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Posts from the ‘yarn reviews’ Category

Oct 20

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Cashmiracle

That yarn that I had been waiting for finally arrived. And I am totally in LUV. I want to knit an entire wardrobe of this yarn. I want sheets knitted from this yarn. I want to wrap myself in it from head to toe.

The object of my affection is Sanguine Gryphon Gaia Fingering.

This is a brand new yarn for Sanguine Gryphon. It is a grown up version of their Gaia Lace. It is a 40% cashmere/ 60% silk blend. This color is so new it doesn’t even have a name. My photo doesn’t show the color accurately. It is much richer and more beautiful in person.

Here is the swatch for my latest design.

Looks surprisingly like stockinette stitch, doesn’t it? It has been a pleasure to knit. I wish you could all feel this yarn. It is scrumptious. You will be hearing more about this yarn as the design takes shape.

Oct 19

Still Falling

Since the excessive rain is interfering with fall colors here, I am getting my colors from yarn. Here is my latest yarn acquisition
Valley Yarns Northfield

I cannot adequately describe what a lovely yarn this is. The color is rich and highly saturated with great depth. The yarn in an unbelievably soft blend of Merino wool, baby alpaca and silk. It has a lovely sheen without being shiny. The merino and silk keep the alpaca from being overly fuzzy and the alpaca keeps the yarn nice and soft. And it knits beautifully. Smooth and tightly twisted with no splitting. And the stitch definition is fantastic. The yarn isn’t exceptionally heavy. Even at DK/light worsted weight, it is not too heavy for shawls or sweaters. You are going to love this yarn. I am working on a pattern knit from this that I will share with you a little later.

I am also giving another yarn a test drive.

Valley Yarns Deerfield

This yarn is a 50% alpaca/50% silk blend. It is scrumptiously soft next to the skin. This one is also rated as DK but it is a bit thinner than the Northfield leaning more to the sport weight side of DK. The higher alpaca content makes it a little fuzzy so it is best suited to bold stitch patterns that can handle that halo effect.

All in all both yarns are fantastic. More than worth their very reasonable prices. Check them out.

Oct 3

Falling for yarn

I have just discovered a new yarn that I adore so it is only fitting that I share it with you.


Valley Yarns Hadley

It is a delightful 50% silk/50% wool blend. There is enough silk to make it soft with a nice drape but not so much that it is too slippery to handle or so drapey it is shapeless. The wool provides just the right amount of crispness so it’s not overly drapey. The silk adds a lovely sheen without being overly shiny. It also adds a different dimension to the color. Really gives it depth.

The color is Copper. I was a little unsure of it because I was afraid it would be orange, if you know what I mean. But I wanted something a little unusual for this project. Something that said “autumn”. This yarn accomplished that. It is positively gorgeous. The photos don’t really reflect the true depth of color.

It knits like a dream. No splitting. It handled everything I threw at it, including double decreases and multiple ripping. It didn’t look frayed or get splitty after ripping. The yarn really set off the stitch pattern. The stitch pattern just pops. That probably doesn’t make sense if you don’t have the yarn on your needles but you will notice a difference in your stitch definition. This is especially surprising since I had knit the stitch pattern in so many yarns before I got to the Hadley. I haven’t found knots in it so far – and that one is a deal breaker for me. The yarn has been a real pleasure to knit. It compares favorably with Rowan Silk/Wool DK. It is a little less slippery and has just a bit more body than the Rowan. The worse thing I can say about the yarn is that it comes in 50 gram balls. I prefer 100 grams quantities. But is just one of those matters of preference. On the other hand, with the yardage of each ball at just over 100 yards (just under 100 meters) it makes it very easy to calculate how much yarn you need for a project. I can see more of Hadley in my future. I haven’t found a Valley Yarns product that has let me down. They produce fabulous yarns for the price.

I can’t wait to show you what I have been knitting with it but right now, it is top secret. So I will share you a shot of my favorite shrubbery instead.

My confederate rose is just coming into full bloom. It is really beautiful this year. Just hoping that the first frost doesn’t catch it before all the blooms open.

Mar 6

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The Hurrieder I Go, The Behinder I Get

Just when I think I am getting caught up, life throws me another curve. Here are a few things I forgot to share with you.

First, knitting photos.

Finally Finished
The Eternal Socks

I forget how long ago I started working on these socks but they were supposed to be summer socks so that gives you a hint. I started the pair as part of a knit-along and then decided that I didn’t want to knit the second sock. So I knit the second sock in a different pattern for another knit-along. Voila! Two KALs complete in one pair. And seriously who is really going to notice.


The patterns are Express Lane socks by Diane Mulholland


and Tidal Wave Socks by Deby Lake. The yarn is Cherry Tree Hill Summer Sock in Rose. I was excited about getting a summer yarn from CTH because I normally love their yarns. The color of this one is rich and full just like the other CTH yarns but is not the knitting dream that other CTH yarns have been. I think the blink may have too much acrylic. It doesn’t have good stitch definition, the thin-thick texture of the yarn fights with the lace pattern and the acrylic content makes the yarn hot. I think I will avoid this yarn in the future.

I also forgot to show you photos of my latest knitting pattern. I mentioned it in passing when I was telling you about the Rowan Classic Silk/Wool DK that Uncle Sam got me. But here is the finished item knit from that glorious yarn.

The Jessica Scarf

This is a fun to wear scarf because it narrow enough to be comfortable in a variety of styles.

It is also suitable for a variety of yarns. This blue version was knit from Sinfonia mercerized cotton

The leaning of the decreases in the lace pattern cause the edge of the scarf to have a slight wave to it making it very feminine.

The pattern is available as a Ravelry download
$2.50
add to cart

One final order of business is the awarding a winner to the acronym contest. No one correctly guessed that PBRMPCC meant Peanut butter with raisins, marshmallows, pecans and chocolate chips (which is actually pretty tasty as peanut butter sandwiches go) so we let the random number generator chose a winner.

And the Oscar goes to …..
Dorothy aka DotTap1956

If you will email me at tabitha AT tabithasheart DOT com (substituting the symbols for the words in caps and deleting spaces), I will email you your patterns. And since your entry made me laugh, I will throw in a copy of the Jessica Scarf pattern too.