Rose's Fine Yarns

Cestari Yarn for Spring

Posted on March 21, 2018 by A Baker

We have just received our new shipment of cotton yarn from Cestari yarns. We have two different cotton yarns – Ashland which is a 75% cotton and 25% wool blend. It is made exclusively with Virginia-grown cotton and blended with Cestari’s Natural White Traditional Wool. This yarn is very soft feeling. It is marked as a DK yarn but the gauge given on the ball band is more consistent with a worsted weight. We have it in grey and white.

Cestari Ashland

The second yarn we have from Cestari is their Monticello. It is a 75% cotton and 25% linen blend. The cotton grown in Virginia and the linen is imported from France. The yarn is kettle dyed so each skein has subtle colour changes within the ball making for a more interesting knit. We have a rainbow of colours to choose from in the Monticello yarn. We have 10 colours in stock, from red to purple but also in cream and grey for the not so adventurous. The yarn will hold its shape well, making it well suited for garments such as summer tees. It would also be beautiful as a summer shawl.

Cestari Monticello

Both yarns can be machine washed in cold water but make sure to lay flat to dry. Cotton does not have any elasticity so it is important not to hang a wet cotton garment or it will stretch. The Ashland has wool in which the lanolin has not been removed so you do not want dry clean it as this would remove the lanolin.

If you have not tried any of the Cestari yarns (http://www.cestarisheep.com/ yet, these would be perfect yarns to try. We also have two wool yarns from Cestari – the Tradition and Mount Vernon collections. The Mount Vernon is 100% merino which has not had the lanolin removed so it retains all those qualities that we love in wool while also being soft. The Tradition is a Targhee Columbia so it is not as soft as a merino but it makes great hats and has great stitch definition.

Many people do not associate spring and summer with knitting but with these cotton and blend yarns you can make some beautiful summer garments. Who doesn’t need a gorgeous wrap for those cool summer evenings? Come in and try a skein or two of these great yarns!

Yarns appropriate for summer knitting

Posted on March 31, 2016 by A Baker

There are lots of great summer yarns with which you can work. As the days start to get longer (yeah! it is not dark after dinner), a lot of knitters think it is time to put the knitting needles away for 6 months. I hear “it’s too hot to knit, I am too busy, I want to be outside”. These are not good reasons not to knit for half of the year. There are lots of yarns that are not made of wool so are not too hot to work with. Even if you are busy you still need to take time to relax and knitting outside is the best – all that natural light makes it easy to see your knitting.

There are lots if summer appropriate yarns available as well as some great summer patterns. If you look for a plant based yarn as opposed to an animal based yarn, it will probably be a good yarn for summer garments. Bamboo, linen, corn and hemp based yarns are all suitable for summer knitting.

When you are looking at summer yarns, cotton is the most common one that comes to mind. I find cotton a little hard to knit with as there is no elasticity. Look for yarns that have some wool or acrylic mixed in with the cotton to give it some elasticity. Cotton has many properties that make it a good fibre for garments and home accessories. It is a very strong and durable material so it wears well. It is not as apt to pill as some wools or acrylics. It is highly absorbent, which makes it good for dishclothes and other home accessories. It is breathable which makes it excellent for summer garments. Berroco has a new yarn out called Corsica that is a blend of cotton and cashmere and comes in a palette of soft pastels. It would make a beatiful summer shawl or tank. Some other examples of cotton blend yarns are Berroco Modern Cotton, Berroco Weekend, Plymouth Jeanne, Bergere de France Coton 50 and SMC Punto.

COTON FIFTY BOURGEON Mag. 178 #06 Cardigan Bergere Coton 50 Plymouth Jeanne

Linen is a an extremely durable and strong fibre. It is stronger when wet than dry and does not stretch. It is has high abrasion resistance and is moth resistant. It also resists dirt and stains which is nice. It has no lint or pill tendency although it does wrinkle easily. Linen yarns feel rather stiff when you are working with them but soften up nicely with washing. Katia Lino is an example of a linen yarn

. beige colour (7) of LINO 100% yarn (Linen) of Spring / Summer from Katia

Bamboo fiber is naturally anti-bacterial, UV protective, green & biodegradable, breathable & cool, strong, flexible, soft and has a luxurious shiny appearance. All of these properties make it an ideal fibre for summer knitting. Sirdar has a yarn called Baby Bamboo that comes in lots of great colours and has great pattern support. The yarn has a lovely sheen and gives great stitch definition.

Leaflet

These are just some of the options in summer weight yarns. Come in and visit Rose’s and we can show you all the different yarns that are suitable for summer knitting or crocheting.

Spring and Summer Yarns

Posted on April 15, 2014 by A Baker

Many people think that summer is not a good time for knitting. They are missing out on some great yarns and patterns. Summer yarns include cotton, linen, bamboo and silks. The cottons are often blended with other fibres to give them some elasticity.

One of the new yarns from Berroco is Folio which is a blend of alpaca and rayon. It is so soft and light. It would make a great shawl for a cool summer evening but would also be great as a winter scarf.

Summer is a great time for knitting small projects like socks, baby items and shawls. There are so many great sock yarns and socks are the perfect project for travelling as they are so small. I always like to buy a ball of sock yarn as a souvenir of my travels. If you don’t want to make a pair of socks with it you can always make a shawl or scarf. One ball is all you need, but who can choose just one when they come in so many beautiful colours? A ball of yarn is much easier to put in your suiutcase than some of the other things you might buy as a souvenir and it is some much more useful.

Summer is a great time to try out some lace patterns. It doesn’t have to be anything complicated. There are some simple lace patterns that are so beautiful. Age of Brass and Steam is available as a free ravelry download at http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/the-age-of-brass-and-steam-kerchief.

ageofbrassandsteam

There are some nice tees and cardigans that can be knit in cotton or cotton blends. The new Sirdar Cotton DK book has some great summer patterns sidarcotton .

For those of you are who are organized and thinking ahead, summer is a great time to start knitting presents for Christmas. Maybe everyone is getting a hat or pair of socks for Christmas, starting early takes the pressure off the lead up to Christmas. Maybe there is a mitten pattern you have always admired but have been too busy to try. Now when things are a little more relaxed is good time to give it a try. Wouldn’t it be nice not to have to try and figure out what you are going to buy for everyone at the last minute?

Summer is when I tend to take on bigger projects as I have a bit more time to work on them. I often work on an afghan in the summer. It helps to have a deadline so I actually finish my project.

Whatever you are thinking of knitting, come in check out our new spring and summer yarns. You are sure to find something that will inspire you.