Boxes. Boxes everywhere. It’s moving time around these parts. Not ‘these parts’ as in the blog or the store, but at my house. Not moving far, just part-way across town, but the current state of affairs here is lots and lots of boxes. Some full. A worrying amount still empty. Long story short, forgive the slow posting.
In other news, it has been hot here in Vancouver. Aech – Oh – Tee – HOT. At least for this time of year. So with thoughts turning to summertime and easy living, we get lots of questions about what to knit with in the warmer months.
Cotton? Silk? Hemp? Rayon? Viscose? Linen? All fine, even good options, so long as you know what to expect from them. If you’re interested in learning about the properties and traits of these fibres, and how to get the best out of them, I would highly recommend getting a copy of No Sheep For You, by Amy Singer (of Knitty fame).
For now, I will say that linen (sometimes branded as flax yarn) is a really great summer yarn. It’s got some neat properties, softens up fantastically with extended wear, and knits up a lot like cotton (that is, lots of drape, a bit heavy, definitely not for a form-fitting sweater, but great for a beach cover-up).
We stock a pretty solid count of linen and linen-blend yarns. Some favourites include Rowan Creative Linen (50% linen, 50% cotton, worsted weight), Classic Elite Soft Linen (35% linen, 35% wool, 30% alpaca, Dk weight), Louet Euroflax (100% linen, sport or lace weight), and Louet Kidlin Lace (49% linen, 35% mohair, 16% nylon, lace weight)
