Follow along and discover your next inspiration as we cast on for projects we love, explore new techniques, and dish about the latest and greatest from Knit Picks.
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Many of you have knit with a variety of animal fibers: wool, alpaca, angora. Have you ever worked outside of the “animal box” and knit/crocheted/spun with the fiber of a more exotic animal? If so, we’d love to hear about it. Write to us at podcast@knitpicks.com. If you’re included in our next podcast, you’ll receive a “charm pack” of our favorite yarns. Write to us now! We’d love to hear from you.
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Shaina Scott / October 5, 2014
I love finding new animal fibers to try out! Recently, I’ve noticed a big trend in yarns made with camel or baby camel. I was at a fiber fair a few weeks ago and picked up a skein of 50% baby camel and 50% silk that one of my favorite Indy dyers (The Dying Arts) has just started selling. The amazing drape and softness hooked me right away! At that same fiber fair, I picked up some lovely, squishy corn yarn (Corney Goodness) that is sooo incredibly soft and it dyed up with almost a watercolor effect to the tonal shades. I’m planning on making a snugly cabled scarf with that one. I’ve also knit with Australian Opossum, and it’s amazingly soft, warm and it just sucked-up the dyes into these beautiful jewel tones! Of course, anyone who tried Toe-futsies, has knit with chiton, but I never noticed much of a difference in the yarn’s texture. Maybe just a bit less spring and squish than most wool yarns, but they made that up with great colors. At that same fiber fair that I mentioned earlier, my friend bought some spinning fiber made of milk and it was so gorgeously soft and shiny!! I also saw a skein of yak/silk/baby camel at The Dying Arts’ booth and if I had any money left, I would have snagged that to make into a lovely scarf/shawl so I could have the softness of it near my face all the time! |
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carolee ann / October 4, 2014
my mom bought some quiviut yarn on holiday one year; i knit it up into EZ’s dickie and a pair of cuffs; she really likes it. the quiviut was lovely to work with. |
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Jude / October 3, 2014
I’ve knit with yarns containing possum – that was a nice one. And there is a company that makes yarn with Yak – I’ve used their yarn also. But that’s pretty much it and not all that exotic. |
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theresa calter / October 2, 2014
so I am guessing the cardigan corgi hair that is part of my new cardigan is not what you have in mind no matter how it aid in heat retention. |
