A few weeks ago I was contacted by the folks over at Stitchcraft Marketing to see if I would be interested in trying a new to me yarn from Kraemer Yarns, specifically their linen blend yarn, Belfast.  Kraemer is a 100+ year old textile company that mills its own yarns.  Belfast is a DK weight blend that includes linen, cotton, acrylic and viscose and comes in a variety of soft colors.  The colorway I received was Loch.

When I first received the yarn I was surprised at how soft it was. It’s not that I expected it to be rough, but both linen and cotton can be more sturdy and neither have a lot of stretch and give, so I was pleasantly surprised that the yarn had a nice hand to it.  I went looking for patterns that would only use a single skein, which is 220 yards.  I found that most people had used Belfast for summery sweaters or cardigans, and a few had used it for scarves or cowls.  I immediately gravitated towards baby knits, theorizing that this soft yarn might make a nice summer baby garment. I decided on Milo by Georgie Nicolson.

The pattern worked up quickly, and I felt the yarn was a good match. The yarn is a 4 ply and some of the strands are a little thick and thin, making this yarn squishy and airy. After I started knitting I realized that one might not want to knit a baby knit in a light colored yarn that requires handwashing, but I do feel that the sweet Milo vest shows off the yarn to perfection and might work for a knitter or someone who has some knowledge in caring for handknit garments.

Overall, I loved knitting this project and really enjoyed working with the yarn.  I would definitely consider it for future knits; perhaps a summer shell?

A special thank you to Stitchcraft Marketing and the folks at Kraemer Yarns who generously sent me this yarn (retail: $14.50) for free. I received no other compensation for this review. All opinions and photos are my own.