With spring around the corner, we knitters are ready to start some warm-weather projects using natural fibers that will keep us cool during the summer months, such as cotton, linen, and hemp.
This week, I’ll introduce you to UNIVERSAL YARN Constellation, a lightweight yarn; It’s a chainette yarn composed of 66% organic cotton, 32% polyamide, and 2% metallic that sparkles discreetly in the yarn, packaged in 150m (164yds) per 50g (1.75oz) ball. Therefore, the name describes the subtle shimmer, like the stars in the night sky. All the colors have constellation names, and you can find some of those constellations in a clear summer night sky.
All colors are beautiful, but I chose colorway – Orion, a neutral light grey, because it’s so easy to wear with different summer outfits.
Two balls of gray yarn with labels
There are an increasing number of cotton yarns and cotton-blend yarns available to knitters and crocheters, ranging from fine to chunky in a wide color palette. I enjoy experimenting with yarn that features an interesting construction, in this case, a chainette, and a unique composition. The chainette construction will give the yarn more stretch than a twisted cotton yarn, and the varying fiber content will lend interest to the color and structure, making the fabric lighter.
The yarn has supporting patterns, and I chose a layering piece. I’ll tell you more about the pattern in my next post.
I started knitting as soon as I got my hands on the yarn. I knitted a simple stockinette swatch, using the smallest needles on the ball band: US 5 [3.75mm].
I started knitting with metallic needles, which have very sharp points, but those needles kept catching the fine threads in the chainette, making my work difficult.
I tried several types of needles, and it turned out that the ones that suited this yarn and my knitting style were the LANTERN MOON Destiny Circular Needles 32 (80cm) – Size 5 (3.75mm).
After a few rows, I switched to LANTERN MOON Destiny Circular Needles 32 (80cm) – Size 4 (3.5mm) needles for comparison.
I have all the other notions I’ll need for this project:
- KNITTER’S PRIDE The Mindful Markers
- KNITTER’S PRIDE Mindful Row Counter
Two balls of blue-gray yarn and notions.
Join me tomorrow as I write more about the pattern, about choosing the needle size and swatching for the lace pattern using the interesting UNIVERSAL YARN Constellation, a cotton blend chainette yarn.
This is part 1 of 5 in this series
Go to part 2: 2 swatches and discussing the seams | knitting the Cygnus Top
