Hi Everyone:

Back in October we did all of the buying from our suppliers for spring.  It is always an exciting time but not nearly as exciting as when the yarns start to arrive.  We always try to balance our purchases between what we personally like or would choose to knit with and what we think other knitters & crocheters will like as well.    I pretty much like everything we buy, but then there are the few that I love.  These are the yarns that had me at hello.  Just for the record, they are not all cashmere as Steve would like to tell you.  In fact, it’s a pretty eclectic group.

Sometimes I like the yarn well enough and then a pattern really puts me over the edge.  Then there are times when a great yarn and great design come together and that just tickles me to no end.  One such yarn will not be much of a surprise to those of you who read this blog regularly, listen to our podcast, Ready, Set, Knit or have met me in person. It’s  Crystal from S. Charles Collezione.

Yes, there have been other yarns similar to this on the market previously, but this one really is different.  What makes it different?   It’s the sequins.  They are small, but not too small and have just the right amount of shimmer and shine.  Seriously – these are very high quality sequins and it really does make a difference.

S. Charles Collezione Crystal is 85% polyester/15% cotton.  It can be knit alone or carried along.  Each 25 gm ball has 144 yards and depending on your project, can be knit on a #2-#7. There are a total of  only four colors.  Here is an FO in Crystal:

It was a gift.  An unexpected gift – which is absolutely the best kind. The picture is deceiving I know. Here’s how this lovely necklace is meant to be worn:

I love it. I saw the sample back in October and loved it then. The knitter who was kind enough to make it for me knew that I loved it and knew that it would never make it to the top of my queue so she knit it for me!

The pattern can be found in the S. Charles Collezione Spring/Summer 2011 Pattern Booklet Knitscape.

I believe you can get three of these necklaces out of one ball – the third one might be a smidge shorter.

There’s also a one skein scarf:

And this gorgeous tank:

Crystal isn’t cheap at $29.95 per ball but a little goes along way.  Three of the necklaces equate to $10 projects!

Enjoy!

Kathy