Sampling a new yarn

When all the new spring yarns began to arrive I was so excited to knit with each one. But, I’m right in the middle of some large weaving projects so I didn’t want to start a big knitting project. Because I’m teaching a Gansey class here at the shop, I decided to use one of the new spring yarns to make my mini sweater.

In the class, we use the Knitting Ganseys book, by Beth Brown-Reinsel. I teach all of the techniques needed to make a full size gansey sweater, but on a smaller scale (when finished it should fit an American Girl Doll or a little bear.) Because we make such a small sweater, it’s a great chance for my students to try a yarn they haven’t worked with before. I chose Cascade Sierra, one of our brand new yarns. It’s a blend of 80% cotton, 20% wool.
By sampling this way, I am able to see how the yarn works in a variety of stitches (stockinette, garter, cables etc). I’m not particularly fond of 100% cottons, but I do like cotton blends. The Sierra is great. I had no difficulty obtaining the gauge I wanted and I really like the feel of the fabric. It’s a great yarn for in-between temperatures.

Speaking of new yarns, DHL just dropped off some goodies from Malabrigo... 5 more colors of the Silky Merino. We've already sold out of some of the other colors, and those are 5-6 weeks out now. There's big demand for that yarn!