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FO Friday: Samarcanda Hishigata Hat

I finished another hat! I was 3 skeins of Filatura di Crosa Samarcanda yarn to review, and decided they would be perfect for a fast-knitting hat. It's a well-known fact that I can't resist a green yarn, and I love the tweediness of the fiber blend (33% Kid Mohair, 18% Polyamide, 17% Wool and 2% Acrylic). Before I dive a little deeper into this interesting yarn, I just want to mention the pattern that I chose, the Hishigata Hat by Angela Tong. I knit a Hishigata hat with some handspun yarn (also green) about a year ago and have been meaning to knit another one ever since. Once the yarn arrived, it seemed like the perfect fit - sometimes the stars just align that way!

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I've always seen yarns from Filatura di Crosa, but I have not actually worked with any of them (full disclosure, think I may have a cone of laceweight somewhere in my stash). I've always been curious about their yarns, which are all milled in Italy. In fact, they are not just made in Italy - they are made in a specific town in Italy that is known for its high-quality textiles (more on that here).

This yarn has a lot going on - the mohair gives it halo (but it's not itchy, at least not in my opinion; I realize the subject of yarn itchiness is entirely subjective!), and if you examine the plies a little more closely, it seems like 3 of them are a blend of the natural fibers (or perhaps a blend of the mohair, wool and acrylic?) while the fourth is actually a flat tape that I think might be the polyamide. I did my best to capture this here:

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Each ball has about 93 yards, and I used up nearly all 3 skeins to make this hat. I might try to make a pom pom topper with the bit that I have left, but I'm not totally sure it will be enough - pom poms generally require quite a bit of yarn! I'm not sure if you can really see the twisted stitches in the cable pattern; it seems like the halo obscures them a bit. The ribbing and diamond motifs look pretty good, though, and the yarn wasn't the least bit splitty to work with. This is always important when you are knitting cables (especially without a cable needle) and twisted stitched!

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I could see this yarn being an excellent choice for a simple ribbed or garter accessory, or perhaps even a fast-knitting sweater. There are 9 colors to choose from, and it's a bulky weight yarn which makes it perfect for last-minute gift projects! I recently shared two free patterns to knit or crochet mason jar cozies using Samarcanda; each ball can make at least 2 cozies (possibly 3, but I can't guarantee it),  so you can knock out a few nice gifts with just a ball or two of yarn!

You may like to know: I was given this yarn in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Comments

  1. ooh, that is such a neat shot with the plies undone to see the yarn in more detail! and the hat looks amazing.

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