Yarns to Love
So Good Together: Atlas + Kidsilk Haze
Kidsilk Haze in Sky and Atlas in Skyline. Aw.
Sometimes things I love can get better. My favorite Girl Scout cookies are Thin Mints, love them, buy them every year, hide at least one box from my family for my personal noshing. I still remember when someone told me to put them in the freezer and eat them cold. Whoa, a snack changer, the flavor was enhanced and the texture changed to have even more snap—delicious.
The same thing happened when I added a strand of Kidsilk Haze to already soft and springy Atlas. The ‘adding a strand of mohair to another yarn’ trend doesn’t seem to waning, and I’m not sad about it. I like the halo, and how that same fuzz allows us to shift to a looser gauge.
The Combination
The feel of Atlas and Kidsilk Haze together in fabric is almost indescribable, it’s so good. The meltingly soft and cushy Atlas, combined with the silky and luxurious Kidsilk Haze shifts to something slinky and ethereal.
I like how it looks too. Atlas can already handily shift gauge, and adding mohair to the mix, helps to shift even more and the mohair in Kidsilk Haze that gives it its fantastic halo, helps to stabilized the open gauge fabric.
I knit swatches in a range of stockinette gauges. First at ballband gauge with Atlas alone, this is 5 stitches to the inch (top swatch). Then I added a strand of Kidsilk Haze and jumped up to 4 (bottom left), 3.5 (bottom middle), and 3 stitches (bottom right) to the inch. All the fabrics are sublime. They are light, silky, and cozy, like a kitten.
What to Knit with this Superior Pairing
Of course, the sweaters that first come to mind that would work well with these two are Amy Christoffers’s Felix either the pullover or cardigan (top right) and Midori Hirose’s Ranunculus (bottom right).
Looking for another great stockinette sweater? How about Nell Ziroli’s Shop Frock (left)? I would spend all day sliding my hands into the pockets just to feel the fabric.
Comparing the Atlas swatch at ballband gauge, and the Atlas plus Kidsilk Haze at the gauge for these three sweaters, look at how the stitches bloom, and the halo and little pops of white silk from the Kidsilk Haze. It is exactly as soft as it looks, plus loosening up the gauge makes for lighter fabric.
Want a little texture? Wave of Change by Denise Bayron (left) is a great choice with its simple ridge of texture running through the garment. Overall texture you say? How about a basket weave stitch with yarn overs? Korshavn by Tonje Hodne (middle) is designed to be open and fuzzy. Or go to garter stitch heaven in Slice by Lone Kjeldsen (right).
Atlas + KSH look spectacular in this stitch pattern.
Stitch definition in texture and a soft halo with unbelievable squish … I think I may have found my love match.
One Caveat and Lots of Fun
A reminder about knitting yarns at an open gauge: the fabric has a bit more tendency to snag, so be a little careful where and when you wear them. I can’t wear loose gauge sweaters in the kitchen, I snag on knobs and drawers. I also don’t wear them when I’m doing physical lifting work, like helping my kids move in or out of their dorm rooms or tidying the garden.
I knit all of the swatches in this post with shades of Atlas and Kidsilk Haze that match well Atlas in Skyline and Kidsilk Haze in Sky, but making marls with two strands of yarn is some of the most knitting fun I can think of. The fuzz of Kidsilk Haze helps to keep the marling subtle. You can go for a high contrast marl, like black and white, but I prefer something more subtle like the Lavender Kidsilk Haze I added to the Skyline Atlas.
You could even stripe or make a fade just swapping out the colors of Kidsilk Haze and keep Atlas the same color. Playing with these two favorite yarns showed me that knitting is always full of happy surprises, now excuse me while I grab my Thin Mints from the back of the freezer.
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Ooh! Jillian, thank you SO MUCH for knitting all of these swatches and making suggestions for various patterns that will lend themselves to these combinations. I especially love the basketweave sweater. And the purple kid-silk and blue Atlas swatch is SO beautiful and subtle.
Zippers! –Open gauge and coat zippers –or little fingers: my grandson loves to play with my wool and silk mohair Love Note –BUT YUM –this post is So inspiring!!
When you mentioned keeping the shade of Atlas the same, but changing the shade of KidSilk Haze, I couldn’t help but think of the epically squishy Vista Wrap by Adventure du Jour Designs. Perfect pattern for these yarns!!
I need Atlas
I remember the first time I saw and felt the magic that a whisper of mohair added to a smooth yarn made. Magic.
Thank you for showing my Shop Frock, you’re right, those would be extra delicious pockets. xo
Such fun suggestions! Thank you for this. That Ranunculus! And I loved Slice, and discovering a cool designer new to me, Lone. MDK is always full of inspiration and ways to play.
When you pair such different yarns, how do you know how much to buy of each? You can’t just buy the same weight, can you? Or yardage?
You’d purchase by yardage.
Great idea! This makes such beautiful fabric. Thank you.
I started holding a lace thread of mohair with every scarf I make, the finish is so much more luxurious. And a varied color makes it so interesting and fun to knit. Thanks for your thorough presentation Jillian!
Thank you. This was very inspirational. Tin Can Knits also has an interesting blog about combining mohair with other yarns. https://blog.tincanknits.com/2019/05/30/painterly-yarn-combinations-layering-mohair-over-a-base-yarn/. Thank you for the tip on the Thin Mints too. 🙂
I am THRILLED to see Denise Bayron and her Wave of Change pattern included here. Her chosen lifestyle, to live small and live simply, is something I admire greatly, and her patterns are written with clearest directions I have ever followed. Wave of Change, whether as a pullover or a cardigan, is a fantastic choice !
guidance and permission to play. So wonderful
Oh man! Thanks so much for these brilliant ideas! My queue is growing – soft and lighter in the same Atlas I love is a recipe for a favorite sweater-to-be for sure. Love the idea of creating a “custom” color.
Hi,
I crochet, but I love your idea of adding a strand. I would love to try this on one of my projects, but have never seen that yarn before. I usually shop at Hobby Lobby, Michael’s, Joanne’s, and a local yarn supplier.
Where can I buy the Kidsilk Haze?
It’s most likely that MDK sells the yarn. I crocheted a scarf once with three strands of yarn. It was the thickest most fun scarf I ever made! I had a fuzzy yarn, a fashion yarn, and a plain yarn for structure.
Is Amy Christoffers pattern Felix in one of the Field Guides?
Working on Junko Okamoto’s Andy cardigan in Atlas Merlot with Kidsilk Haze Black Currant. Absolutely dreamy, loving this project. Thank you so much for the inspiration.
Lately I’ve been seeing more and more patterns that add a strand of mohair yarn to the recommended yarn. I’ve been reluctant to try it. But hey I have some Kid Silk Haze. Maybe it’s time to stop squishing and enjoying just holding it and put it to use. Thanks for the inspiring article.