I’ve been doing yarn tastings back to back, and here I am trying out a delicious faux silky cottony very tweedy yarn that makes a downy fabric unmatched. Wait, did I say faux? I did, because typical is the surprise whenever I read acrylic or nylon in the fiber ingredients, I am always left wondering if it is going to hold up to the visual and tactile test of a yarn snob. Well, this is the second time in three yarn tastings that I’ve been surprised at the possibilities for synthetic fiber. Yarn snobbery in check.
From the shelves of the local yarn shop home to the stairway of our Tiny House, is Berroco Remix Light, its claim to fame being made of 100% recycled fibers! It called out to me “cotton & silk ” while I was looking for something new to try, and one of the those typical days I didn’t have my glasses with me, so the label was fuzzy, and as I looked at other DK weight yarns I kept going back to it. It won out in the totally light-as-down, attractive, nubby, silky … beautiful to the touch. I mean I could practically imagine silk cocoons winding off, paired with freshly carded bolls of cotton harvest, and in so many dreamy heathery tweedy colors, the shelves seemed well stocked with it. I am not kidding, my mind saw the words ‘cotton’ and ‘silk’ ( and a tad bit of linen) in the label, and the rest was blurry, too blurry to care. I bought two balls, brought them home, made coffee and hunkered down to cast on.
But just before casting on I studied the label for gauge and noticed clearly the label must be wrong. What … really? 30% nylon, and 24% acrylic? Did I buy synthetic yarn? Again, my taming of yarn snobbery, and I am learning that one can’t judge yarn by its label entirely, the knitting must be the test. I am knitting this yarn to gauge, just as the label suggests, and the ball just won’t shrink… the yardage is absolutely unending! I could have made a much bigger size than I did, as I have the body nearly done and have only used half a ball it seems. Okay, that’s me, surrendering to the beneficent will of the universe, testing my judgmental ways and teaching me to be humble.
And I really do love the frothy texture & fluffy nibs of what I think is the silk component. This yarn is beautiful, however, I do think it seems more like fingering weight, but it says DK weight, so what the heck. I think Remix will be excellent for the fluffy light-weight ‘ easy care ‘ walking sweater I am experimenting with.
Berroco Remix Light Specifics: Made in France of “100% recycled fibers”. 30% Nylon, 27% Cotton, 24% Acrylic, 10% Silk, and 9% Linen. DK/3 weight, 100 gram ball with 432 yards/400 meters. Construction is two plies and wonderfully nubby with many flecks of different colors. Shown in color ” light almond “. $12.50 per ball , a huge value, and I am knitting true to gauge of 5.5 sts & 8 rows as suggested with US5 – 3.75mm needles.
♣ ♣ ♣
In closing I’ll add that in the wake of the wildfire eight months ago now, the loggers are blowing through the area like a tornado, falling big Redwoods & Douglas Firs everywhere around, and turning the forest soil into dust with the massive excavators, leaving behind a real colossal mess of unusable timber. And although I’m sure harvesting the dying trees is the right thing to do, we have chosen not to on our comparatively modest piece of woods, mostly because I could not bear having excavators come in and churn up the soil in what is the woodland where my Knitting Trail is, and also because many of the trees are clearly not dead in their crowns. We will deal with the Douglas Firs survival at their own pace, some which may live and many which in their decomposing state will become habitat for the insects, woodpeckers, and myriad other living beings… and yet they will very likely stand upright for another ten years before falling. Not wishing to meet face to face with logging trucks on our narrow road, I choose to stay home, and get things done…mostly designing frenzy, which means a lot of knitting, and ripping out, and re-knitting.
Meanwhile, I have taken to the ridge again!!! I have abandoned my knitting trail for it is lost in the chaos of noise and chain saws close by, and so there’s me trekking up the mountain once again while knitting. Enjoying being up at the peak of the mountain several times a week now, and overlooking what is the treat of treats in panoramic views at 2600 feet elevation. Oh how I missed that while I was six months away, and oh how friendly is the pace of nature reseeding the grasses and bringing the landscape swiftly back. I am doing much better today than a week ago, and making excellent progress on a percentage system design which I can not wait to show you. Until then, enjoy the Summer Solstice creeping up later this week!
