luxurious knits for #selfknitcare December Special!
Tina has not one, but TWO special yarns to tempt us with this second week of December #selfknitcare special! (coupon code at bottom of post!) A little Super soft DK love!
Crackpaca just oozes luxury from every little pearl-like twist of its firm little double plies. With 45% baby alpaca for drape and softness, 40% Merino for superfine wooly wonderfulness, and 10% cultivated silk for a little glisten and gleam, it’s a tasty little morsel of a yarn.
We promptly knit it up in Churchmouse’s free pattern, Vineyard Cowl, because all that sumptuous softness deserved to be right up against our necks! This little piece makes the most of a single (generous) skein, taking just 200+ yards. Heck – if you have friends with birthdays in January, or you’re getting together after the holidays for a delayed gift exchange, this pattern should be top of your list. I can’t think of anyone who wouldn’t enjoy snuggling up in this beauty come January!
The thing I really appreciate about how Tina designed Crackpaca is its total non-hairiness! Many alpaca yarns have some fibers that sproink out and poke you just a little bit; or they can look a little … shaggy. Not so Crackpaca! There’s something in the tightness of the ply, plus the addition of merino for softness and silk for sheen that makes Crackpaca read less … alpaca-y. (You know what I mean, right?)
So imagine my delight when one of my design crushes, Amy Cristoffers, released a new pullover pattern designed for alpaca-blend yarns: the Ryder Pullover.
Here’s an easy, sumptuous funnel-neck sweater that you’d just want to cozy up in on a weekend and never leave. It’s got modern, deep ribbing at the cuffs and a high-yet-wide neckline that lets you snuggle into Crackpaca’s soft folds. Sizes range from 36″–55″, which would call for 4–7 skeins. I might plan to knit mine a bit oversized, just to be able to wear it over anything (especially pyjama pants!). And that rusty colorway in her original sweater has me dreaming of one in “Bitter Sweet.” Don’tcha think? 
Or maybe big-and-boxy is your thing this Winter (all the better to hide the transgressions of the holidays!). I’m intrigued by “Smackover” by Samantha Stadter — looks like one to pop on and hide in until Spring comes around. Knit it up in a nice neutral like “Greige,” and you’ll be wearing it with everything!
Check out the other photos on Ravelry – there’s a cool center-front line of decreases that adds a spark of interest and makes for a neat ‘hang’ that takes it beyond the oversized, plain boxy-sweater look.
The cool thing about pairing these two yarns – Crackpaca and La Luna DK – this week is that the pattern choices are pretty interchangeable! I was looking for patterns that don’t knit this gauge too ‘open,’ because the silk component in these yarns might make for sloppy, unreliable fabric if knitted too loosely. But in a range of 23-20 sts/4″, a garment you make out of either of these luxurious lovelies should hold their shape through years of wear.
I love the way La Luna‘s luster shows off depth of color! So let’s look at a few colorful projects that will let you blend and play with some of Tina’s rich colorways.
First up is a bit of colorwork joy: Beat Sweater by Katrin Schneider. I love the geometric motifs across the shoulders and hips – what a fun way to combine two of your favorite colorways! Choose two Shaded Solids that really stand out from one another to maintain the visual impact of the simple lines in this one.
Or go crazy with some Multicolor Waves and fade from one to the other in the Comfort Fade Cardi by none other than the Queen of Fade herself, Andrea Mowry. You get the fun of choosing four colors that relate to one another to create the ‘fading’ effect – I’m toying with going rich and bright with “Cables of Wrath“, “Black to the Fuchsia”, “#shepersisted”, and “Survivor”! (Go big or go home, right?)
But let’s say you had your heart set on a big, lustrous wrap out of La Luna (and why wouldn’t you, really?). Tina and I were both stopped in our tracks this weekend by the prospect of this bit of loveliness to swathe ourselves in:
Egad, that lace! That texture! That shape! It’s Kempen by Katrin Schneider, and it is a glorious thing. Four skeins of La Luna will get you there – and it’s hard deciding whether you’d have more fun knitting it or wearing it!
Order your skeins of Crackpaca or La Luna DK this week with Tina’s generous code, and you’ll be casting on dreamily with pillows of lustrous loveliness in a few weeks, after the hustle and bustle is over. Enjoy!
Code is: selfknitcareDK and is good for 15% now until midnight December 15th!
Happy Knitting!!
