| Noro Shirakaba |
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| Written by Barbara Rottman | |||
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The Look Subtle shading and a soft sheen distinguish Noro’s new yarn, Shirakaba. Softly plied of silk, cotton and wool, this yarn has the slightly irregular thick-to-thin shaft dimension of medium weight singles. Long segments shading from light to dark create a randomly variegated colorway. Silk and wool bring out a soft sheen that brightens the otherwise muted colorways. Its silky granular texture and unevenness predictably knits into a slightly irregular fabric. This yarn has it all: color, texture and body.
The Feel Shirakaba feels and handles like fine cotton. The yarn is inelastic but soft, feeling a lot more like raw silk than cotton. Compared to other cotton yarns, Shirakaba is soft and supple; it rates a”6” on the softness scale, and you can expect garments knit of Shirakaba to be comfortable to wear.
The Patterns Noro yarns are well supported with numerous patterns to inspire colorful knitting. Yarnmarket carries 27 Noro pattern books; Shirakaba can be used interchangeably with many Noro yarns. Work
Color Range Noro produces Shirakaba in eight colorways to complement most other Noro yarns and add color interest when used with other fibers. With its dark contrasts, Shirakaba used alone is muted and subdued. Men tend to prefer neutral or lower contrast colors. If you’re working with many colors, a dash of Shirakaba will tone down strong contrasts; it can be used to keep your colors in check and in balance.
Working It
You will be pleased with the excellent stitch definition and drape in this balanced combination of silk, cotton and wool. Corners, curves and other knit-in shaping shows to good advantage in this yarn. Because Shirakaba is lightweight when knit, you won’t have to fear drooping or sagging. The pattern stitches and shape of your garment will be maintained. My sample worked to a gauge of about 5.5 stitches to the inch, just a bit tighter than recommended. Light steam blocking helped set and maintain the shape. Even after handling and wearing, the sample did not stretch.
What I’d Like to Make with It Shirakaba, like many Noro yarns shows to its best advantage when knit in stripes, geometrics, mosaics or any highly textured stitch. Simple knit and purl combinations, diagonal knitting, or domino knitting are quick and fun to do using a randomly dyed textured yarn. Look through the many Noro pattern books available. You’re sure to find something that’s just right for you.
Knitting Outside the Box Try Shirakaba for the guys in your life. It’s muted colors, handspun surface texture and good body will translate into rugged garments guys will like.
Blocking It Lay flat to dry.
Washing It Dry clean or hand wash in cool water.
Wearability Shirakaba did not shed any fibers in the knitting and should be free from shedding in knitted garments. Some softly spun cotton yarns shed and continue to shed even after washing. I have such a yarn in my past and am now always wary. You’ll not find any such misbehavior from Shirakaba; it is a well spun yarn that stays together. Silk, wool and cotton are all durable fibers and this yarn should wear well. Overall Recommendation I recommend this understated yarn and rate it #8. This yarn will be available at Yarnmarket.com as soon as it is released.
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Yarn Name: 
Some cotton yarns are stiff and fight against being knit, but Shirakaba is quite easy to knit. Wool and silk add to the resiliency. This loosely plied soft yarn knits up readily with little hand tension. The plies don’t split, even with a stiletto tipped needle. On the whole, the yarn is quite uniform, but every now and then you’ll find some variation in the yarn – the difference between the thickest and the thinnest dimensions is quite marked. The overall effect creates surface texture without lumps. There were several knots in the two skeins I tested. I debated cutting them out, but decided against it because the knotting was confined to one of the plies, not the entire strand. Whether knit in cables, stockinette, or garter, these small knots completely disappeared into the subbed texture.
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