The Fiberful Facts
Bases
At Knitten Word, it's important that my yarn is pleasurable for you to work with and serves you well in your intended end product. Â I look for blends of fiber that combine strength, comfort, and luxury. Â I'm also mindful about natural fibers and try to use bases that let the natural fibers featured shine through.
Laceweight and Fingering
GiltinÄ—
Laceweight - 55% Superwash Bluefaced Leicester / 45% Silk - 875 yd/100g - 2 ply
GiltinÄ— is one of the three goddesses of fate and the final goddess you encounter in your mortal life. This delicate yet strong laceweight yarn is meant to pay tribute to our thin mortal coil, tethering us to the earthly world. GiltinÄ— is a crisp yarn that holds lace definition well and also works up beautifully when knit at a tighter gauge in stockinette. She creates a dreamy, drapey, gauzy, and light fabric that is gorgeous against the skin and would make the finest heirloom gifts for loved ones (or yourself!). What if you don’t like mohair but want to add another laceweight strand to a project? Holding a strand of GiltinÄ— with a strand of another colour can allow you to create a custom marled colour.
Baba Yaga Sock
Fingering - 75% Superwash Bluefaced Leicester / 25% Nylon - 464 yd/100g - 4 ply
Baba Yaga is a Slavic trickster witch/ogress who lives in a house with chicken feet and rides around in a mortar and pestle. She is known to either help or hurt those who encounter her. Much like the character Baba Yaga, Baba Yaga Sock yarn is tough and built to last. Bluefaced Leicester is a strong and durable fiber. The long staple (or length) of the fiber adds extra strength and we like that for a sock yarn, because that means that long fiber helps protect against wear and tear as well as still being sock against the skin. The nylon adds an additional amount of strength and wear resistance. Like Baba Yaga, this yarn is quite ambiguous; you can use it for socks, shirts, shawls, or even bralettes and blankets.
Velnias
Laceweight - 72% Kid Mohair / 28% Silk - 459 yd/100g - 1 ply
Velnias is an old Lithuanian god; he’s a one eyed prophetic trickster who controls the vÄ—les, or phantoms of the dead. He creates whirlwinds and leads his phantasmic zombie army through the skies. The fuzzy nature of kid mohair with the silk spun in creates a luminously strong core to this yarn which felt like the perfect embodiment of this god. Velnias can look absolutely stunning and wispy on its own, as a light garment or sheer accessory or add an extra fuzz factor when held with another yarn. Holding a strand of Velnias with a strand of another colour can allow you to create a custom colour that’s completely your own.
Dalia
Fingering - 55% Superwash Bluefaced Leicester/45% Silk - 438 yd/100g - 4 ply
Dalia is named for one of the goddesses of fate. She is in charge of one's material wealth and property. This fingering weight base boasts two fibers that offer you shine and strength. Bluefaced Leicester has bounce and shine, while silk offers strength and drape. The combined fiber is ideal for shawls and sweaters, as well as hats. This fiber is kind against the skin and can be used for all kinds of garments.
Perkunas
Fingering - 90% Superwash Merino / 10% Lurex - 411 yd/100 g - 2ply
Perkunas is a fun yarn that is named for the Baltic god of the sky, lightning, thunder, and storms. The flash of thunderbolt silver that streaks through this yarn is paying tribute to the god Perkunas. The even metallic sparkle it adds to a project is eye catching and adds that pop that you want sometimes (or all the time). It is a loosely plied merino yarn, plied with lurex. The resulting fabric is drapey with evenly dispersed twinkles of shimmer. I love this yarn for a light top or a shawl with a lace motif.
DK, Worsted, and Aran
Laima
DK - 55% Superwash Bluefaced Leicester/45% Silk - 231 yd/100 g - 4 ply
Laima is a favorite luxury workhorse yarn. The yarn is named for the Baltic goddess of fate, Laima. She is also in charge of luck and is especially important to mothers and pregnant women. The Bluefaced Leicester is bouncy and shiny, while the silk adds more luster and strength. The tight ply makes this yarn ideal for things touching the skin; sweaters, heavier weight shawls, gloves, and hats. The resulting fabric has a lovely drape, a high shine, and durability. As someone who is hard on clothes, this yarn was chosen to be pretty yet tough.
Baba Yaga Worsted
Worsted - 100% Superwash Bluefaced Leicester - 218 yd/100g - 4 ply
Baba Yaga Worsted is the worsted “cousin” to Baba Yaga Sock. Just like Baba Yaga’s enchanted disembodied hands that do chores for her, this yarn is a workhorse. Baba Yaga Worsted, being 100% superwash Bluefaced Leicester, has a little more body than a superwash merino but relaxes and softens once blocked. This yarn is ideal for garments and objects that are going to be well loved and well worn. Baba Yaga Worsted shows texture well and would be excellent for sweaters, blankets, hats, cowls, and other adored accessories.
Zemyna
Aran - 80% Superwash Merino / 10% Cashmere / 10% Nylon - 181 yd/100g - 3 ply
Zemyna is the goddess of the earth and nourishes all life, from humans to plants to animals. This yarn is meant to feel nourishing to work with. One that is soft, cozy, and feels like it is giving you a hug and warming you as you wear it. The merino yarn is plush and reliable, while the touch of cashmere gives it an added cloud-like softness. The nylon adds strength and durability to whatever you make. This yarn will be what you use to make the things to embrace you on the coldest of days.
