Staff Pick - Melinda

My staff pick is Cascade 220. While it may not have the cachet, the magazines, the luxury fibers of Rowan or Classic Elite yarns, 220 is one of my favorites. This worsted weight 100% Peruvian highland wool has 220 yards/100 grams. It's a great value at $6.85 a skein. The color range is huge, with both solids and heathers. You couldn't ask for a better felting wool. The hand is lovely--soft but not too drapey. 220 works up well for both texture and colorwork patterns. I just finished "Skylark" from Kim Hargreaves' Cherished and was reminded what good stitch definition you get with 220.

My co-worker Virginia is a fan of 220 for colorwork. Look at her fantastic fair isle cardigan and Babette blanket and you'll see why.

Last fall Cascade introduced 220 Sport. The same great yarn in a 164 yards/50 gram skein. It knits up at 5-1/2 to 6 stitches per inch. I gave it a test knit with a vest I designed for my husband using motifs from Lucinda Guy's Knitting Motifs for Babies and Kids.



The sport weight is every bit as nice as the original 220. In fact, I so enjoyed working with it that I've started the "Nasty Dog Dragon Scarf" from Scarf Style.



At $4.00 a skein, I'm tempted to collect all the colors just to have them on hand. If you prefer a superwash wool, Cascade also introduced 220 Superwash Sport. This 100% superwash merino wool has 136 yards/50 grams for $6.00. While I haven't knit with it yet, it's on my short list. I'm thinking a pair of mismatched striped socks or a baby gift. I know I won't be disappointed.