I have a brand new luxury yarn base for you all - CUPRO!

I had been looking for a new summery yarn base to offer and this one sounded perfect.

From left to right: Blush, Peachy, Dusk, Sky, Seaglass and Sage

Cupro is basically a by product of cotton production. It is made from the cellulose fibres that are too short to be spun into cotton. Instead these fibres are chemically treated in a closed system and spun lots to produce a super soft yarn with beautiful drape and shine.

It is very similar to a tencel / viscose type fabric and it is often used as a lining fabric in luxury suits.

One thing that I was pleasantly surprised about was the sheen on it. It is sometimes described as a vegan silk as it drapes and shines just like a silk but it has the added benefit of being a breathable lightweight fibre. Great for a summer knitty project!

It is also hypoallergenic and biodegradable. Perfect for anyone who can’t wear wool or are looking for an alternative to animal fibres.

It is a 4 ply construction and 425 metres per 100g.

I’ve used a skein of it held alongside mohair silk in a Love Note sweater as I’m currently knitting it as a sample for an online workshop. It is lovely to work with, maybe a little slippier than a standard merino but no more than a silk would be. I’ll maybe try wooden needles rather than my preferred metal ones to overcome this. I’d also say that it doesn’t have much stretch recovery so bear this in mind when planning your project.

I also knitted a small swatch too on a 3.5mm needle (as that’s all I had to hand at the time!) It has produced a lovely soft piece of fabric that drapes and behaves just like a silk. I’d perhaps knit it using a 3mm needle for a slightly denser gauge but it would also be good on larger needles for a more lacey open texture.

It is dyed like a cotton so it uses a different process and dyes to my usual protein based wools. Once I got over the slightly ‘creaky’ feel of it in water, I realised that it took the dyes really well. As with all hand dyed yarns and plant based fibres in particular, I would highly recommend a cool hand wash. I will admit I was a bit concerned at the crunchy feel as it dried but the more it is handled, the softer it gets!

I’ve dyed lots of it in beautiful pastel shades especially for the Yorkshire Yarnfest on 26th June. As I try out these new techniques, I’d suggest buying all the yarn you need for a project at the same time as it might be harder for me to replicate the recipes!

If you are looking for a summery project to work on with this yarn then I would suggest looking at a pattern designed for a silk or linen base as it will drape in a similar way. Remember nothing that requires too much stretch!

I have covered quite a few in this older blog post, but I’m also loving the look of the Lilac Feathers Shawl by Eildonhill Designs and the Eyelet Bralette by Hiris Makes. If you’d prefer a crochet pattern, I think it would work really well as a Golden Summer Breeze by Cherry Heart. I could go on and on forever down the pattern searching rabbit hole - I’ll set up a Pinterest Board to save any nice pattern suggestions.

These will all be available in the last shop update for the summer which goes live at 8pm on Friday 25th June.