Superior

Every so often, a yarn brings you to your knees.  For me, "Superior" by Filatura di Crosa is one of those yarns.  At first glance, it looks like a silk mohair.  I turned my nose at it every time I walked by it, thinking I would just use Rowan's Kidsilk Haze.  But then I overheard someone mention cashmere... Superior... and it was like lightning struck.  It's cashmere?!  I ran over to it, picked it up like some delicate egg, and placed it in front of me desperately trying to figure out what to do with it.  Pearl at Knitty City came over to me and asked what I was going to do with it.  I told her I had no idea, but that it was so soft and beautiful that I had to think of something.  Her reply was, "Well, it IS Superior."  I can't argue with that logic.

After much contemplating, I knew I had to pair it with something else.  I wanted it to enhance another yarn with its cashmere goodness.  So, I grabbed some of my Madelinetosh Tosh Merino Light, of which I have truckloads, and started playing.  I really wanted it as a shawl of some sort so I could really enjoy that cashmere next to my neck, but something not fussy nor lacy.  So I went with Jared's basic Guernsey Triangle.  Oh, how I love thee!

The cashmere halo is so dreamy, and the solid Superior tames the hand-dyed striation of the TML, which I always love on the skein, but find a little too streaky when knit up.  I used two skeins of Superior in color #27, and two skeins of TML in Steamer Trunk. 

I loved this combo so much that I had to see how my Novak Shawl would turn out with it.  While I sat knitting the Guernsey Triangle, I commissioned a friend to knit my shawl in TML, colorway Curiosity and Superior, color #19.  Again, the soft halo and beautiful hand-dyed colorway really seem to be the perfect compliment.

This Novak sample is now hanging in Knitty City if you want to stop by and take a look.  The color is so glorious in person, and the feel... it's like buttah.