Faye's Favorites

Deb's blog about color started me thinking about my favorite fibers for knitting. Wool in all its many types has always been a favorite, but my 2 favorite "blended" yarns are Elsebeth Lavold's Hempathy and Jaggerspun Zephyr Wool-Silk. Much of my knitting is lace in it's every variety and I know that these two yarns, as dissimilar as they are, will meet my needs.

Jaggerspun Zephyr Wool-Silk is fine lace weight yarn composed of 50 percent merino and 50 percent Tussah silk. The merino lends each project a wonderful softness and the silk gives the yarn a luxurious and subtle shine. The addition of silk to this yarn gives it strength in addition to sheen and softness. I've knit everything from a wedding shawl to Estonian lace to a beautiful christening blanket from this yarn. And their colors are wonderfully rich. I always have at least 3 or 4 balls in my stash. My dream is to own every single color. Jaggerspun Zephyr is also a great buy at ~1250 yarns for $18.25.


Elsebeth Lavold's Hempathy is at the other end of my lace knitting. A hemp, cotton, modal blend ( yes it is the only yarn with cotton I will knit with), Hempathy is workhorse yarn for many projects. A feature of any yarn with hemp is that it will soften with every washing, and the cotton/modal addition adds even more softness. Lacy summer tops are perfect for Hempathy, as are shawls. Each time I wear my Old Shale lace shawl at the shop customers are amazed to hear that it is knit from Hempathy. Comments range from "But it's so soft" to "You can knit lace with Hempathy?" My favorite quick-to-knit gift is a Hempathy lace face cloth and sachet . At $7.25 for 153 yards, Hempathy is a great bargain. (Deb loves it, too!)

Keep these yarns in mind as you plan your summer knitting. Tops for summer, lace shawls for cool nights, and perhaps an early start on Christmas knitting.