Mericash Express 2

Mericash Solid

Punta del Este Yarns

80 % merino wool, 20 % mongolian cashmere
50 grs. = 263 yrs.
Gauge: 24 sts /4"

My Color: 414

My Source: Knit Stop, Indianapolis, IN

Pattern: Waves of Grain, Knitty.com Fall 2008

So soft, so gushy. I loved this yarn. It is heavier than laceweight, but makes beautiful lace with a little more body. As you can see from the swatch, it would make a beautiful scarf or shawl. Baby clothes would be equally beautiful, though they would need to be hand washed.

Mericash Express

MERICASH KALEIDOSCOPE
Punta del Este Yarns
80 % merino extra fine, 20 % mongolian cashmere
50 grs = 66 yds.
Gauge: 19 sts. to 4 in.

My Color : Kal01

My Source: Knit Stop, Indianapolis, IN

I loved this yarn! It is very soft and natural feeling. It's very lightly woolen spun, so pilling may become a problem, but I'd LOVE to have a coat out of this. It will be very soft and very warm.

Cashmere Canapa

Cashmere Canapa

Hemp for Knitting

60% cotton
30% cashmere
10% hemp
50g = 129yds
gauge: 5.5 sts = 1" on needles: US 5
My Color: Cristallo Blue

Retail price: $11.00

This was an interesting new find for me at TNNA this year. I saw a lady wearing a cute little capelet in the ladies room, and asked her what it was. She said it was cotton, cashmere and hemp. I thought that seemed like a random combination. Then minutes later, there she was selling sample kits for it at the "Sample It" event (also known as frenzied buying for 30-45 minutes by rabid knitters and cross-stitch/needlepointers). The color she was wearing was already sold out by the time I made it to the table, so I got the blue one. I can't say this is the softest yarn I've ever used, but I guess it's better to knit with hemp than it is to smoke it. Maybe it is like flax, and will soften up when worn and/or washed, but unlike a plain linen yarn, this blend, with cashmere, cannot be put in the dryer. I'll post an update after I wash it, if that is the case.

Noro Tidiori

Tidiori

Noro Yarns

60% rayon, 35% nylon & 5% cashmere

40g= 97 yds.

Gauge: 20 sts per 4 inches/10cm. on size 7 U.S. (4.5mm) needles

Retail Price: $8.80

I'm not a huge fan of Noro yarns, but this one was fun. I started making a swatch, and the colors just kept changing and changing, so I didn't stop the swatch till the ball was done! It's not something you could felt, and the cashmere is not readily apparent, but the color changing makes you want to keep on knitting.

You Are An Obsession

Obsession
Classic Elite Yarns
100% cashmere
Gauge: 3.24 - 3.5 sts/inch on US #10½ needles
50 grams/1.75 oz = 95 yards/87 m
My Color: H60585 - Camel
My Source: The Knit Stop, Indianapolis, IN
Retail Price: $45.00



I can definitely see how this yarn could become one. An obsession, that is. It has about 100 plies of pure cashmere, and when you put them all together, you get an amazingly soft, luscious yarn. It becomes a big, thick, yummy fabric that would be incredible to come home to on a cold day.

"Honey, pull the tractor over by that goat yonder. I feel like spinning." (or whatever the Mongolian translation would be)

Handspun Cashmere

Jade Sapphire

100% Mongolian Cashmere

Gauge: 4¾ stitches/inch on size 8 US needles
50 gr = 120 yds

Colors: natural colors

My source: The Knit Stop, Indianapolis, IN

Retail price: $39.00

Well, it looks like they pulled the goat over, plucked his hair and commenced to spinning. However, it feels like Heaven on earth! It is SO soft I'd like to have lingerie made from it! It definitely looks handspun, with variations in thickness, but there is no doubt about it, this is cashmere. Umm, umm, ummmh!

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?

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.

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!).

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.

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!