Confession: I've never knit with a brushed mohair yarn. I'm not sure how this has never happened in the 15ish years I've been knitting, but it's true. Sure, I've used yarns with mohair blended in, but I've never used this type of yarn in a knitting project.
So, I absolutely couldn't say no when I was offered a skein of Cabrito yarn from Manos del Uruguay, and my choice of a "companion yarn" if I so chose. Why two different types of yarn? Cabrito is a lace weight, fluffy yarn that plays well with others. When held with a different yarn base, Cabrito provides softness and a beautiful halo, while the companion yarn lends some strength and structure.
The Fairmount Fibers design team has a lot of fabulous free patterns designed especially for Cabrito and other yarns from the line (if you're wondering, Fairmount Fibers is the North American distributor for Manos yarns), and I decided to knit the free Ambrose Hat Pattern, which calls for both Cabrito and Alegria Grande. I've used the fingering weight version of Alegria, but not the worsted weight version, so both of these yarns are actually new to me!
The hat pattern was a simple knit: the 1x1 ribbing is worked all the way through to the crown shaping. It was perfect for on-the-go knitting, I just wound each skein into a center pull ball and then used my two-grommet Yarn Pop project bag to keep both balls secure while in transit. I was impressed with how much the seemingly delicate Cabrito could hang with being tugged and jostled about; not once did the strand break, no matter how much abuse I subjected it to.
The Alegria Grande was buttery soft and squishy, and I loved how the variegated color (Acero) knit up without pooling or flashing. I thought that the semisolid color of Cabrito (Steampunk) would add more grey to the mix, but the effect ended up being really subtle, and I think I like it that way! The pom pom is made with just Alegria Grande, so you can see that there really isn't a noticeable difference in colors between the pom and the knitted fabric using both yarns.
What I really love about this yarn is that you can truly feel good about using it because it's certified Fair Trade, and the Manos del Uruguay cooperatives have an excellent reputation. That means that the artisans in the co-op are given a fair wage and access to health care and education; the animals who produce the fibers are treated well, and the environment is not compromised throughout the process, either.
As for the finished hat, it's incredibly soft and unbelievably warm. I was going to give it away as a gift at some point, but after wearing it a few times and not wanting to take it off, I've decided to keep it for myself!
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So, I absolutely couldn't say no when I was offered a skein of Cabrito yarn from Manos del Uruguay, and my choice of a "companion yarn" if I so chose. Why two different types of yarn? Cabrito is a lace weight, fluffy yarn that plays well with others. When held with a different yarn base, Cabrito provides softness and a beautiful halo, while the companion yarn lends some strength and structure.
The Fairmount Fibers design team has a lot of fabulous free patterns designed especially for Cabrito and other yarns from the line (if you're wondering, Fairmount Fibers is the North American distributor for Manos yarns), and I decided to knit the free Ambrose Hat Pattern, which calls for both Cabrito and Alegria Grande. I've used the fingering weight version of Alegria, but not the worsted weight version, so both of these yarns are actually new to me!
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| Just the right amount of halo.... |
The Alegria Grande was buttery soft and squishy, and I loved how the variegated color (Acero) knit up without pooling or flashing. I thought that the semisolid color of Cabrito (Steampunk) would add more grey to the mix, but the effect ended up being really subtle, and I think I like it that way! The pom pom is made with just Alegria Grande, so you can see that there really isn't a noticeable difference in colors between the pom and the knitted fabric using both yarns.
As for the finished hat, it's incredibly soft and unbelievably warm. I was going to give it away as a gift at some point, but after wearing it a few times and not wanting to take it off, I've decided to keep it for myself!
Like this post? Pin it!
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