#1: Camellia Fiber Co. Sylvan Fingering
This is a fingering-weight, three-ply yarn with a truly magnificent fiber blend: 70% alpaca, 20% silk, and 10% cashmere. That makes it really warm without adding much weight or bulk. This is a perfect yarn for shawls, wraps, and lightweight garments with lots of positive ease and a flowy silhouette.
#2: Rowan Kidsilk Haze
This is 70% super kid mohair, 30% silk, and comes in a fantastic variety of colors. I love mixing lace-weight yarns with other yarns to change up texture and color. It’s also great for making really light, lacy wraps and garments.
I first fell in love with Silky Merino over a decade ago when I was a fairly new knitter exploring colorwork. I bought two skeins at my now-defunct LYS and couldn’t get enough of the fluffy single-ply construction and the slight sheen from the silk. The silk also helps add strength to the yarn, improving its durability. This yarn is perfect for hats, mitts, cowls, shawls, and special occasion garments.
#3: Malabrigo Silky Merino
#4: Magpie Fibers Swanky Sock
When I want stitch definition, I turn to Swanky Sock. It’s a high-twist yarn made of 80% superwash merino, 10% nylon, and 10% cashmere. This isn’t a yarn you’ll want to use for, say, backpacking trip socks that are going to take a real beating, but if you’re like me and go pretty easy on your socks, this is a real gem.
For a sturdy yarn with killer stitch definition that’s thicker and warmer than the Swanky Sock, I’d turn to Julie Asselin Leizu DK, a stunning blend of wool and silk that makes cables and bobbles practically sparkle with their clarity. Leizu DK is great for heavier accessories and for knit garments that will get more wear.
#4: Magpie Fibers Swanky Sock