Yarn Review and Free Pattern

Any yarnie on Facebook has run across the adorable Chandi of Expression Fiber Arts and marveled at her beautiful colorways that have been inspired by gorgeous (probably stock) photographs. She has a great story about having started up her yarn business after a nasty divorce and needing to find a way to make a living. Now remarried, she and her husband run Expression Fiber Arts from their home in North Carolina.

I love comeback kid stories and I love beautifully colored yarn even more so I had to try some of it out. I ordered some of her sock yarn and her worsted weight Superwash Merino Silk Pearlescent, the latter being the yarn that I am reviewing here.

The yarn order came in a timely fashion with tracking information sent within 24 hours of placing my online order. Everything was received as ordered in excellent condition. I immediately wound the hanks into center pull balls using a swag and ball winder without incident. I admit to having initial concerns as to how well the yarn would knit up as it the ply is barely noticeable. Usually a hallmark of big box store yarn brands, a less then well-plied yarn lends itself to "splitting" by the needle going through the yarn rather than the yarn slipping easily intact around the needle.

Once I roughed out a tunic design, I immediately cast on and began knitting. I was delighted to learn that splitting was not a problem after all. The yarn slides very nicely around the needle, probably because of the silk content, and knits smoothly. If I made a mistake in my seed stitch, it was easy to unknit back out. No tangling.. Yeah!

Stitches are well defined and the yarn has just a slight bit of sheen to it that catches the light nicely. And the I just love this colorway! She has her yarns dyed in batches so once she's out of a particular colorway, it may not come in again. As my writing today, she had none of the Sand & Sea available so you want to ensure that you order enough yardage for your project while you can get it!

I get constant compliments on the tunic I knitted up using this yarn (free pattern download from Ravelry). There are two things important to note about working with this yarn though:

1) Although this yarn doesn't feel heavy on the body, it does have a dramatic drape to it. It moves very nicely but the stitches do open up and the garment will elongate throughout the day as you wear it... by about 5 inches with this tunic.

2) Even with delicate handling, the yarn does fuzzy up a bit so go easy. This isn't the yarn you want to use for someone that is rough on their clothing. It's probably best for light wear items and people who are well-versed at handwashing garments!

As long as you take into consideration these two caveats, you are certain to be pleased with your splurge purchase.