If you saw my post on Monday, you may have been wondering how that beautiful Luma yarn from The Fibre Company knitted up.
Luma is a blend of wood, cotton, linen, and silk. Cotton, linen, and silk are notorious for having no elasticity at all; however the 50% wool content means that there is enough elasticity for a pleasant knitting experience. The finished swatch isn’t as springy as some I’ve knitted, but the fabric does pop back into shape after you tug at it. Luma is a 2 ply yarn, and they have given the fibre just enough twist so that it isn’t splitty, but doesn’t feel like rope either.
I knitted my swatch on 3.75 mm needles, and ended up with a gauge of 22.5 stitches and 31 rows over 10 cm. Then the swatch had a bath in cool water, and a popular wool wash; and laid flat to dry. It came out with a gauge of 21 stitches and 33 rows over 10 cm. The fabric feels rather nice. It’s not has heavy as some yarns with cotton, it has a nice drape, and the silk content gives the yarn a slight lustre. It’s made a lovely smooth fabric, with a very low prickle factor.
The hanging test was the bit that really interested me. Have you owned, or worse still knitted, a cotton jersey that lost all its shape on its first outing? I hung the Luma swatch for 24 hours with a little bit of weight attached to the bottom, and am pleased to report no change to the gauge at all. The strength of the linen and silk really held everything in shape.
The swatch is currently undergoing the Armpit Test. Pop back on Friday to hear the results.
louleigh 