Yearn Worthy Yarn: Sea Silk

Yarn is such an amazingly versatile material. It can be made out of practically anything. I am still amazed at what yarn can be made from, and even more amazed that it can be a fine looking, soft feeling yarn to boot.

Sea Silk yarn is one such yarn that rocks my socks off. This yarn has been around a while, but is making its way around again. It is a blend of Sea Cell and cotton, silk, wool, or a blend of silk and wool. Sea Cell is a plant fiber created from seaweed and tencel or Lyocell. The yarn comes in several blends and can come in a 70-30 blend or an 80-20 blend, with Sea Cell always the lesser number.

Seaweed is used not only for its sustainability but also for its purported health benefits (skin protection and anti-inflammatory properties.) It is an interesting concept, as seaweed is found in a number of cosmetics and other bath and body products. The overall amount of seaweed per skein is small, but it adds that extra something to the fiber.

Handmaiden Fine Yarns offers Sea Silk in two blends. Their Sea Silk comes in 70 percent silk and 30 percent Sea Cell. They also offer Great Big Sea with 50 percent silk, 30 percent wool and 20 percent Sea Cell. The yarn is light, shiny and soft, more suitable for lace work than hats. The colorways are down right dreamy, with variegates reminiscent of slow sunsets on the water and bright solids, like the sun glinting off of tide pools. They are relaxing and brilliant all at the same time.

Check out Handmaiden’s retailers for a local yarn shop near you that carries Sea Silk.