Light as a Feather

It’s May! Hurray! This time of year I find myself looking toward the end of the school year and the slower days of summer. That means a little more time for the fiber arts, maybe a few weekends away, and time to knit or spin while the kids swim.

It also means it’s a great time to bring back the lightest of fingering-weight yarn bases–Feather Fingering.

Lilac, Purple Delight, and Northern Lights on Feather Fingering

It’s light as a feather and perfect for warm weather. It’s a non-superwash 2-ply yarn base made of 85% extra-fine merino and 15% silk. It also has A LOT of yardage with 490 yards per skein.

Here’s Beautiful Galaxy, one of my favorites on this yarn base:

Feather Fingering is now an option in the dyed to order section of my shop. Click here to find the perfect colorway for your next project.

It’s fantastic for shawls, sweaters, tops, hats, and more. Keep in mind that it does need to be washed by hand.

Need a project idea or two for Feather Fingering? Here’s a bundle of shawls for light fingering weight yarn I made on Ravelry

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Superwash vs. Non-Superwash

While we’re on the topic, let’s talk a little about the differences between superwash and non-superwash and why you might choose one or the other for a given project. They both have their pros and cons.

With non-superwash yarn bases, the dyes move around a bit more before striking. That means speckles have more of an Impressionist vibe, colors with a white background have somewhat less white, and the colors are a little bit more muted compared with the superwash yarn bases.

You can see what I mean here. This is Party Like It’s 2029 on Feather Fingering:

…and here is the same colorway on Sock Perfection, which is a superwash yarn base:

You can see the differences:

More white on Sock Perfection / Less white on Feather Fingering
Crisper speckles on Sock Perfection / Impressionist speckles on Feather Fingering
More distinct colors on Sock Perfection / More blending of colors on Feather Fingering

The same is true for all superwash yarn bases versus all non-superwash yarn bases.

When deciding whether to use a superwash yarn base or a non-superwash yarn base, it’s good to think about whether it’s something you can reasonable wash by hand and who it’s for. For example, superwash is great for baby blankets because they need frequent washing, so being able to toss them in the washing machine is a definite plus. Socks are another thing that most people prefer to be able to machine wash.

Another thing to consider is memory. That’s the ability of a fiber to bounce back to its original shape. While sheep’s wool has more memory than basically any other fiber, non-superwash wool has even better memory than superwash wool. That makes it better for sweaters and tops as a general rule–especially for larger ones. If I were making a sweater for a toddler or young child, I’d go with superwash yarn. If I were making one for a teen or adult, it would depend on the individual. If I were making it for myself or for someone I knew wouldn’t accidentally put it in the washing machine, I’d use non-superwash wool.

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Art Batt Photos

I’ve spent a lot of time this week updating the photos of my art batts and making collages so you can see more at a glance. Where I can, I’ve included the inspiration for the art batt and how it spins up. Here are a few examples: