Ladies First
This week we have the second installment of the thrilling Downton Abbey Yarn Collection by Premier Yarns, new this year! It’s actually a husband and wife character theme, Lady Sybil and Branson. Ladies always first, so we’ll start with the benefits of knitting with Lady Sybil yarn.
Lady Sybil in colors Pearl Pink, Gull Grey and Stone Blue
Lady Sybil yarn is a fine weight two ply yarn made with 80% acrylic 10% mohair 10% polyamide. I was really surprised to see mohair as part of the fiber content for this yarn. Most of the mohair I’ve seen is a strand of mohair on its own, looking incredibly fluffy, or part of an art yarn. Not to say these are the only kind of yarn with mohair, but it isn’t very common to see it mixed into an acrylic and polyamide blend.
The addition of mohair makes this yarn so very soft, but it doesn’t have that feeling like you might accidentally tear the strand apart if you put too much tension on it. The synthetic fibers add the durability you can feel as you knit with it. A layer of delicate softness with an underlying strength; as any lady must have.
The composition and a peak at the needle gauge.
This fiber composition is hand wash only, which is not really surprising considering the mohair. If you’ve ever knit with a single strand of mohair, you’ll know the fine fibers stick together while simply knitting with it. If you tried to put that in a washer, it would felt. Mind you this yarn has only 20% mohair so it doesn’t stick together while knitting with it. It’s just as easy to frog it as knit it the first time. Trust me, I tested it. I may or may not have let my attention wander while knitting my first swatch.
Hand wash only and all those cryptic laundry symbols
The polyamide creates an angora effect, so there’s a slight halo around this yarn as it’s knit up. This makes your garment look incredibly cozy, even if the yarn is a lighter weight. Many people are put off by light weight yarn, but knitting with a lighter weight yarn is very rewarding. Garments generally have a more flattering fit and you can create finer details with finer yarn.
The lovely Pearl Pink and Dusky Mauve.
Lady Sybil is a very refined yarn, just like it’s name-sake, great for making fine detail garments. It will really bring out the patterns it is knit into. Tomorrow we’ll go over some types of garments that would be best suited for Lady Sybil. There are even a few quick ones that could be completed before the holiday season. Stay tuned.