Yarn Review: Moonlight Sonata DK

If you follow me on Twitter you may have seen me raving about this yarn, raving about it so much that I decided I'd write up a review.

The yarn in question is James C. Brett Moonlight Sonata Double Knitting, how romantic does that name sound?

I picked up this yarn on a whim when I was out buying sock yarn, it just looked pretty and I knew I wanted it. I'm a sucker for doing this, hence my current not-buying-yarn-for-a-while thing I have going on.

I just loved the colours in it, and the way it's balled up reminded me of the sparkly Loop batts I keep seeing on podcasts like Knitabulls (which you should all go watch because Diane is amazing). So for someone who can't spin [yet] I guess this is the next best thing.

Like I said it's a DK weight, so good for scarves, but want to know what blew my mind once I checked the meterage? It's 500m! Roughly 546 yards. In one ball! So there's a nice scarf in one ball.

The ball band says it's 10% Mohair - 10% Wool - 75% Acrylic - 5% Metallic and it's so lovely to work with. I bought shade 'SM7' which is gorgeous jewel shades paired with a gorgeous olive shade, all intertwined with a golden metallic thread. I think one of the reasons why I fell for this yarn is the blues, they remind me of my engagement ring.

I'm not usually a sparkle person, but this yarn is amazing and I love it, and I'm seriously considering getting enough for a cardigan for smarter occasions, though in a different shade.

The only thing I've found I dislike about James C. Brett yarns is how they have codes not shades, that's it really, that's my gripe. The whole range is affordable. Moonlight Sonata costs around £5.20 for 500m for such a beautiful yarn, which would be about £15- £20 for a beautiful cardigan, not bad at all.

The pattern I'm knitting is the Extra-Long Stripy Scarf from Knitting Vintage by Claire Montgomerie. I've loved the whole feather-and-fan patterns for a long time, and I knew this would be the best pattern for the yarn, classic enough. Plus it's a 4 row repeat, so great for mindless knitting.

Knit Now Magazine

Hey guys, just thought I'd let you know about this new magazine.



Knit Now has hit shelves today, and what a fantastic first issue it is!

First off, let's look at the cover. It's full, but not crowded, nothing is fighting for your attention and it has a complementary colour scheme. The photographs are wonderful and clear, plus you can easily tell what they patterns are.

The magazine itself is wonderfully laid out. Nothing seems crammed in. After the 'info pages' we're treated to a Debbie Bliss interview straight away. Again these pages are wonderfully laid out, the writing is clear, the font is just the right size so that I don't have to put my glasses on. As it's black text on a white background it's wonderfully clear.

Onto the patterns now. I've established that the text is clear, but what about the charts? Well, they're as clear as a blue sky. Big enough to see, and the Key is clear too. I've gotten very confused in the past when this wasn't made clear. The patterns themselves are easy to follow and as simplistic as possible.

It's nice to see that they've estimated the time and cost of making the project. It gives knitters a chance to see if it's worth the cost, or looking for an alternative yarn. I can't say how many times I've nearly had a heart attack at the cost of the suggested yarns to make a product, for example: £160 for a man's jumper, are you kidding me?

I really enjoyed the Inspiration page, I felt that was a nice touch.

I've seen thing I adore on the Wish List double page too.

The hints and tips at the bottom of nearly every page are useful and not condescending, and showing you the basics clearly.

I'll talk about the freebies, you get a 4.5mm circular needle and a Beginner's Guide to Knitting booklet. The booklet is practically magazine sized and laid out wonderfully. I wish I'd had this when I started knitting as DPN's wouldn't have seemed so scary. There's patterns in it too, so you can try out your new methods. Actually, I think this is a good booklet for refreshing your memory too, I haven't used DPN's in a while and there's a great sock tutorial in there. The back page has a useful Abbreviations list, but also has a U.S translation for terms. It's beautifully designed too, the pages have a wonderful border pattern, which makes it seem purchase worthy in it's own right.

I can honestly say that I've never wanted to knit everything in a knitting magazine before. Non of the patterns seem frumpy or down right ridiculous.

Thank you Knit Now Magazine for a fab first issue!

Knit Now costs £4.99