Monday, October 06, 2008
In Love with Kauni
I am in love with a new yarn that I have been using: Kauni .
This Shetland-like yarn in a fingering weight is so much fun to work with. It is distinguished by its long--and I mean "long"--colour repeats. Although it is classified as a fingering weight yarn, it has loft and life and a halo. When worked on larger needles, as I am doing here, it expands and fills out and softens.
Here I am working the Lady of the Forest wrap, in the Kauni Effekt yarn colour EH. This design normally calls for a double-knitting or worsted weight yarn. But because of the liveliness of this 100% wool yarn, it knits up to gauge on 6.5 mm. needles. And watching and waiting for the colours to gradually change from one to the next is such anticipated pleasure.
Marketed by Kauni in Denmark, this wool yarn is actually produced and dyed in its distinctive colourations in Estonia. At the moment, it is available in Canada from Lucy Neatby at Tradewinds Knitwear Designs. I also plan to carry this yarn on my website in the future.
Many of my current designs, especially those that work with the particular characteristics of variegated yarns, will work well with this yarn. The Lady of the Forest is a case in point and I'll post the Kauni version once it is finished and photographed.
Needless to say, though, I am already at work developing some new designs with this yarn, designs that will exploit its unique features. What fun when the creative juices are in full flow!
