Hello, Coast.

There are a lot of things to look at in the Hillsborough Yarn Shop. We have a small space and a large inventory, with many yarns, projects, and books fighting for attention. One of my hopes for this blog is to highlight some of those yarns, projects, and books, one at a time, so that they can get the attention they deserve. So far, I've been writing mostly about the newest yarns we've received, but the yarn that was here before the blog is equally blog-worthy. To that end, I'll be profiling those yarns with a series of introductory-type posts which I'll tag as "Hello" posts.

Today: Coast.

Coast is a worsted weight blend of cotton and wool from Takhi Yarns. Because of the fiber content, the colors have a heathered quality, making even the brighter colors look subtle and sophisticated without losing stitch definition. The advantages of cotton and wool blends are many: with cotton comes lightness, perfect for our climate, and with wool comes elasticity, making this yarn a bit easier on the knitter's hands. The wool content of this yarn also gives it some memory, meaning that sweaters knit in Coast shouldn't stretch out the way 100% cotton sweaters sometimes do. 

What to knit with Coast? Any pattern that calls for a worsted weight yarn should work well with Coast, which gives you a lot of options. It looks to me like it wants to be a cardigan, the kind you bring to restaurants in case it's cold in there. A spring cardigan, for overcast days or aggressive air-conditioning. My own knitting hunches aside, Takhi put out some pattern support for Coast, which is worth browsing if you're looking to knit with it.

As always, Ravelry is a wonderful resource for exploring the possibilities of a yarn you've not yet tried. Check there to see what other knitters have done with Coast.