Jade Sapphire 2-ply cashmere
I'm in love.
Habu 2-ply cashmere is wonderful, but won't come into its own until after washing. Jade Sapphire 2-ply cashmere, on the other hand, is instant gratification. Lusty, passionate, gotta-have-you, let's-spend-time-together-now kind of love. It's heavenly.
I only bought one skein because I wanted to try it and also there was only one in this color — and let's face it, it ain't cheap — so I started spending quality time with it by making swatches.
I started with simple stockinette then moved to more complex patterns. The swatch below is pattern #295 from that Japanese pattern book I got recently.
At first I got one of the stitches wrong. I knew it right away, but was too lazy to get my butt off the couch and go get that other Japanese book that explains all the knitting symbols (a whole entry on that book soon). Eventually I did, and the rest of the swatch looks right.
Last night, I decided to take a little break from my yellow Habu lace scarf (almost done with the border) and actually start a project with the Jade Sapphire. I picked a fun scarf designed by Brenda Patipa. It's a bit frou-frou for my taste, but I can make this with just one skein and I've never done anything with short rows so I'm learning something new.
I promise: I will finish the yellow scarf! I also needed a little break from #0 needles. I am knitting the Jade Sapphire with #1 needles, which may not seem much of a difference to some knitters, but believe me, it does make for slightly more relaxed knitting for me.
Comments
Complimenti per la scelta, Francesca, hai azzeccato un modello bellissimo! Nemmeno il colore originale e' male :-)
Posted by: Zita | February 23, 2007 1:26 PM
The scarf looks nice. It appears that you have conquered the pattern.
Posted by: Theresa | February 23, 2007 1:52 PM
Oh ... I believe you ... the difference between 0 and 1 is great!
The swatches from the cashmere look so heavenly!
Posted by: Agnes | February 23, 2007 5:38 PM
These look gorgeous!
I found an interesting thing on the Purl site a while ago: - "swatches are postcards of your creative progress". Look at them in that light and you can't go wrong.
Posted by: Karen | February 24, 2007 6:16 AM
The scarf looks really lovely! It is going to turn out really well.
Posted by: genevieve | February 24, 2007 6:34 PM
Beautiful yarn. I like the short row pattern, it looks interesting.
Posted by: frances goodman | February 24, 2007 11:57 PM
Your swatches are beautiful. I used 2-ply Mongolian Cashmere for Print O' the Wave and used the leftovers on the free nightie Interweave pattern. If your Jade is anything like the Mongolian I used - I understand your instant love of the fibre. It is gorgeous to work with and the feel & drape of the FO is over the top.
Looking forward to seeing your post about Japanese book with symbol explanations. Thanks for sharing!
Posted by: Anna Marie | February 25, 2007 6:15 AM
The yarn is beautiful, I want to touch it! I really like the pattern you chose, it's feminine, but I don't think it's too fussy. I can't wait to see the finished product.
Posted by: lucy | February 27, 2007 5:29 PM
Ciao Francesca!
thanks for your kind words :)
I love the Habu yarn. It looks so soft. Beautiful swatches!
Posted by: Laurence | February 27, 2007 5:42 PM
One thing I know about is Cashmere! Did you know that white cashmere is $240 a pound before spinning? I have lots! Trish
Posted by: Trish Andersen | February 28, 2007 8:41 PM