You have my eternal love for realizing that not everyone wants to knit with pastels in the summer.

L to R: Shine worsted in Hollyberry, Crayon in Kingfisher, Shine Sport in sycamore, and Comfy in Pomegranate

It’s not that I don’t like pastels, but rather that I look pretty lousy in them. I do like the bright colors that already existed in Knitpicks’ summer lines, but I was longing for something a little more muted. I’m so pleased with all of these yarns! The Shine worsted is to make the Lutea shell from last summer’s IK, the crayon is for a face cloth because I’ve never tried crayon, the shine sport is for my printed silk cardigan, and the comfy… well, I’m not sure what it’s for.

But I did swatch it up right away! The thing that strikes me most about this yarn is how soft it is. I was expecting it to feel like cotton ease – and while I like cotton ease, it is not what I would call a soft yarn. This yarn, though, is super buttery soft. It feels like pima cotton – I can’t really see the acrylic content at all.

This swatch is 4.75 st/in. The ball band states 4.5-5 stitches an inch, and that seems accurate to me! The fabric has a really nice drape to it, which I love, but it means I’m not totally certain if it will work for the project I was thinking of.

This is currer from Norah Gaughan vol. 2. I worry that the peplum might droop in this yarn. I think Berroco “Love it” is a more sturdy yarn… am I correct about that? I haven’t knit with it, but I have felt the yarn in person. I’ll have to think about this. There are a few other sweaters that would also work with this yarn – I got a good amount (almost 900 yds) so it should work for lots of things. I’ll have to consider my options. But my verdict on the yarn? Love it. To me it feels sort of in between the other two worsted cottons made by Knitpicks – sturdier than Shine worsted, but softer than Mainline. I can imagine it would be great for lots of projects, and I really think the color selection is fabulous.

Hmm… maybe I could knit Green Gable?  I bought the pattern ages ago, but I’ve never made one.  I could go for a quick knit raglan soon!

Last night I knit for far longer on the Shetland Triangle than can possibly be healthy (my excuse? I was finishing up Torchwood Season 1 and I couldn’t stop!) I have finished 8 repeats of the main section, and I’m going to add 1 or 2 extra before starting the edging. It’s getting close to finished, and I will be sad to not have the yarn on my needles anymore. The good news is I will have enough Silk Maiden left for another project – maybe a hat for me!