Whew. Sorry for the radio silence there.
Where were we? Ah, yes. Yarn Spotlights. We have had Canopy Fingering next on the list to feature, and it turns out to be perfect timing!
While we usually are particularly in love with whichever yarn we are knitting with at that moment (and as this is being typed, Kate has a sweater in Canopy Worsted, a sweater in Terra, a hat in Road to China Light and a hat in Organik on the needles, and Courtney has a hat in Canopy Worsted, a sweater in Organik, and just finished a sweater in Road to China Worsted, so you can see there is a lot of love to go around) Canopy Fingering continues to be a constant favorite here at Kelbourne Woolens. It is a newer yarn in the line, but quickly has become popular with shawl, sock, accessory — and even sweater — knitters alike.
Canopy Fingering is a wonderful blend of 50% Baby Alpaca, 30% Merino and 20% Bamboo. It has a smooth texture and is a 3 ply yarn with a medium-twist which provides great stitch definition. In its first incarnation, the yarn was called “Canopy Sport” but has a recommended gauge of 32-36 sts/4 inches. One of the first things we did was re-name the yarn “Fingering”, but didn’t actually change anything about it. Some of you may come across skeins or have some with the old labels stashed — have no fear, it is the exact same yarn as today and an be worked with the patterns support and new colors! The combination of the fiber content and construction, even in a finer weight, make Canopy Fingering a really versatile yarn. We think it works well knit as loosely as 6 sts/inch all the way to a tight 9 sts/inch.
Like all of the Fibre Company Yarns, Canopy Fingering has a decent alpaca content, which, as we have said before, adds a ton of softness, drape and warmth. The merino adds warmth and softness as well, but also has a little more “memory”, so depending on the application, the final fabric can have a lot of structure. The bamboo, unique to the Canopy lines, ads a wonderful sheen and drape to the yarn, and produces a unique subtle heathery dye effect due to the application and type of dyes used.
One pattern that shows off the versatility of Canopy Fingering is Kate’s popular Selbu Modern beret. With its wonderful stitch definition, perfect amount of drape and subtly shaded colors, the beret works up beautifully in two colors. Because of the stacked Fair Isle pattern, it looks great in a more traditional subtle colorway, shown below, or in a funkier one such as acai and mint.
Another pattern that is a wonderful use of Canopy Fingering is the Lucille baby sweater and bonnet. The lace pattern blocks out beautifully and because of its next-to-skin softness, it is perfect for use on the sometimes sensitive skin of new babes, and the subtle colors evoke a wonderfully vintage feel.
We absolutely love the versatility of Canopy fingering — it was extremely hard picking just two patterns that highlight the properties of this great yarn! Luckily, we didn’t have to, as it is also featured pretty heavily in the new Interweave Knits Holiday Gifts magazine, on newsstands now!
The three patterns in the magazine really beautifully highlight the versatility of Canopy Fingering. First, the Family of Hats, by Catherine Shields, is actually a set of patterns in three different shapes and color possibilities. We, to be expected, are partial to the center, ‘beret’ version, but also love the earflaps and longer, slouchy look of the other two!
The next pattern is the Nuneh Mittens by our very own Courtney! These mittens utilize the Armenian Knitting technique and produce a wonderfully soft and warm yet light fabric. The mittens feature a wintery motif of a tree next to a quaint cabin with a smokestack that evolves into falling snowflakes.
And last but not least, there is a beautiful Herrigbone Kimono by the queen of vintage baby knits, Kristen Rengren. We love the stitch structure and wrap around construction of this beautiful baby cardigan. The addition of the red buttons ads just the right amount of whimsy — we cannot wait to see the color and button combinations people come up with!
As you can see, Canopy Fingering is a great versatile yarn — if you haven’t yet we highly recommend you give it a try! We know you will fall in love.
