Dear Knitters and Crocheters,


Soft as a kitten, a baby’s bottom, the skin of a peach, a cloud, satin, silk . . . these are some of Madison Avenue’s favorite similes to describe the ultra soft touch of a consumer product.  I find myself searching for new words to describe how the 21st century soft-touch microfibers have vastly improved the touch of manmade fibers.  Thanks to the finer denier nylons and polyesters of this century with brand labels like Tactel®, our spinners can create yarns for fabrics that are truly softer than ever before – soft enough for baby.  

For example, take a look at Hickory, a creamy, dreamy baby blanket knit in Softy, our textural plush and furry Dupont Tactel nylon yarn.  We are offering this as one of our Free Patterns this week. Your baby will love it.   

I believe that our sense of touch has been heightened with the advent of microfiber technology so why not share this sensation with our babies?  Another of our Free Patterns this week, Teddy Bear, is knit in Plush, a fleecy microfiber nylon that has become a favorite of ours. The soft simplicity of this pancake bear is irresistible.  What a great gift for baby.

Lavish is yet another exquisitely soft yarn.  You can see wool and metallic-like fibers peeking though a bed of soft furry yarn, so that the only touch to the skin is that of ultimate softness.  This week we are offering a third Free Pattern for our easy Asymmetrical Poncho that is knit in Lavish and Quest.  It knits up quickly with a very easy yarn over drop stitch technique.  The pieces are simple rectangles and it is easy enough for a beginner.  The Quest adds a bit of “bling” with its glittery brushed fur effect.

These yarns have convinced me that manmade fibers can be as soft or softer than animal fur.  This new generation of knitters and crocheters has heightened sensitivity to animal fibers aggravated by environmental issues. Therefore it is understandable that even a connoisseur may be more willing to substitute these miracle fibers for cashmere and fur.

On the cover of the holiday issue of Family Circle Easy Knitting, there is a very easy and very glamorous shawl with loads of fabulous fringe. It’s knit in Quest and Lazer FX held together.  It’s entirely garter stitch so that even a beginner can knit it and it is such an elegant piece. Have a look, it’s on the newsstands now.





Suzie from Baltimore knit Gulietta in Duo from book #228.  She writes,
“I love your Duo but I have a very sad story to tell.  I cast on the larger number of stitches for the back and the smaller number of stitches for the front, oops!  I just worked away on my knitting, enjoying every stitch of my beautiful project.  When I sewed the pieces together I found out that I had knit a size Large /X-Large back and size Small/Medium fronts.  I tried to shrink it in hot water but this didn't work.  I just a have a mess of shrunken stiff (felted) fabric and it looks awful. I love the Duo yarn and I love the Gulietta jacket.  I want to make another one that fits.  Do you have any advice?”

Yes, Suzie I have some advice.  You should always take a yellow marker and highlight all the stitch numbers and measurements on the instruction that pertain to your desired size before you begin knitting.  That way you can be sure that you can read all correct numbers at a glance.  I applaud your willingness to reknit.  You should always know that you can unravel a woolen yarn and rewind the balls to salvage your yarn for reuse.  That is, of course, if you hadn’t tried felting it to shrink it.


All the best,


Margery Winter
Creative Director

Tactel® is a registered trademark of DuPont

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