No Wool Wednesday: Sugar Cane Yarn

(This post has been hanging out for awhile and I just hadn't finished it.  I am getting back into the swing of things and so I finished it for your enjoyment....)

I found sugar cane yarn by mistake.  I was in Lizzie's in Wheaton, IL while playing hooky from work.  (Okay, not really, I took a vacation day.)  While wandering in the yarn shop trying not to kill myself, I happened upon Araucania Ruca Multy.   

I was pleasantly surprised to find that Araucania Ruca Multy was make with 100% sugar cane and even more surprised to find 273 yards in one hank.  I bought one hank of colorway 1 (I know not very helpful).  It was a purple, tan and green variegated.

With the yarn, I decided to make Diagonal Lace Scarf.

The yarn was great to work with.  It is super soft and has beautiful drape.  It was super easy to block; the knitted fabric gently stretched into shape.

I would definitely recommend this yarn to someone looking for something new.  The only downside to this yarn is that I haven't been able to find it in solids or semi-solids. 

Other patterns that would work with this pattern:

 - Clapotis
 - Ishbel
 - Lillian Tank Top
 - Baby Surprise Jacket

Check in next week for another No Wool Wednesday!

No Wool Wednesday: Milk Yarn

(I meant to post this last night.  Obviously, I didn't make it.  Bad blogger.  I hope you enjoy even though it is a day late this week.)


To start off No Wool Wednesday, I am going to profile my favorite yarn to date: Kollage Creamy.  The fiber content is 80% milk and 20% cotton.

When I first heard about milk yarn, I thought "Milk? How does that work?"  But after some research, milk fiber/yarn has some really cool properties.

Milk yarn is made by a wet spinning process that allows the proteins to form long chains that can be spun into yarn.  The process also includes embedding a zinc ion in the fiber to make it durable.

Cool Properties That Milk Yarn Exhibits:

• Antibacterial/antifungal (like bamboo)
• Luxurious feel (like silk)
• Easy to dye 
• Colorfast
• Easy to blend with other fibers
  

This yarn was a dream to work with.  I knitted Branching Out from this yarn on a US size 7.  The resulting scarf feels awesome against my neck.  It blocked beautifully and the drape is fantastic.

Before Blocking

After Blocking

Recommended gauge: 28-36 sts/4 in on US 2 or 3

Price: This yarn tends to be a little pricier than your run-of-the-mill cotton or wool.  The average regular price is $18-20 for 200 yards.

My recommendations for projects:
-Shetland Shorty
-Dayflower Camisole
-Delphine
-113-27 Top with Short Raglan Sleeves
-Kimono Shawl

Overall, the yarn is great to work with.  It is best suited for projects that need drape and flow.

Next time you go yarn shopping, see if they have Kollage Creamy and give it a smoosh.  You won't regret it.

New Feature: No Wool Wednesdays

After spending this week having different discussions with my knitting friends about my inability to knit with wool (think anaphylaxis) and how they like that I have to try out all the "different" yarns, I have decided to share what I have learned about different types of non-wool yarn with the masses  (or the couple people that actually read this).

I am going to try and profile a different non-wool yarn every Wednesday.  I will discuss what I knit with it, the "blockability" of the yarn, the drape and any patterns that might also work with this yarn.

Since today is almost over and I don't have any FO's blocked or photographed yet, my first venture into this will be next week.  Stay tuned for No Wool Wednesdays.