Welcome to Knitting and Crochet Blog week! Today's subject is something close to all knitters' and crocheters' hearts - Yarn! 

My other hobby is babywearing and I LOVE trying woven wraps in different fabric blends and assessing their different qualities - their feel, how they drape, how the supportiveness differs, how they look in different lighting conditions, how large the knot is etc. I know a few knitters and crocheters in person and online and after seeing some of their work, a huge motivating factor in me asking for a set of KnitPros for Christmas was to get to use some of the different yarns I'd seen - I suppose it appealed to my inner fabric geek.

The yarn I bought for my first 'proper' knitting project was Noro Sekku. I'd never used anything as lightweight before, mostly just inexpensive acrylic DK for dolls' clothes and a wool/acrylic blend aran that actually hurt my fingers to knit! The Noro was a bit of a revelation although I remember feeling a little crestfallen that the first 65 stitches I cast on fitted into a couple of inches on my needles. The things I loved most about it were the uneven slubby quality and the way the colours changed.

Noro Sekku Cowl - 50% Cotton, 16% Silk. 17% Wool, 17% Polyamide

Over the last few months and trying a variety of different yarns, I have a couple of favourites. I have already blogged about the Nimu Torva I finished recently and overall it's probably the nicest yarn that I've knitted to date. It's so soft, drapes beautifully and has such wonderfully subtle colours. The shawl I made from it had lots of stocking stitch which I find quite tedious (I really don't love knitting long rows of purl) but I didn't mind too much as I was enjoying watching the colours change - it's a little hypnotic.

Nimu Torva - 75% Superwash Merino 20% Cashmere 5% Nylon.

I've realised that finding a pattern and yarn that compliment each other is something that takes some experience and skill - at the moment I don't have either so it's something I need to develop (and quickly to avoid making potentially expensive mistakes). I mentioned previously that I was disappointed  with my Lipstick cowl for this reason - it should have been fantastic - I like the pattern and used some beautiful handspun yarn but it just didn't really work. I'm now thinking of changing the buttons for something more dramatic to see if I like it more and if not, recycling the yarn into something else - maybe some mittens which I think would be a better option.

Felt Studio UK Hand-Dyed Hand-Spun Falkland Wool 100% Merino

Sublime Yarns  75% Merino, 20% Silk, 5% Cashmere

COLOUR is really important to me and the things I've made have generally been pretty colourful - certainly those I like the most are the most interesting colours. In contrast, the Nellie cardigan I'm knitting today for my little lady is an uninspiring colour, but perfect for the item I'm making, so while I'm finishing it up I'm really looking forward to knitting up my next skeins.... of Noro Kochoran

Noro Kochoran - 50% Wool, 30% Angora, 20% Silk