About Fine Fibers & Yarns - Part 1: Mohair

When I was little, I thought yarn came in two general varities: scratchy wool and acrylic which was typically not scratchy. As an adult now wandering through the world of knitting yarns, I've learned about many different varieties of yarns and fibers. There is such a thing as wool that is not rough and scratchy. And there is such a thing as yarn that is so soft and luxurious you want to wrap up in it and never take it off!

One of the most amazing discoveries has been mohair and mohair blended with silk. Of course there are many different yarn companies that produce this wonderful material, which comes from the fine hairs of young angora goats. I recently sold a lovely collar scarf made from Habu silk-mohair http://www.habutextiles.com/. Now I am working on two different pieces from Rowan kidsilk haze http://www.knitrowan.com/ . The yarn is light and fluffy and yields remarkable warmth at the same time. Natural fibers give the benefit of breathing, keeping them drier and warmer. Some knitters claim that they are addicted to this yarn --they can't stop coming up with projects and uses for it!

I am early in the creative process with this oversized scarf pictured above. I couldn't decide on only one color, so I ended up choosing five colors and am working a stripescape that will evolve into color blocks. I will update this posting when I'm finished, so you can see the final result.