As we head into fall, we want to highlight two of our colder weather staples: Kunlun and Big Silk. While these yarns are quite different, they have one thing in common--they are both NON-superwash merino blends.
Let's start with Kunlun. Kunlun is our DK weight luxury blend. Each skein is 280 yards of 70% non-Superwash Merino, 15% Cashmere and 15% Silk, which translates into softness. It's a 3-ply fiber, though, so the softness comes with strength, and the yarn itself works up beautifully in cables and other textured stitches.
Given the yarn's blend, we love Kunlun for next-to-the-skin projects, especially cowls and wraps. One of our favorites is Martina Behm's Braidsmaid, a two-skein project that packs a big wow with its beautiful cable. Our sample was knit in Livid.
Its 3-ply construction though makes the yarn equally strong for mitts--such as Veronica Parsons' Slackline Mitts. This is a great one-skein project which looks equally nice in either a variegated, like Berlin, or a solid like Fiddlehead.
Kunlun is a great choice for one-skein accessories like hats, too.
You can see a variety of project ideas for Kunlun on our Project Gallery.
Jennifer and Ivy created this video and show off some of our other Kunlun projects and colorways.
Our second featured yarn for September is Big Silk. Like Kunlun, Big Silk is a non-superwash Merino, (60%) and it's blended with, yes, you guessed it--silk (40%). Big Silk is a worsted weight yarn, and comes in HUGE skeins: 540 yards! This generous yardage means one skein will be plenty for many projects.
Casapinka's Powder Wrap brings out the best of Big Silk--this oversized wrap uses only one skein, and the texture highlights the wonderful stitch definition you can get from this yarn. We knit our sample in Posey.
Scattered Rosehips is another one-skein Big Silk project, offering scrumptious warmth with a bit of texture. We knit our sample in Catherine.
Jennifer and Ivy delve a bit deeper into Big Silk in this video--you'll be able to see these two projects close up, and some other colors, too.