Fibers for Spring

Can you believe it’s almost April and time for another First Friday?  I cannot--especially given the sudden snow and cold snap.  Spring is definitely coming in like the proverbial lion.  Most of us are so ready for winter to be over.  We want springtime colors that are light and bright, but the weather keeps reminding us that we need warm and cozy.  The fibers of spring are smooth merinos and merino blends, in fresh spring shades of aqua, pink, periwinkle and yellow.  This time of year I am especially fond of Sublime Merino and Inca Gold.  These are both tightly twisted extra-fine merino yarns with a soft and silky hand that is lovely to knit and feels very nice against your skin.  The Inca Gold has 20% silk tossed in for a super sheen.  Both Sublime and Inca Gold come in colors that feel just right for the season.
 
Another lovely fiber for spring is a wool and cotton blend.  This heavenly marriage gives you the softness of cotton and the warmth and the elasticity of wool.   My favorite examples of this lovely blend are Spud & Chloe and Louisa Harding’s new Ianthe.  The former is a worsted weight that knits up relatively quickly on a size 8 needle while the latter is finer and happiest on a size 6.  Both are a dream to work with and come in color palettes that makes you feel as if warm weather is right around the corner 

For us Noro addicts, there’s the recently re-introduced Silk Garden Lite which is a great blend of silk and mohair in colors combinations that only Noro can create.  Like Ianthe, Silk Garden Lite knits up at 22 stitches to 4 inches making a very nice lightweight fabric.

As far as styles for spring, I love cardigans because they’re so versatile, and spring is so unpredictable.  You can toss them over long sleeves in the morning chill and shed them in the afternoon sun.  They look good right now over a turtleneck, and you can wear them well into the summer over a shell at the office or any other over-air-conditioned venue.  My absolute favorite spring cardigan is my top-down wrap sweater that I knit in aqua Sublime Merino.  It never feels too hot or heavy, and the color is like a breath of fresh air.  We did this sweater for our April First Friday project last year ago, and it continues to be a favorite design - I am even anxious to knit another one.  Since many of you have expressed interest in this project, I decided to offer a reprise of the Neck-Down wrap sweater for our April First Friday project.  Whether this will be your first or second version, I hope you’ll join us and make the perfect spring sweater in a lovely spring fiber.