What better way to start the week than a little yarn tasting? When I think of one, I’ll let you know. For now however, I’d like to start a little something I call Sip and Knit! Yes, we’ll be tasting a new yarn, but also pairing it with a beverage suitable for that yarn as well. Yes, there’s a strong likelihood that that beverage will include alcohol, but what better way to enjoy a nice yarn than with a nice drink as well? 😉
Well, the yarn we’re tasting this week is called Sweater, by Spud and Chloe. You can find a link to their website here – SPUD AND CHLOE. As for the yarn, Sweater is a perfect yarn for just that – a sweater (or a blanket). It is worsted weight, which means you’re going to get approximately 5 stitches per inch with a 4.5mm needle (on average), but it’s also versatile enough to knit on a 4mm – 5.5mm to get a few less or few more.
Sweater is a composition of 55% superwash wool, and 45% organic cotton, made in Peru. This combination is spot on! As you may or may not know, I love to wear cotton and love the feel and versatility of it, but I don’t particularly like knitting it – there is no give to it and it can be very heavy when knitted into large pieces, such as a sweater, because of the density. By combining it with wool however, S&C have eliminated both of those issues. The density is reduced, which in effect increases the yardage per/100g (which in this case is 146m), so the overall weight of your garment will be less, since you’ll need less for your project. This yarn is also machine washable (on the gentle or sweater cycle if you have it), but you may prefer to wash it by hand. It can then be tumble dried on low until slightly damp to allow you to reblock it to shape.
The wool also adds elasticity and structure to whatever you’re making, making the actual knitting a whole lot more comfortable, and adding some spring and structure to your piece. I have a cabled cotton sweater that i made years ago that i rarely wear because of the weight and the apparent sag from said weight. I doubt you’ll have this problem with this yarn (I plan to put that to the test!). The combination of wool and cotton also makes it a perfect sweater yarn for temperate climates as well. Since it never get exceptionally cold here in the Pacific Northwest or extremely hot, you could wear a sweater made from this yarn year round – in the evenings in the summer and anytime the rest of the year.
The color range of this yarn is fantastic – there are currently 26 to choose from. The cabled braid (the Barrington Braid) swatch that I have shown here is made in Popsicle – a vibrant fuchsia. I started it with 4mm needles and then went to 4.5 and 5mm. The middle cables were done in the 4.5mm which turned out to be my favorite needles for this yarn. Since I am a loose knitter, this might equate to a 5mm for most of you reading this. As you can see, this yarn holds the cables very well and the twist allows for them to show extremely well. I think I have found the yarn that I will be re-knitting the Barrington Sweater in. Now to choose a color!
The question now is what beverage is best suited to sip while knitting this yarn? Well, I have to go with the Chardonnay by Naked Grape. It is a light, crisp, white wine that is excellent to just sit and sip and knit with! If you happen to be eating, it goes great with a turkey dinner – I recently enjoyed a bottle with the turkey I cooked at Easter and it was great! The turkey was brined and the stuffing had a little bite to it (being from Jamaica I like things on the spicy side), and the wine complemented it perfectly. I think it complements this yarn perfectly as well. As a matter of fact, I did enjoy a glass while kitting this swatch!Both are crisp and light and very enjoyable to work with/consume!
If you’re in the Vancouver area you can get this yarn at Wool is Not Enough – their location, website and hours care found here – WOOL IS NOT ENOUGH. The wine can be found at pretty much any liquor store!
Hugzzz 😎
