There is always a bit of a buzz when mail arrives and there is even greater joy when that parcel is a gift or a prize as opposed to the stream of packages that arrive from online shopping. I received such a parcel yesterday and I definitely gave out a squee of delight when I got it.
A couple of weeks ago I won one of the prizes from Bonnie Sennott of Blue Peninsula's selfish KAL. She was giving away a skein of Elemental Affects Cormo; a set of Lavender Hill Knits stitch markers; and a Ravelry “sheep mistake” pouch (A collector’s item! These are sold out - the new ones will have the word “Romeldale” spelled correctly.) I submitted my Sawmill River Hat that I knit in Brooklyn Tweed Loft and by random number generator selection I won the skein of yarn.
The yarn is a 100% Cormo wool fingering weight yarn and the skein is a generous 550 yards. The colour is a lovely mustardy greeny yellow and the long staple of the Cormo fibre gives it a naturally beautiful lustre. The fibre is soft and squishy to touch but still has an essence to it that shows that it hasn't been overly processed. I love how this skein is able to be both a shiny, soft wool while retaining it's rustic woolliness.
I am already dreaming up projects that I can knit with it. Since it is a generous 550 yards I can definitely get a substantial single skein project out of it. I am leaning towards another one of Bonnie's patterns; the Hop Brook scarf, but then I thought maybe I could pair it with one of the single skeins of Ton of Wool Cormo that I purchased when Kylie Gussett was closing out her business. I'm not 100% sure about the pairing of the cooler blue-grey tones of the Ton of Wool skein with the clearly autumnal tones of the Elemental Affects Cormo. Pictured together they are not too bad but I will definitely have to swatch to see how they sit together in knitted fabric.
Please share your suggestions on what to knit, especially if you have worked with Cormo before and have noticed any specific peculiarities of this fibre.
I always want to express my immense gratitude to Bonnie for hosting such a fabulous KAL and for the amazing prized. Thank you!