Here is a start to filling in the gaps over the last month! Last month I went to the Yarn Tasting event at Stash Yarns in Putney, to sample the yarns from Devon Fine Fibres. This is a great idea since it lets you have a go with yarns from small producers who you otherwise wouldn’t come across. There is even wine and crisps!

Our little goodie bag contained samples of 4ply weight cashmere, DK weight cashmere, and DK weight Bowmont wool. Enough of each to knit up a sample trying a few different ideas.

I think my top favourite was the 4ply cashmere. Gorgeously soft, and lovely to knit with. It worked well for lace, but was equally beautiful in moss stitch. It reminded me how much I like moss stitch, and that I really should use it more.

Next I tried the DK cashmere. Again it was a pleasure to knit with. Not quite as incredibly soft as the 4ply, but definitely a lovely yarn. As you can see I am quite keen on the moss stitch 🙂

Then lastly I sampled the DK bowmont. As expected the character of this yarn was quite different, since it comes from a different type of animal. A much bouncier yarn, with an almost felted look to it. I went with simple garter stitch with I-cord edging.

I really appreciated the opportunity to try these new-to-me yarns. They were certainly selling well too! I didn’t buy any on the day apart from my samples, since they were all in rather subdued colours. I will definitely bear them in mind for a future dyeing project though.