Project of the Month: The Love of Spiders in Sugar Bush Bliss
There’s some yarns hiding at every local yarn store that are unsung heroes, and this little 50g ball of cashmere, silk and merino is pure bliss. Sugar Bush Bliss is a sport-weight blend that creates softness, warm and drape beyond compare, and at $12.95/50g it becomes one of the more affordable luxury blends available. When paired together with an incredible Melanie Berg pattern, you end up with a work of wearable art!
The Love of Spiders is a gorgeous colourwork shawl that showcases any two colours chosen, and is described by the designer Melanie Berg as a whimsical knit inspired by Charlotte’s Web, a beautiful story about finding love, growing up, and saying goodbye.
The delicate spiderweb lines are made with slipped stitches, as is the two-color section meant to evoke Charlotte’s 514 children ballooning in the wind. This creates a beautiful stitch pattern without the need to work two strands of yarn at a time. A great beginner colourwork that is knit down and out from the center of the top edge with increases at the center and sides, finished with a garter stitch border.
Melanie Berg is one of my favorite shawl designers who has a knack for combining as she describes: a texture and color into wearable modern designs that are both playful and beautiful. [She] designs to surprise — from matching cheeky stripes with elegant lace, to choosing unexpected color combinations.
The yarn, Bliss, is a lavish blend of luxury infused fibres. Cashmere and silk are blended together with extra-fine merino to create a yarn with incredible softness and excellent stitch definition. The colour range of coordinating colours compliment the exquisite texture of Bliss! Ideal for cowls and scarves or a showcase of luxury apparel.
The Love of Spiders used four balls of each of the two coordinating colours. Sample shown in colourways Pear and Cobalt.
Fibres: 70% Superwash Merino / 20% Mulberry Silk / 10% Cashmere
Gauge: 23 – 26 stitches = 4 inches (10 cm)
Needles: 3.25 – 3.75 mm (US 3 – 5)
Weight: Sport (2)
Length: 50 g / 105 yards (96 m)
Designed in Canada. Made in Italy.
And a special shout out to one of our regulars Karen H who brought this yarn and pattern combination to our attention and knit this gorgeous sample, and to Mel Broome, our Felting teacher and friend for allowing me to rope her in to modelling the shawl for me on this cold wet afternoon!
As Charlotte told Wilbur: ’You have been my friend. That in itself is a tremendous thing.’
