Mellow Mojave, The Easiest Summer Yarn Ever
Ok, that's a bold claim! But let's get into it.
First, with summers getting hotter every year, let's face it - we're all looking for the right summer yarns for knit and crochet projects. Nobody can wear wool all year round. And based on what you all tell me at fiber events, in emails and DMs, we all want the same thing: a cotton, linen, or blend yarn that's environmentally responsible, easy on the needles (nobody wants to get tendinitis knitting a summer tee!), and not toooooo splitty. Oh, and a great color range, because sometimes you want neutrals, and other times call for a neon. I get that.
And so does Kelbourne Woolens, whose Mojave yarn, in my humble opinion, checks every box.
First let's talk about the color options - Mojave comes in almost 20 colors, and they are a huge range: pastels, neutral tones, and some really vibrant, beautiful shades that are really fun either on their own, or in combination. Think stripes, edges on a boatneck tee, trim on a baby cardigan. So good!
Second, the blend of cotton (60%) and linen (40%) on this yarn, combined with the 2-ply twist, is somehow, magically, great. It's not particularly splitty, or overly stiff. No cotton/linen yarn will be as flexible on the needles as wool, but I have to say - this one is pretty good. It's pleasant to work with, and you could use either wood or metal needles, depending on your preference, without too much trouble.
The gauge of this yarn can be a bit confusing, at first glance. Ravelry calls it a sport weight. Reviewers call it DK. Kelbourne calls it both/either. In my opinion, both are true; it does have some flexibility, particularly depending on your preference for fabric density. Makers on Ravelry have used Mojave for everything from fingering weight to DK patterns.
In our case, we used it for Sari Nordlund's Rosenlund Top, a DK pattern. Our sample knitter Tricia Thodos did an amazing job with this, and the linen in this blend gives the yarn enough structure that it looks beautiful with lace work! Although Tricia met gauge, the overall top did come out a bit smaller, and smaller looking, than other knitters' tops in this pattern done with other yarn, and other folks who knitted it with Mojave observed this, too. That may be due to the yarn, or that this pattern was originally designed for wool, or a combination of the two factors, so something to keep in mind with this pattern!
Other great pattern ideas: Look At My Holes by James Watts, Outline Tee by Jessie Maed Designs, Desert Queen by Meghan Kelly, or Limonata by Ana D.
Overall, I'd rate this yarn a strong YES PLEASE, and judging by how quickly these colors fly off our shelves, we'd say you would, too!