Live Stitch @ Little Knits

Welcome to the world of Evilla Artyarn!  I was expecting a Kauni Effektgarn clone but I found something a little different.  The color repeats are long, the same as Kauni, the weight is the same as Kauni; not proving my point too well, am I?  The difference is . . . the feel.

Evilla Artyarn is a fingering weight Shetland yarn.  Shetland has a reputation of being coarse and a little rough on the hands and skin when worn.  I happen to LOVE Shetland so I definitely don’t have a problem with knitting it or wearing it.  A quick FYI, you can get Evilla in different hank sizes – anywhere from 100 grams to 400 grams – and the yardage and prices change based on the weight of each hank.

Those with sensitive skin will be pleasantly surprised.  When I began to wind it into cakes, this color is A46 – repeats of plum, cranberry and rose; rich, soft, subtle and very beautiful.  I noticed there were no breaks, it was smooth and even – I couldn’t wait to try it!

I wanted to try a pattern and had been on Ravelry.com in the Little Knits group Activity tab.  Someone had in their queue the Cables and Eyelet Cowl and I absolutely love the pattern.  I am working on a pattern which may use some elements of this pattern, so this became my swatch pattern.  At first the yarn felt coated, like a lotion (this is the natural lanolin on the fiber).  I wasn’t too sure about that but kept going.  Within a few minutes I realized I was gliding along.  

I had cast on with US 5 (3.75mm) needles and setup 4 pattern repeat rows with a 3-stitch garter stitch edge. This is not a tight gauge (5.5 – 6 sts/inch).  After blocking and drying, the cables popped as the swatch flattened out, and the stitches were defined and even.  Even though I knitted a 10” x 7” swatch, I still didn’t see any color change. . .this may give you an idea for how long the repeats are.  And you could go down a needle size or two for a denser fabric.  

I wanted to see what another color looked like as well as create a stockinette stitch swatch. So I pulled out the Evilla in A97 – Basil/Sage. . . well, green. 

Again the yarn feels soothing to the skin. The stitch definition is great if you are using texture stitches in your pattern.  But for straight stockinette stitch, it is a nice smooth finish.  The gauge is the same as the patterned swatch above. If you want to create a timeless garment in a yarn that will show off your pattern and last, Evilla should be on your list.

Please feel free to let Fulay or me know if this review is helpful to you or if there are other yarns you are interested in seeing a review posted.

If you have been lurking, chatting and/or posting on the Little Knits Group on Ravelry, we have probably crossed paths.  I am gwynneknit, please stop by and say “hi!”   

Blessings,

Gwynne