Oh Kestrel how I love thee. Who's Kestrel you ask? Why Kestrel is the newest linen yarn from Quince & Co. and let me tell you....this yarn is fab.u.lous. 

Every year during the Tops, Tanks & Tees Knit Along I try to encourage everyone to try a summer friendly fiber to knit with and to embrace those plant based fibers. My go to recommendation has always been Quince & Co.'s first linen yarn - Sparrow. Sparrow is a pretty fingering weight that knits up and wears great! So when Quince & Co. announced they were releasing Kestrel - an aran weight linen - be still my beating heart! Linen + aran weight = happy shannon! I admit I tend to knit with yarns that are DK or higher most often so the idea of a linen that is aran weight, 100% linen and organic just had me swooning! Not to mention it's seriously amazing to knit with, drapes like a DREAM. I can't stop petting mine!

Now don't start to get scared and run from the computer saying "linen....hmmm...not sure...I only knit with wool....don't like how it feels on my hands....don't know how to care for it...." etc, etc. We've all been there. It's like anything new that you learn. Linen can seem scary to a knitter who hasn't used it. But trust me when I say it's not. As a sewer who also knits linen really appeals to me! I love the fact that what you get is what you see. Linen doesn't lose it's shape or stretch out. It just is what you make it. You can treat it just like fabric! And no, it's not like linen fabric where you end up all wrinkled at the end of the day. It won't go all cray cray on you. You can wash it in the machine, iron it and more! Plus it doesn't pill! The more you wear it - the better it gets! How can you not like that right?

Looking for some helpful posts on knitting with linen?

// Check out Knitting with Linen and also Finishing with Linen by Hannah Fettig of Knitbot. There are some great tips in these posts!
// Pam Allen (designer & one of the founders of Quince & Co.) & Hannah Fettig have a wonderful new podcast out called Knit.fm that is fun to listen to and educational! If you take a listen to Episode 7 (Design Process) you can learn more about Kestrel and also working with and caring for linen yarns. If you enjoy knitting podcasts make sure you subscribe to Knit.fm!

Need some lovely patterns to try out your linen knitting skills?

We recommend the following collections for some wonderful linen patterns:


How about some helpful tips on linen?

// You can put linen in the washing machine and the dryer.
// It get's better the more you wear it and wash it.
// You can still block your linen item.
// It softens up after wear.
// It's sometimes easiest to wind linen by hand as it has a tendency to tangle and knot. If you do use a swift, go slow and be careful.
// Always knit from the outside of your ball - not the inside. If you do knit from the center pull you may want to put your yarn inside a sock or something to contain it to keep from knotting.
// It comes from the flax plant.

I promise you once you give it a try you'll like it! You may be surprised at how much you'll enjoy the end result! 

And if you have found linens rough to knit with in the past Kestrel will be a welcome addition to your yarn stash. I found it enjoyable to use and quite comfortable on the hands to knit with. Two thumbs up in my book! I also highly recommend any of Quince & Co.'s yarns and if you haven't tried any of them yet give it a go! They have a wide selection of weights, reasonable shipping and the colors - well swoon! Texture, loft, drape - their yarns have it all. I haven't met a Quince & Co. yarn I haven't loved yet :)

So what do you say? Are you going to give knitting with linen a try? Have you knit with Kestrel or Sparrow before? Let's chat yarn ladies! And don't forget to share any tips you may have on knitting with linen! I'd love to add them to the post!


*All images in the post courtesy of Quince & Co.