Knitty yarn preview, the first

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Here are some of the treats that have crossed my desk as the editor of Knitty. If I don't share them with you, what's the point of having such a cool job? So here goes. I'll do this whenever there's something you should see.

Have you seen this? Brand new from Handmaiden, Sea Silk.
70% silk, 30% seacell.

It is, if it is possible to believe, even softer than Silken. What is Seacell? This tells you more, but the summary is that it's a cellulose fiber like Lyocell/Tencel, but made with seaweed. And, get this: "The structure of SeaCell® facilitates the active exchange of substances between the fiber and the skin – nutrients such as calcium, magnesium and vitamin E are released by the natural body moisture when the fiber is worn, thereby creating a complete sense of well-being."

All I know is that this delicious stuff would feel amazing against the skin, period. If it could possibly have health benefits, that wouldn't be a bad thing. I will absolutely be knitting something with this, and soon.

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New from Debbie Bliss, and hot [and how!] off the show floor, it's her brand new 100% silk -- Pure Silk DK. Comes in lots of nice solid colors and is suitably soft and elegant, as is Debbie herself.


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My big-surprise find at TNNA is yarn from Tilli Tomas. Everything made by this company is silk [are you sensing a theme yet?] but each is very different from the next.
Pure and simple [above] comes in solids and variegates.


Fell in love with this stuff - Simply Heaven, it's called. It's a not-too-shiny two-ply silk. It was shown knit up into whole sweaters...can you imagine? If silk is sometimes too much for you [are you mad?], this is a more stealth way to get some silk into your life.


Tilli's silk chenille. I was strongly advised to knit it double and then wash it. Will do!


This is an amazing yarn. Rock Star, I believe it's called. It's pre-strung with shimmery beads, and yes, it's still silk. Pre-beaded silk. I just want to sleep with it.

There were more...sequined yarns [tiny, tasteful sequins] and even the famous yarn with Swarovski crystals already strung on for your enjoyment. I don't have retail pricing for this yarn -- but I believe the pre-beaded and pure silk yarns are priced on par with other silks.

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More silk? Why the hell not! This was a gift from my friend Shannon. It's sari silk, but I've never seen sari silk in such colors before! Perhaps Shannon can help you find some, if you like it like I do.


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And from Curious Creek, my prayers answered. Yes, more silk. They were a wool or wool-blend shop only, until recently. They've added a few choice new yarns to their lineup, all in their signature African-named yarns. These are samples of Isalo. Yummy.

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One more? From the Rowan Classic line, the new Natural Silk Aran. It's mostly viscose, with silk and linen. Rowan Classic is clever. They're sending their color cards out with a HUGE 5x7" swatch so you can see what the yarn's like knit up. So viscose, silk and linen...doesn't sound very sproingy, does it? But people, you won't believe the inherent spring this stuff has. And it's an interesting, sophisticated, rustic yarn. If a yarn can be all those things. Makes me want to knit something boatnecked and simply shaped to curl up in on cool summer evenings.

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Okay. I need to lie down now. All that silk! Sigh.