Last August, I bought seven skeins of Carol Feller’s new yarn, Nua. I didn’t have a project in mind, but was curious about the yarn, mostly because of its interesting composition: it is 60% merino wool, 20% yak, and 20% linen. It is also sportweight, a weight which I really enjoy knitting with. This is the shade called Unexpected Macaw:
The wool, yak, and linen fibres take up the dye differently, which gives an interesting richness to the yarn. This particular shade reminds me of well-worn denim. There is a very natural, rough kind of look to it, likely from the linen, but it is incredibly soft, which I imagine is from the yak fibre.
I have been keeping my eye out for a pattern to use with this yarn. And then, last week, this one popped up in my pattern feed:
© Interweave / George Boe
This is the Sunbird Top by Quenna Lee, published by Interweave Press. (A note to Ravellers: you can’t buy this pattern from Ravelry; you need to go to the Interweave site, set up an account and purchase a download. This means that you can’t store it in your Ravelry library.) I thought it would be lovely in the Nua. Here you can see the top back of the tee:
I was a bit worried about whether the knit-purl stitch pattern would show up in the Nua; it would certainly be crisper in a plump cotton yarn. However, I find the resulting fabric very pretty and subtle. The Nua feels lovely and I think it will result in a very breathable, soft fabric that feels great on the skin. Here is my progress as of this morning:
For the first week of spring, it is feeling decidedly un-springlike here. Having a sweet little tee on my needles is a good antidote and, hopefully, a precursor of beautiful weather to come.
Absolutely love the sunburst top
It’s cute; isn’t it? I hope it turns out.
Nua is a really lovely yarn. I bought 2 skeins at the start and knitted two simple hats. It seems to wear well, so far anyway, and is beautifully soft. Had been wondering about making a jumper, especially as the new colours really appeal, but this pattern is really nice.. anndlooks very wearable. It will be so comfortable in the summer.
I like the colours, too. Carol designed a shawl for Nua which comes in two different colourways, and I think they are both great: https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/russler. I’m glad to hear that your hats have worn well as that is still a concern for me.
Thanks for taking the Nua plunge. HoW does this yarn compare to a 100% wool in terms of sproing, bloom, elasticity?
OK, Susan, these are very early days comments, as I have yet to wear or wash the Nua. But, after a week of knitting with it, I would say that it has less sproing, less bloom, and less elasticity than wool. (But perhaps not in that order; I would say it has more bloom than sproing and more sproing than elasticity.) However, compared to linen, I would say that it has more sproing, more bloom, and more elasticity. It has lots of drape and makes a soft, fluid fabric. I am hoping that it will combine some of the best things about wool and linen (the yak is a wild card). So far, I am really liking it. I am slightly worried that it may bias a bit when I get to the stockinette; I will report back.
So pleased you were able to find such a lovely spring/summer project, and the Nua looks delicious. 🙂
Thanks, Liz. I needed something cheerful and this seems to be doing the trick. It is also nice to knit from stash. Happy Easter.
That is going to be a lovely sweater! And yes, hopefully a harbinger of spring!
I hope so! It is fun to knit.
Thanks for tempting me! In fact Ive bought the yarn.. oh, expensive. And tax for Norway too. So may be I shall buy that pattern too. Lovely!
Oh dear! I was not being an enabler on purpose. If you like the yarn, Liv, and would like more, I can buy it for you and pass it on to your daughter next time I see her. Let me know what you think of it. Best wishes, Kelly
Still lots of snow in Norway but you inspired me to start planning summer knits! Lovely yarn!
Thank you! I hope that thinking about summer knitting brings you some sunshine and warmer weather.
It’s snowing in the Northeast and just cold and grey here in Maryland. i’m hoping spring really does come soon. I’m craving more sunshine.
This winter does seem endless, doesn’t it? I think that the doom and gloom of this year is rubbing off on the weather. It’s definitely effecting my mood. Let’s hope that the spring is just around the corner. (I noticed that you cast on for Tecumseh in very spring-y colours; lovely!)
Thank you! I’m doing spring colors and a cotton blend so I can have something to look forward to wearing that’s not wool!
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