linen

Posted by marne on April 25, 2011 in knit | 4 comments

First, you might enjoy watching this: 

BE LINEN MOVIE from Benoit MILLOT on Vimeo.

I might have mentioned before that I really love linen, it is by far my favorite fabric. I would be happy if my entire summer wardrobe was linen. I'd also love to have linen sheets and drapes and furniture. I love the way it drapes and the way it's wrinkly and crisp and smooth. I love the color of natural linen, and I love the way it smells. Is that weird? 

So, Quince and Co. just introduced a linen yarn and some really lovely patterns to go with it, and before I knew it, I had ordered a couple skeins and the pattern for Le Petit Sac. The yarn arrived on Saturday, and it's just as lovely as I imagined. It's very smooth and has a tight twist, so it's not as splity or nubby as other linen yarns I've worked with in the past. It is not the easiest yarn to knit with, since linen has no give at all, but I knew that before I even ordered the yarn. So it's a little bit of a challenge to work with, especially since the pattern is full of twist stitches. But it's small, and I am just moving along slowly and steadily, and I will be done just as soon as I can. 

I know it's just a simple little bag, but I'm pretty sure I will be using it all the time. The fabric is quite sturdy, and while the pattern doesn't call for it, I think I will probably line it (with linen, of course). I love the little loop in the strap right at the base of the bag for holding a single flower (or whatever else you might think of). Sweet little details like that are important, don't you think?

While I was waiting for my yarn to arrive, I happened upon this clever cowl/hat on Ravelry. I love vintage lace just as much as I love linen, so when I saw how the designer had used a pretty scrap of lace to tie up the hat, well, I had to make myself one too. I used a skein of Savannah, by The Fibre Company, which I had in my stash (coincidentally, a blend of merino, linen, cotton and soy!), and it was just the perfect rustic, soft, drapey yarn for a squishy cowl and a slouchy hat.

Cowl:

And hat:

I have more knitting to share, but I just love the soothing colors of this post, so I think I will end here for now. Oh, and I'm also working on the next iPhoneography post, so that should be up later this week!