I’m a sucker for cashmere and cute packaging.
But there’s something more to these kits, which actually don’t look like kits at all—they look like a sort of magical multicolored caterpillar in fiber form.
I first noticed them in people’s pictures on Instagram. I followed the tags and discovered that they were coming from a Boise, Idaho-based company called Lux Adorna Knits. They contained 100% cashmere yarn. Naturally, I immediately had to order a kit.
The kit arrived, but I waited.
I’m the kid who kept her Halloween candy for months before finally opening it. I love holding pleasures in suspended animation because as soon as you pop the cork or untie the bow, a little bit of the magic is gone. And so I held onto my beautiful cashmere bundle for several months—even displaying it on a shelf in the living room—before finally breaking down and opening it up for this review.
Each of those cute mini-skeins unfurls into a slender hank.
That’s a lot of winding, snipping, tying, twisting, and braiding right there, and all of it was done more or less by hand in Boise, Idaho. It should come as small surprise that this 360-yard bundle of cashmere retails for $52.
If you’re more of a solid-colored person, Lux Adorna also sells 230-yard (210m) skeins of the DK-weight cashmere for $38 apiece. You’ll also find lace, bulky, and DK weights.
Part of the charm of these kits is that they come with a simple pattern designed to use every inch of yarn. This particular bundle will make a Lila Cowl, the pattern for which is abbreviated on the label and offered in full form on Ravelry. But more than the convenience of having a pattern already picked, I really appreciate that someone else chose the colors for me—and the colors in these kits are, in a word, gorgeous.
The yarn itself is constructed in the S-on-S manner, with three two-ply strands of cashmere twisted into a single larger strand. The initial two-ply strands were plied in the S direction, and then the strands were held together and plied, again, in the S direction (hence S-on-S). With all that twist going in the same direction, you have a yarn that is both round and as bouncy as its fibers will allow it to be. You also have a strong yarn, with layers upon layers of twist holding the fibers together. That is quite helpful when you’re dealing with delicate cashmere.
Knitting Up
Despite the yarn’s energetic construction, there’s very little bounce or oomph or va-va-va-voom here. The yarn has a dry, cottony feel to it, which is common for cashmere before it’s sufficiently washed and lovingly flogged to bring up the bloom.
For extra grab and control, I used my Knitter’s Pride Bamboo Interchangeable Circulars. The tip isn’t as pointy as the other Knitter’s Pride needles, but it is precise. And I was relieved to see that the yarn didn’t split at all. In fact, it behaved beautifully on the needles.
I swatched using the needle size that the label recommended for the cowl pattern (US 5/3.75mm). It produced a lovely, open fabric that works well for a cowl. For anything that requires more structure—say, a sweater—I would definitely go down at least one needle size, probably two.
There were no knots in any of my tiny skeins.
Blocking/Washing
I was hoping to lose some of that powdery dryness in the wash, so I made sure to use a water hot enough to dissolve any remaining oils or residues from spinning and dyeing. (Not hotter than I’d wash my own hair, but definitely warmer than lukewarm.)
The swatch released no residue or color in the wash, nor did it do so in the rinse. While the fabric relaxed slightly, it never lost a strong, underlying “stringy” structure holding the stitches together.
I blotted the swatch, reshaped it on a towel, and waited for it to dry. Initially, I saw no significant change.
Wearing
Here’s a fun fact for you. Dyeing hardens fibers ever so slightly, and the phenomenon is more pronounced in delicate fibers like cashmere. In this kit I had both dyed yarn and undyed white yarn, and the difference—though perhaps tricky to see in this picture—was noticeable if I really closed my eyes and let my fingers wander from color to color.
Having a physical example of this phenomenon is alone worth the price of a kit: Consider it an in-depth cashmere workshop in which you come home with a cowl.
Cashmere is a notoriously delicate fiber with a short staple that requires more twist than manufacturers usually give it. (The higher the twist, the firmer the yarn, the lower the skein appeal on the shelf. Plus, let’s not forget the cost of running the machines longer to give that additional twist.) But here, in these layers upon layers of twist and ply, the fibers are firmly held in place. I huffed and I puffed, but that little skein—even with its lack of significant structure—held firm.
Conclusion
People have been going bonkers for tiny skeins for a while now—but usually they’ve been in the form of gradient kits that play off a single color. These kits, on the other hand, celebrate all sorts of color combinations that move from serene to surprising.
I’m sure you can find varying yarn equivalents elsewhere. The real charms here are the sumptuous, thoughtfully blended colors and captivating presentation. Whether for yourself or as a gift for another knitter, these kits are a winner.
Milissa | September 16, 2016
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love the new look of the site!. I am not shouting, it seems in the comment box that all caps will appear whether I hit the shift key or not. The cashmere looks amazing as well, and will go on my to be acquired list. Welcome back!
Clara Parkes | Author | September 16, 2016
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Hi Milissa! You’re the first to comment! I noticed this wonky all-caps shouting thing too and am trying to fix it. For what it’s worth, once your comment WAS published, it showed properly. I just need to get the first part fixed so that I don’t feel like I’m shouting either. 🙂
michale | September 16, 2016
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I love it too! Tried to get on this morning and it wasn’t working and i was sad but now, WOW! Looks great.
ali | September 16, 2016
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Love the new site. Want the cashmere. I don’t know what I’d make but I might sleep with it.
Joyce | September 16, 2016
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Yes, welcome back. I used the “back door” and that worked perfectly. I just might have to follow the link, mightn’t I,. b I did have trouble getting the code to show when typing it in. FWIW
helene | September 16, 2016
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I had trouble with the code too, and the request to “contact” took me to an “internal server error” page. Ah, technology!
SUsan | September 16, 2016
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I also like the look of the new site, including the video. Even taking that package apart leaves me finding the structure mind-boggling.
Joyce | September 16, 2016
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Having trouble getting to comment. First the code wasn’t showing up when I typed it in and when I finally got one, my comment had disappeared.
BUT I enjoyed your review — welcome back! And now I might have to follow the link since I’m going to be in the US in a week and, well, I can’t go down there and not get *some* yarn, can I?
Marie | September 16, 2016
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Clara! You’re making me drool on my keyboard! That yarn looks wonderful–and I need more yarn like I need a hole in the head. (Appears you got the all caps thing fixed as mine isn’t doing that.)
Joyce | September 16, 2016
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Welcome back, I’ve missed you. And I just might have to follow the link, mightn’t I.
Clara Parkes | Author | September 17, 2016
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Hi Joyce! And I’ve missed you too. 🙂
Sophy0075 | September 16, 2016
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That is certainly an interesting, creative way to put up mini-skeins. When you knitted with the S on S construction, did you find any evidence of biasing?
Clara Parkes | Author | September 17, 2016
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I was concerned about this, and I even tried suspending my swatch over what I knew was a perfect L (my bookshelf) and I couldn’t detect a bias. I really thought I would, and I thought I sort of WAS seeing it. But when I held it to a perfect L, I didn’t see it.
Knitshark | September 16, 2016
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I feel like I’ve been away on a long trip and come home to my comfy place, but everything has been gussied up while I was away. Thanks for bringing us home, Clara. And with cashmere. Gilding the lily!
Terri Sanders | September 16, 2016
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Love the new site! Being from Boise, I’ve had lots of opportunities to play with these yarns. The knitted cowls are to die for! So soft and warm on your neck.
Glenda | September 17, 2016
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This new site is just awesome!!! I love it! Reading it this morning, with cup of coffee was a wonderful way To start my day!!! So much information and organized so well! Beautiful! Easy on the eyes! I’m swooning…oh that cashmere…! Kudos to you for this new Site! How Exciting!
Clara Parkes | Author | September 17, 2016
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Hello Glenda! And reading YOUR comment, with my cup of tea, was a perfect start to MY day. Thank you for your kind words.
karin barclay | September 17, 2016
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I haven’t had a knitters review mailing in some time and thought it had something to do with my living in africa where everything is a bit sleepy and sometimes left behind- so have your newsletters been active all this time and i was just not getting them or have they been dormant for a while?
Love all this – love the yarn (wool in africa) and will have to hope that some day i will be able to come and try it- tried several times to order items from the us and it always ends in tears!
Love the shawl pattern- not too sure how it all works so will have to try it. tried printing it but it won’t fit on the page- any suggestions out there?
Clara Parkes | Author | September 17, 2016
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Hello all the way in Africa, Karin! You haven’t been left behind at all. My last newsletter was at the beginning of June. Then I was hidden away in my Kon Mari bunker. If you’re reading this on Safari, click the lines to the left of the URL where it says “Show Reader View.” It formats the content for easier reading and printing. 🙂
Carrie eddy | September 17, 2016
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As I’d hoped, page is working super well today! Good to see you online again, Miss Clara, and with such an enticing yarn – Cashmere! HMmm,
Clara Parkes | Author | September 17, 2016
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Yay! As I said, there may be bumps at first…but I’m so glad you’re here.
Mary Lee | September 17, 2016
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Glad to hear that they’ve tightened up the spin on this yarn. My previous experience (early 2015) with Lux adorna Cashmere was not good. It was so loosely spun that the laceweight yarn broke every few stitches.
Clara Parkes | Author | September 17, 2016
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Ah, good to know! No, this was pretty tight all around. Maybe you should buy another kit. For, ahem, “research” purposes. 😉
noella | September 17, 2016
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Does this company have a retail store ? If so , this provides another reason to visit my father-in-Law. Love the review and the video. I might have tO start buying yarn again.
Clara Parkes | Author | September 17, 2016
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Hi Noella! I’m not sure they do – although I’m sure your FIL would love the visit. 😉
Karen | September 17, 2016
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Great to see you back, Clara! I’ve been astonishingly disciplined this past year yarn-wise, and focused on stash-busting (versus stash-building). But this yarn, oh my goodness. Cashmere is a girl’s best friend, and really, I think I must have this.
Clara Parkes | Author | September 17, 2016
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Hi Karen! It’s great to BE back. And yes, I think you must have this too.
LoU | September 17, 2016
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Love the new site! And once agAin, you have tempted me with a lovely yarn to purchase. ? Welcome back from summer.
Clara Parkes | Author | September 17, 2016
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Hi Lou! I’m so happy to see your smiling face here. 🙂
Kris Peters | September 17, 2016
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Have missed my regular dose of Knitter’s Review but do like the new look!
Clara Parkes | Author | September 17, 2016
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Thank you Kris!
Mosaic Magpie | September 17, 2016
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New site looks great! I will be wanting to try one of these kits, such interesting colors they put together. Glad you are back!
Allison Kelsey | September 18, 2016
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Love the new site, Clara. Congratulations! re: Lux Adorna review, the only thing I wanted to see was the swatch post wash and block. I know you said it was the same, but that’s still instructive to see. thanks!!
Linda Y | September 18, 2016
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I just made a cowl with the Lux Adorna yarn….loved it and am planning on ordering more yarn to make another one!!!
SerMom | September 18, 2016
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Hi, Clara. I’ve been reading the newsletter, but hadn’t been to the site in a very long time. Life happens.
Clara Parkes | Author | September 18, 2016
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HI THERE! It’s so good to hear from you!
SerMom | September 18, 2016
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Do you actually remember me?
Clara Parkes | Author | September 19, 2016
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I do! 🙂
Jeri | September 19, 2016
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I absolutely love your new site. The link worked right away for me.
Clara Parkes | Author | September 19, 2016
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Yay! Thank you, Jeri!
Samina | September 20, 2016
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I’m so glad to see your new site, too! I was at the Webs retreat this weekend & picked up a hank of the same kit while I was there. They’re mailing it, along with the rest of my yarn goodies & I can hardly wait for it to get here.
Michelle Kiser | September 20, 2016
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Love the new look of the site. 16 years! Awesome! While I haven’t been knitting as much as I have in the past I still do knit at least one thing a year and I always look forward to Knitter’s Review.
fiberlicious | September 20, 2016
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Clara, this is FANTASTIC! Congratulations isn’t a big enough word!
Debbie | September 25, 2016
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Love the cashmere bundle , I plan on ordering it next week . Looks like so much fun. I love the softness of cashmere and the colors are so so pretty.
atomic momma | December 6, 2016
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Love the beautiful presentation of these gorgeous skeins.
It reminds me of the Eric Carle children’s book, “The Very Hungry Caterpillar”….
When will the internet have a touch and feel through the screen app?