Knitch Magazine

Yarn Name: Crystal Palace Sausalito
Review Date: June 14, 2011
Date Introduced to Market: March 2010

The Look

Sausalito, new from Crystal Palace in spring 2011, is a marled self-striping fingering weight yarn that’s sure to draw the eye of lace and sock knitters. Like the picturesque waterfront San Francisco community from which it takes its name, Sausalito shows subtle shifts of color with bright highlights, much like the sun reflecting off the bay. Knitters and crocheters will love this yarn spun in Taiwan of 90% superwash soft merino and 20% nylon for strength. With long stretches between color changes, there is little concern for color pooling or blotches.

The Feel

The superwash merino is soothingly soft, ranking Sausalito #8 on the softness scale. It’s a good choice to caress feet, hands and neck.

Softness Scale

The Patterns

Crystal Palace offers several very clever patterns, including some for socks, scarves, mittens and the very popular fingerless mitts. Don’t overlook the possibilities of Sausalito for colorful baby items; this very soft machine washable merino yarn has loads of possibilities for bright baby attire and blankets. Find a vintage pattern that uses fine baby wool worked at a similar gauge of 26 – 32 stitches over 4 inches and instantly modernize it by using this captivating yarn.

Color Range

The dyers at Crystal Palace managed to eke out an amazing range of color in the 14 blends selected for Sausalito. The marled ply color changes slowly over long stretches of another shaded ply, creating bursts of color. You will have to work several rows before the color changes reveal themselves to full effect, but by then you will be hooked and unable to put down the knitting, waiting for the next color to emerge. Combine two or more shades for even more striking results.

Working It

Because Sausalito is extremely soft, it knits

What I’d Like to Make with It

There’s a fun and easy free pattern for the Curly Sausalito Scarf available from Crystal Palace. It takes only one skein of yarn and works up rather quickly on larger (US size 7) needles. Be sure to follow the recommendation to use cable cast on and very loose bind off. This scarf needs to stretch at the edges. It coils easily into a soft ruffle around your neck. If, like me, you always struggle with finding an attractive way to tie a scarf (and keep it tied for more than an hour), then this is the ideal scarf for you. It wraps naturally around your neck and can be easily adjusted to suit any neckline. One twist and you’re done. The tweedy effect and soft feel will make the Curly Sausalito Scarf a favorite.

Knitting Outside the Box

Self-striping yarns can yield interesting results in mitered patterns or when knit sideways. Sandi Rosner’s Sausalito Sideways Striped Mittens are a clever use of stripes against the grain. Vertical stripes are nearly impossible to achieve in mittens. This clever adaptation is knit flat using short rows for shaping and Kitchener stitch to weave the edges together.

Blocking It

Lay flat to dry.

Washing It

Can be machine washed in cool water on gentle cycle. This is a good feature for socks, but do take the time to use a lingerie bag to protect hand knits against snags and unnecessary agitation.

Wearability

With a good amount of nylon (20%) added to the soft merino, Sausalito should wear well in most garments. Treat your feet to a regular pedicure by buffing away the calluses on your heels and toes; the heels in your hand knit socks will last a lot longer and your feet will feel good too.

Overall Recommendation:

If you are fascinated by color, try a ball or two of Sausalito in a pair of socks or scarf and undoubtedly you’ll go back for more. Sausalito earns a #9 recommendation.