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Zephyr
$8.00/skein, plus $.50/skein shipping
Silly me, I used to think of Zephyr as a "niche" yarn: a luxury blend for lace projects by expert knitters. And I was half right: 50% merino, 50% silk, and 5,040 yards to the pound--this is a perfect yarn for heirloom shawls (that's why it's used so often in A Gathering of Lace). But as colleagues and customers have shown me, it has a multitude of other uses as well: doubled, as a DK-weight in sweaters or socks; in warm, soft, light-weight hats and gloves; or, taking advantage of the brilliant colors, in small-scale, finely detailed Fair Isle patterns. And, since it double so well, why not combine two different shades for a tweedy look?
And the price is certainly right: a 2-ounce skein contains 600 yards and costs $8 (plus $.50 shipping). (That means you'll need 2 for a Landscape Shawl, one for a pair of socks--though be ready to do some math, as sock-density fabric might be 10 sts or more to the inch.) The yarn comes to us on one-pound cones, which you can also purchase for $60 (plus $4.50 shipping). We wind the smaller skeins ourselves, so just let us know if you'd like, say, 6 ounces in one large doughnut (if it's all one shawl, why have to join more ends than necessary?).
Each skein is $8.00, plus $.50 shipping; colors shown below.
Each one-pound cone is $60.00, plus $4.50 shipping; colors shown below.
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Here's an example of Zephyr in a Fair Isle pattern, at something over 10 sts to the inch on a US #2.
Here's Zephyr in a Faroese shawl design, where it was knitted on a US #6 needle at an unblocked gauge of about 4 sts to the inch. Because of the merino, Zephyr doesn't hold a crisp blocking very well; over time, it blooms. The pattern reads clearly enough in this example because the gauge "as knitted" was loose enough. The piece itself feels quite warm and woolly (though of course with no itch at all).
Order the Landscape Shawl Kit, above, a lace weight wool/silk blend for $20. (Shown in Basil)
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