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Yarn Review: Cascade Venezia Worsted

POSTED: October 29, 2009 by mysisterknits

One of the new yarns we brought into the shop this fall is a worsted weight version of Cascade's Venezia yarn which is called Venezia Worsted. It is a multi-ply worsted weight yarn made of 70% merino wool and 30% silk. The smoothness of the yarn and sheen from the silk give this yarn fantastic stitch definition as you can see in the above photo. The silk is also a contributor to the fantastic drape of the knit fabric. Each 100 gram hank contains 218 yards of yarn, making it pretty economical choice for a merino and silk blend yarn.

I chose my first use of this yarn (and likely not the last) for a simple shawl design. I wanted to maximize the use of the drape and stitch definition. Since it was a shawl/scarf I opted to bump up my needle size to a US 9 (recommended is US 7). This gave a slightly looser and even drapier fabric that was fantastic for the shawl. My swatch on US 7s was great as well, it still retained plenty of drape and produced a lovely fabric for sweaters and other accessories.

The silk content in yarns can sometimes make them a little bit splitty causing the needle tips to pass between plies instead of clearing the full diameter of the yarn when forming the stitches. Given the 30% silk content I was expecting a bit of a battle with yarn splitting when I set out on the project. While I did not use my pointiest tipped needles, I rarely had problems with splitting. Knitting this project was a pleasure from start to finish. The yarn even withstood a major frogging session of about 5 inches and the yarn did not look any worse for wear.

Stop by the shop and check out the fabric of the shawl pictured in this post (Tesni) and judge for yourself! The shawl is on display and the pattern available for purchase. More Venezia Worsted is on order and should be arriving soon.

If you are on Ravelry be sure to check out some of the finished projects using Venezia Worsted and some of the suggested patterns for even more ideas.

A Look at Lana Bambu

POSTED: September 9, 2009 by mysisterknits

I’m often a bit too practical to work with singles yarns. In general they do not hold up to wear as well and often lack the stitch definition of plied yarns. Every once in a while a singles yarn comes along that just sweeps me off of my feet and I put aside my overly analytical side and enjoy the process (and sometimes get proven wrong in my bias for plied yarns). One such yarn is pictured above -- the brand new Lana Bambu from Cascade, the manufacturer of one of my favorite workhorse yarns, Cascade 220.

Made mostly of wool, with just a touch of bamboo, this singles yarn subtly shifts tones as you knit. I will admit, I am a sucker for ombre striping and it is often best achieved in a singles yarn. The striping, however, was not the only quality to win me over. The 21% bamboo content adds some heathered quality to the color, gorgeous drape to the fabric as well as a hint of shine and some additional softness. The result is a gorgeously fluid fabric with next to the skin softness unlike many other ombre striping yarns on the market.

The ball band suggests a gauge of 4.5 stitches per inch on a US9 (5.5 mm) needle, which I found produced a fabric of considerable drape and softness. It would be a great choice for accessories that require a fluid fabric and are not exposed to too much friction during wear. I found the fabrics on US8 (5mm) and US7 (4.5mm) needles favorable as well. The fabric maintains flexibility at tighter gauges thanks to the bamboo content. To knit a garment or accessories that take a bit more wear such as mittens or gloves I would likely opt for a gauge of 5 stitches per inch. Upon washing there was some bloom to the fabric causing a slight (~1/4-1/2 stitch per inch) decrease in stitches per inch. That is not uncommon, especially with singles yarns.

Lana Bambu also stood the test of stitch definition. Since the color shifts are more tonal in nature and low contrast they do not overpower moderately complex stitch patterns as seen in the photo above.

With each 100 gram hank containing nearly 200 yards of yarn for less than $15 it is a great choice for accessories that will pop with subtle striping. Try some of the patterns for Noro Kureyon with Lana Bambu for a softer and more subtle look such as:

• Quant Headband from Knitty
• Multidirectional Diagonal Scarf
• Lady Elanor Entrelac Stole from Scarf Style (Ravelry Link)
• Mitered Mittens from EZ’s Knitter’s Almanac or Knitting Around (Ravelry Link)
• Counterpane Carpet Bag from Handknit Holidays (Ravelry Link)

The pattern for the work in progress pictured at the top of the post will be available at the shop shortly. We are knitting up a few examples and testing the pattern right now.

Lana Bambu, made in Italy, distributed by Cascade Yarns of Seattle Washington
Singles (1 ply)
196 yds per 100 gram (3.5 oz) Hank
4.5 sts per inch on US9 (5.5 mm) Needles
Hand Wash Cold, Lay Flat to Dry
Available in 8 Colors