Bella Cash-merely affordable luxury yarn

This week, I have the pleasure, and believe me, it’s definitely a pleasure, to knit with Universal Yarn Bella Cash.

This sport weight yarn is very sturdy, yet extremely soft. It’s a blend of 60% merino wool, 30% nylon, and 10% luxurious cashmere. It has a beautiful drape, and yet, it’s not at all flimsy. I have been knitting it on size 5 [3.75mm] needles, but I would use smaller needles for a slightly denser fabric that would still be soft and drapey. With slightly larger needles, like size 6 [4mm], Bella Cash would make a stunning knit lace.

Bella Cash comes in 15 classic shades that remind me of the hand-knit sweaters of the decades between the two world wars. Muted, but not understated, these colors don’t shout gaudy luxury. Instead, they calmly and succinctly state that this yarn is luxurious without pomp or ceremony.

As per usual, photos of the colors are an approximate rendering of the color of the yarn and will look different on each screen or digital device. Visit your local yarn store for a true idea of the beauty of these classic colors.

If you can take a white and mute it, that’s what the color designers have done with snow and cream, the two whites in Bella Cash’s palette. And the black is called ebony, another nod to a precious and rare commodity. However, this yarn doesn’t come with the same price tag as one would expect. I have rarely purchased cashmere yarn because the versions that I’ve seen in the past were beyond my budget, but this yarn, with a yardage of 230 yards per 50 grams, is entirely within my definition of an affordable special yarn. I’ve seen inferior merino/nylon blends that cost the same, and I’ve even seen 100% acrylic sold for a similar price.

Bella Cash is spun from fine merino wool, nylon, and cashmere. Cashmere is one of those fibers which, even in as small an amount as 10% cashmere, creates a yarn that is soft and cushiony, while still maintaining its integrity. In other words, Bella Cash doesn’t pill or fall apart. The nylon is there to strengthen the merino’s more delicate nature and to lower the overall cost of the yarn.

My background in linguistics had me curious about the name Bella Cash. Bella is Italian or Spanish and it comes from its Latin root “bellus”, which means fair, beautiful, or fine, which this yarn definitely is. Now, I realize that “Cash” is a short form of cashmere, but it’s also a play on words with regard to the high value of this luxury fiber. The word “cash” comes from the Latin “capsa” which means box. The association with money comes from the use of the money box, as in the French “caisse” or the Italian “cassa” which means “money in hand” or “coin”. Bella Cash is the perfect name for this yarn as it captures its value and beauty.

This week I’ll swatch with Universal Yarn Bella Cash and explore some more of its virtues and possible uses.