Dawn Brocco's Life & Design Blog

The Atlantic and Softspun yarns from Cabin Fever came in! Wahoo!


Can't wait to ball them up and swatch the new B&L Softspun for gauge and swatch a stitch pattern in the red B&L Atlantic for that capelet I previously mentioned. And I think I'm gonna try socks in these sale blues and greys. LOVE them thick wool socks!

I'm still cogitating about yarn options for the blue Donegal Tweed cable and rib pullover.

I was almost sold on the idea of using the natural color Bluefaced Leicester, when the idea of using a stay-at-home yarn like Brown Sheep's Lanaloft snuck into my head.

I'm also considering Cascade's Pastaza, Cloud 9 and their new Soft Spun version of their Peruvian wool yarns. The Cloud 9 is an iffy option - ONLY to be used if it gets gauge, *naturally*, but also if the angora doesn't send my allergies into high gear, as angora always seems to.

I want to be as green and ecological as possible in my yarn choices, as well as thrifty, when possible. So, as MUCH as I LOVE BFL, it needs to haul butt from across the Pond. But then the Cascade Eco I've used in many designs comes from Peru, as does the Pastaza and the Soft Spun (not sure about the Cloud 9). Peru is not exactly around the corner.

OH, what is a designer to do!? I would feel slightly better about using the BFL, as, at least I'm helping to support genetic diversity by buying a breed-specific yarn - gotta keep these breeds alive!

But as I look at B&L's new Softspun, though it says 5 sts/1", it's a pretty lofty yarn, so I'm gonna swatch now and report back after the swatch dries. If it get the 4.5 sts/1" gauge in Stockinette that I need, I may well use this yarn - it's reasonably priced, it only needs to come from Canada AND they use domestic wool, so no shipping from halfway around the globe.

Labels: Atlantic yarn, BFL, Bluefaed Leicester lanaloft, Briggs and Little, Cabin Fever, Cascade Yarns, Soft Spun