about what you put IN your body, I suppose you care about what you put ON it, too. If so, this might be the yarn for you. Its organicity is as close as this one comes to granola, though, as it is not the least bit crunchy. It is nice and soft, and I can see it becoming a great cardigan that would be as comfortable to wear as a favorite bathrobe.

Karabella and the Supremes

Supercashmere
Karabella Yarns
100% Supercashmere
Gauge: 3.50 Stitches/Inch
Needle Size: 10.5
Yardage: 81
My Color: 1380
My Source: The Knit-Stop, Indianapolis, IN
Retail Price: $55.00

This is as good as Baskin-Robbins: it, too, comes in 32 take-home flavors! Well, colors anyway. And it is equally sweet and delicious! Surprisingly, it felt more like cotton while I was knitting it, but it is as soft as any soft serve you might want. Everyone who has touched the swatch has wanted to go home with it. It is NICE! And if you spend too much on the yarn to buy a pattern, Karabella has a free pattern you can use. Though it calls for Aurora Bulky, the gauge is the same as the Supercashmere.

Temptation You Can Give In To

Temptation
Knit One Crochet Too
"The Gourmet Collection"
50% baby alpaca/50% Merino wool
50 g = 55 yards
Gauge: 13 sts per 4" on needles size US 10.5 (6.5mm)
My Color: Sea Green 538
My Source: The Knit Stop, Indianapolis, IN
Retail Price: $7.88

Don't try to resist this tempation. It's a nice, lofty, woolen spun yarn, that's as soft as it is pretty. It reminds me of Debbie Bliss Alpaca Silk, only without the sheen of the silk, and with a bit more body. It would make a lovely, warm, soft sweater.

Scozia Cashmere

Unblocked swatchBlocked Swatch


Scozia Cashmere
Filatura di Crosa
100% Cashmere
Gauge: 3.5 sts per inch on size 9 US
50g = 88 yds
My color: Indigo 302265
My source: The Knit Stop, Indianapolis, IN
Retail price: $37.95
Stitch pattern: Square Lattice, from Barbara Walker's Second Treasury of Knitting Patterns, p. 7

Boy, oh, boy, was this a yummy yarn to work with! It's nice and puffy, and feels like pure, well, cashmere, in your hands. I would highly recommend it if you're willing to splurge. The price seems a bit big for its yardage, but after using it, I can understand why. I would happily drape my entire body in it and spend the rest of my life in nothing else. But, at this price, if I'm going to wrap my entire body in it, I'd better start losing some weight!

Rumpelstiltskin Eat Your Heart Out

Silken Straw
Alchemy Yarns
100% silk
Gauge: 6 stitches = 1 on needle size: 4 US
Approx. yardage = 236 yards
Approx. weight = 40 grams
My Color: 15C Grass Harp
My Source: The Knit Stop, Indianapolis, IN
Retail Price: $29.40
Stitch used: Starlight Lace, from Barbara Walker's Second Treasury of Knitting Patterns, p. 288

Don't worry, no one will cut your head off if you fail to turn this straw into gold by morning. Silk is good enough! It is quite straw-like in the hank, but once you get knitting with it, it softens up considerably. In fact, what looks at first like a single piece of straw turns out to be several plies of finely spun silk side by side. This only became a problem when I had to re-do a part a couple of times, and the plies completely separated from one another and were hard to corral. Luckily, that was the very last stitch, and I was able to hide it away easily enough. Just don't make any mistakes and you'll be fine! ( : The knitted swatch is light as air, and would make a lovely summer top or shawl. They have some amazing colors, so be sure to check the others out if green is not your thing.

Zara Plus Mouline

Zara Plus Mouline
Filatura di Crosa
100% Extra Fine Merino Wool
Gauge: 4 sts per inch on size 8 US needles
50g = 83 yds
My color: 422
My source: The Knit Stop, Indianapolis, IN
Retail price: $10.00

This was SO nice to work with! It comes in as a close second to my favorite Karabella Aurora 8. I has about a million plies, and you'd think it would split as you knit it, but it doesn't at all. Very close-to-the-skin soft. This one will definitely be used again in a future project.

Amazing Grace

Grace
Lorna's Laces
Mohair Blend
Loopy mohair boucle
Yardage: 120
Weight: 2 ounces
Needle Size: 10
Gauge: 4
Color: 18 Watercolor
My source: The Knit Stop, Indianapolis, IN
Retail price: $15.75



This is a gorgeous yarn that stripes up beautifully. Mind you, this is a mini-shawl, the size to fit a doll, so a bigger shawl or sweater would obviously have longer rows, and therefore, more colors per row. I don't usually like boucles, because of the problem of the needle poking through the loops, but this yarn was worth it. It feels good, it looks good, and it's fun to anticipate the color changes as you are knitting.

Passion(less)

Passion
Garnstudio
60% merino uld, 25% viscose, 15% polyamid
50 gr = ca 100 m.
Needle size: 7 mm (US 10.5-11)
Color: 09
My source: The Knit Stop, Indianapolis, IN
Retail price: $14.95


I didn't have much passion for this, but I don't really like ribbon yarns, especially those that are prone to letting your needle stick through them. Still, the color of this is really pretty, and would look great with blue jeans. Because it is merino, it is nice and soft, and would make great shawls.

Ice, Ice Baby

Ice "Winter cotton"
Drops/Garnstudio
55% cotton, 45% acrylic
50g = 45m,
Needle size: 9 mm (US 13)
Gauge: 9 sts x14 rows = 4 in. x 4 in.
Color: 03
My source: The Knit Stop, Indianapolis, IN
Retail price: $6.95


I must first confess, I HATE cotton. I do not hate this yarn. It has enough acrylic in it to make it much nicer, to my hand, than pure cotton. It makes a beautiful fabric, suitable for winter wear for those who don't like wools, but equally nice for a quick spring/summer sweater, as well. I was surprised by how much I liked this, and for a cotton-hater, that's saying something!

Curiouser & Curiouser

Kalahari

by Curious Creek Fibers

100% Nylon "Soft ribbon with a great lustrous sheen. Made in Taiwan ~ Hand-painted in the USA"
50 g.
87 yds. ~ 79 m.
3-4 st. / inch
US #10-15

Color: Sunrise on Daffodils

My source: The Knit Stop, Indianapolis, IN

Retail price: $17.85

This is a beautiful, full-bodied ribbon yarn that would work well for garments, as well as purses and other accessories. It's not too flimsy, and has a gorgeous sheen with a certain cripness to it. The colorways are amazing!