A Tale of Two Yarns – 2KCBWDAY1

Part of any fibre enthusiast’s hobby is an appreciation of yarn. Choose two yarns that you have either used, are in your stash or which you yearn after and capture what it is you love or loathe about them.

The first yarn for this post was a really easy choice. I loved this yarn the second I saw it, and it is so beautiful. It is the artisan yarns wool I bought at Harrogate Knitting and Stitching Fair waaay back in November. The colours are all my favourites and the yarn is cuddly, but so cuddly that you know it will be a fiend to knit with.

This ball in patiently waiting to become a Simple City shawl. Now, I cannot WAIT to start it - it's a project for myself after what feels like a lifetime of selfless knitting. In fact, I might start it this very week. I just need to finish those socks.

Anyhoo, thought was required before the second yarn could be chosen. I have knit with my first Zauberball and enjoyed the experience (except that there was lots of frogging involved, but that wasn't the fault of the yarn). I have knit a lot of projects with good solid brands like Patons, Sirdar and Wendy. I have some other beautiful yarns in my stash that are waiting for ideas, time or inclination. However, when I look back at my knitting projects of the past year, there is one brand that I keep going back to: King Cole.

That is just what I have lying around - plenty of the ball bands have gone in the bin and plenty of the projects have been gifted away. So far, made into two hats, a bolero, two pairs of mittlets (one frogged), and almost a complete pair of socks. And I love this yarn, because it doesn't itch, it's warm, comes in many colours but best of all: it's completely fine to knit with. Maybe not so inspiring, but sometimes the pattern should be the star, not the yarn. But it doesn't split, knot, pool, or anything else that makes yarn annoying. It's just fine, all the time.