Knitch Magazine

Yarn Name: S. Charles Collezione Crystal
Review Date: September 20, 2011
Date Introduced to Market: 2011

The Look

Crystal, from S. Charles Collezione, is a dazzling new laceweight metallic yarn studded with tiny sequins. This glimmery yarn can substitute for wire to knit sophisticated necklaces, bracelets or ear rings. It also produces spectacular scarves that can substitute for jewelry. Alternatively, carry a strand of Crystal with other fibers to add sparkle and glitz to any garment. Crystal can be worked at nearly any gauge in a wide range of applications.

The Feel

The fascinating thing about Crystal is its ability to mimic wire and metal. It is in fact, several very fine strands of polyester plied together with tiny polyester sequins irregularly spaced along the strand. It is certainly not soft in the sense of fine wool, but Crystal will not scratch or irritate your skin and wearing a necklace knit in Crystal yarn could be more comfortable than some wire pieces. Crystal rates #4 on the softness scale.

Softness Scale

The Patterns

Knitscape and Moonstruck include several patterns from the designers Tahki Stacy Charles. Both have a collection of scarves, shawls, tops and jewelry using Crystal alone and in combination with other S. Collezione yarns. It is likely you will be seeing several versions of the Kathleen 1-Ball Slit Scarf and Elsa Lace Scarf. They each use one ball of Crystal and are lovely, versatile accessories that will appeal to a wide range of people. These two designs alone may make Crystal the hit of the season.

Color Range

Metallic shades of silver, black, verdigris, gold, bronze, copper, rose quartz, and crystal white present a full palette for any use. These colors span all seasons, but the high glitter value of the tiny sequins make Crystal a particularly interesting yarn for holiday and evening wear.

Working It

Crystal can be worked at nearly any gauge. It is a very fine laceweight yarn but has little or no resiliency so it works to a gauge of approximately 5 stitches over 4 inches even on size 2 or 3 needles. The stitches remain open as there are no fiber threads or scales to grip the stitches as in wool and other natural fibers. The knitted fabric does spring to life with a fair amount of tension: just enough to keep its shape while not so loose that your necklace or scarf will sag like wet spaghetti.

Knitting Outside the Box

The intriguing possibilities for Crystal will fire off lots of ideas in your mind. Jewelry is an obvious choice for the sparkly metallic look of this yarn. It can also be used with laceweight yarns to add shine without bulk to lace projects. Let your imagination run; Crystal forces out of the box thinking.

Blocking It

Lay flat to dry. To avoid damaging the sequins, do not apply heat.

Washing It

Hand wash in cool water, if you must. May be dry cleaned.

Wearability

You should avoid snags and take care to carefully clean and store garments or jewelry knit of Crystal, as you would with any fine garment.

Overall Recommendation:

Try Crystal for seasonal or evening glamor, as a substitute for wire in knitted jewelry, or knit one of the glamorous accessory scarves with just one ball. I rate Crystal #9.