What’s your favorite season? I think every season has its charm, but autumn is probably my favorite. I’m always very happy when I finally get the chance to wear all of my handmade sweaters! However, sometimes it’s just not cold enough for a warm, woolen sweater. Thankfully, there exists such a thing as the Pima Cotton from We Are Knitters! This yarn is one of my ultimate favorites. It’s super soft and it has a fabulous drape. Oh, and did I mention it comes in the most beautiful colors? This is definitely a yarn you want to get your hands on. Therefore, I was absolutely thrilled when We Are Knitters gifted me their Orchid Sweater kit to try out!
We Are Knitters is probably the most well-known brand in the yarn industry. They offer a wide range of the most beautiful, natural yarns and a bunch of knitting, crochet, weaving, embroidery and latch hook kits. Whatever yarn craft you’re into – they’ve got you. I’ve had the pleasure of working with their yarn a few times, and they have never disappointed me. They pair trendy, slow (!) fashion with a mission to create a cleaner environment. And although I might be a bit biased – just looking at their products makes you want to pick up a yarn craft!
The kit contains the pattern for the Orchid sweater in the language of your choosing, 5 or 6 balls of the Pima Cotton (depending on your size), 5 mm wooden knitting needles, 2 darning needles, a cute little label to sew into your sweater once it’s all done, and a fun batch of knitting themed stickers.
The Orchid Sweater is a very beginner friendly pattern. You’ll need to finish the four separate pieces (front, back + 2 sleeves) before you can seam everything up. The whole piece is worked up in stockinette stitch, except for the ribbing. It’s a super easy project – I knit up most of the sweater while doing homework, attending Zoom classes and watching Netflix.
The Orchid Sweater kit comes in four sizes: S, M, L and XL. The pattern includes instructions for all of these sizes. Size L and XL come with an extra ball of yarn. A number of kits from We Are Knitters are also available up to size 3XL, but unfortunately this isn’t one of them.
Let’s talk about the yarn. The Pima Cotton is unlike any other cotton yarn I have every worked with. I mean that in a good way – it’s lighter, softer, and it has loveliest stitch definition. The drape is absolutely gorgeous. Can you tell this is by far one of my favorite yarns?! I chose the color ‘Dark Copper‘ for my Orchid Sweater, and I’ve received so many compliments on it. I had been eyeing it for a while, so my color choice for this knitting kit wasn’t a tough decision. The yarn is available in a lot of other gorgeous colors. Some favorites of mine include ‘Olive‘, ‘Sand‘, ‘Mauve‘ and ‘Light Salmon‘. The fiber content is 100% Peruvian pima cotton. Pima cotton has a longer fiber than conventional cotton, which creates a super smooth and soft yarn. The yarn comes in 100g balls à 212m/232 yards. It’s worked up on 5 mm needles.
My kit came with 5 mm wooden knitting needles. These are optional; you can select whether you want your kit to include needles or not. The needles are great. All of WAK’s knitting needles are artisanally made from 100% beechwood. The wood used to make them has FSC (forest stewardship) certification. I usually prefer knitting in the round (here’s why), but sometimes I just can’t resist working with straight needles. They just make for much prettier photos, am I right? These needles are smooth, and I love the natural look – I’ve included them in all my flatlays of this project.
Every kit comes with a brown envelop, which includes the sewing needles, the little label and a bunch of yarn/knitting themed stickers. I think sewing the label into your sweater gives it a really nice touch – it says the garment is handmade by you with 100% natural fibers. The stickers are also very neat – perfect for sticking in your planner, on your laptop, and so on.
Last but not least, you can get your first order from We Are Knitters with a $12 / €10 discount if you use code MGM75G3QY.
Happy knitting!
