EcoCashmere: Quality and Savings
When working with various yarns by hand, you should always aim for quality. Why? Because handmade work is very precious, it takes up a lot of our time. If we use low-quality yarns, we waste the most precious thing we have: time. After hours and hours of work, our garment might only last through the first wash or, even worse, after wearing it a few times, it might lose its shape…
Aiming for quality often means spending more money. Quality has its value, that's obvious.
Cashmere is one of the most precious yarns that exists. The prices, as we all know, are very high, but… here, there is a "but" that is worth considering. It's called EcoCashmere. In this article, you can read what it is and how it is produced. In short, it is regenerated cashmere (produced by an Italian company). And yes… precious things are not thrown away, perhaps they are transformed… Thanks to a particular production process of this cashmere, it is possible to lower the price while maintaining quality.
So, to the question: "Is it possible to have quality and savings?" I answer: absolutely yes!
I have decided to use EcoCashmere for my next creations and to share my experience and my patterns with you.
Summer is now ending and perhaps it's time to start thinking about Christmas gifts. As you know, I love scarves, so today I'm offering you another scarf, this time made with a crochet hook using EcoCashmere.
I used 2 strands of yarn with a 2/13 count, so it's quite thin (but not too thin) to be worked with a crochet hook (in my case, a 3mm hook); the hook size depends on your tension, so choose the right one for you.
On the Hircus Filati website, all yarns on cones need to be treated (you will find information on how to do this on the website), so, as always, I made a well-tied skein in several places, washed it, and then made 2 balls.
I must say that this operation can be avoided because EcoCashmere, being a regenerated yarn (washed several times previously), does not have the same characteristics as unregenerated cashmere. The difference between treated (washed) and untreated yarn is truly irrelevant. Let me explain better: the unwashed one is slightly rough; after washing, it becomes softer, but the measurements practically do not change.
I made the scarf using the C2C (corner to corner) technique, which I described in this post. If you prefer a video tutorial, you can watch it on my Facebook page. I want to emphasize once again that this stitch is truly fantastic, relaxing, and enjoyable to make. Many of my students, captivated like me by C2C, have made entire blankets. An EcoCashmere blanket? Why not!
Back to the scarf. One third of the scarf is made with gray, one third with stripes (2 rows of gray alternated with 2 rows of blue), and finally, one third with blue.
I am satisfied, and I hope you like it too :-).
