This review should have been posted two months ago; but better late than never. Today I’m reviewing SweetGeorgia CashSilk Lace, the yarn I used in one of my samples for my Á Chloris shawl!
Before I begin, full disclosure. This yarn and the next yarn I’ll be reviewing, SweetGeorgia Flaxen Silk DK, have acquired some special significance for me since coming on board with SweetGeorgia Yarns as a Designer in Residence for this year. (You can read more about that here.) However, I won’t be saying anything in either review that I wasn’t planning to say long before that; because these yarns are pretty super, and there’s plenty to talk about. If anything, these yarns were two big motivators for me to apply to the program in the first place; because who wouldn’t want to work for a company that makes yarn this fabulous?
With that, let’s dive in!
The name just about says it all—CashSilk Lace is 45% cashmere, 55% silk. At 400 yards to 50g, it’s squarely in the laceweight range; while some lace yarns are lighter (more yardage per gram), Cashsilk Lace has an especially airy, floaty hand with a faint halo. Both fibers in this blend take dye excellently. I used the Tumbled Stone colorway, a soft neutral; there’s a rich glow to it in this yarn.
The yarn is easy to knit with, though as I mentioned above, it feels quite delicate; I found myself knitting more loosely than usual because I was afraid to break it. I doubt that was necessary; I’m a bit hypersensitive when it comes to fancy yarn! Even unblocked it shows the lace quite well; stockinette does curl a lot without blocking, though. CashSilk Lace has a 2ply construction with a middling amount of twist, which, combined with the fiber blend (long-haired cashmere and slinky silk) means it doesn’t spring back on itself much. It can be a bit splitty, but not enough to get annoying; I didn’t use super sharp needles, which helped.
And can I just say again how airy this yarn is? You almost can’t feel it passing between your fingers while knitting. When I carried it around in my project bag or around the house, it almost felt like carrying around a marshmallow. I must admit to babying it just a bit; something about the luxuriousness of it brought out an overprotective streak in me.
And…blocked! I did my usual routine (30 minutes in warm water with Kookaburra Delicate wool wash) and was extra careful to support the whole piece as I lifted it out of the bath, to keep the weight of the moisture from distorting the shawl. No dye came out in the water. The piece dried extra quickly and stayed put when the pins were removed. I did notice the top edge of the stockinette wanting to curl again, but just a little.
The finished shawl is true evening wear—fine, flowy, soft, and it moves like something an elf would wear in Lord of the Rings. It’s dreamy. The lace opened up but the silk keeps it crisp; the cashmere adds just the lightest touch of warmth. This will be a go-to occasion piece for me; and CashSilk Lace will definitely be on my radar for extra-special knits.
One thing I wish I had done (and will keep in mind for next time) is a little beading somewhere in the edging. The shawl is so floaty that at times it wants to fly away, whether there’s a breeze or I move a little too quickly. I think the beads would help to weigh it down just a bit and keep it in place. And besides, if you’re knitting a dressy shawl beads are always a good idea.
One of the things I love about SweetGeorgia Yarns is how they don’t necessarily go for the most exotic, funky, or trendy fibers or yarn types, but everything they do is classic and superb to the nth degree. Ultimately that’s the reason why I wanted to work with them, and CashSilk Lace is no exception. My guess is a century from now this will still be stylish in a timeless kind of way; don’t you agree?
SweetGeorgia Yarns CashSilk Lace is available here. The skein pictured in this review was sent to me by SweetGeorgia Yarns as part of their yarn support program.
My Á Chloris shawl, featured in this review, is available as an individual pattern download from Ravelry and Lovecrafts, and as part of my ebook Mélodies, a collection of lace shawls inspired by French art song. More details available here.
