In this edition of our series, we have a puffy vest. On the left, is Teva Durham’s #15 Reversible quilted vest from Loop-d-loop Vol 3 and on the right is Olga Buraya-Kefelian‘s Aprés Vest from Blue Sky Alpacas.
The Teva Durham design is a double knit with two different yarns and is reversible.
One of the aspects I love about these patterns is their use of special yarns. What started me off thinking about these patterns is that I saw the Artful Yarns Lustro on sale at Elann.com. It bears an uncanny resemblance to Shale, one of the designer yarn used in the Loop-d-loop designs.
The actual specs of the two yarns are listed below:
| Lustro | Shale | |
| Fibre Content: | 36% Viscose Rayon/ 25% Acrylic/20% Mohair/19% Nylon | 15% Viscose Rayon/30% Acrylic/35% Mohair/20% Nylon |
| Made In: | Italy | Italy |
| Care: | Hand Wash/ Dry Flat | Hand Wash/ Dry Flat |
| Knit: | 18 st/4 inches | 18 st/4 inches |
| Recommended ndl size: | 5.0mm (US 8) | 8.0mm (US 11) |
| Yardage: | 135 m (148 yards) | 73 yards |
| Size: | 50g (1.75 oz) ball | 50g |
Shale is bulkier than Lustro but it does seem as though the biggest factor that distinguishes these two yarns is the extra mohair in Shale. Perhaps Lustro could be a good mimic for Shale if carried along with a strand of mohair.
The Aprés ski vest knit from Techno, which is such an avant-garde yarn, it is not even spun. Apparently it is created by “blowing” baby alpaca into a mesh tube of silk yielding a bulky, yet lightweight yarn. I have not yet met this yarn in person but the concept is incredibly intriguing and I’m very curious to see what it is like.
Posted by pascalenary 
