Beatrix

Beatrix is named for Beatrix Potter, author and illustrator of The Tale of Peter Rabbit—appropriate for a yarn this soft and likely to make you want to curl up somewhere quiet.

Juniper Moon Farm combines extrafine Merino with angora to make a yarn that's remarkably light for its bulky gauge. Beatrix is constructed with a fiber-filled net that holds the angora in place rather than letting it migrate onto your clothes, your couch, and up your nose. The angora creates that unmistakable soft halo—the fuzz around the stitches that makes people reach out and touch your finished project without asking—and plenty of insulating loft without a lot of weight. Merino gives the yarn body and bounce, while nylon adds strength and helps hold the airy construction together.

That combination makes Beatrix particularly good for sweaters and cardigans that feel substantial without becoming cumbersome. Hats, cowls, and scarves take full advantage of the softness and halo, and at a bulky gauge, relatively few stitches produce a lot of fabric.

All that trapped air is also what makes Beatrix so warm without becoming it heavy. The angora creates insulating loft without a lot of weight, making it particularly good for sweaters and cardigans that feel substantial without becoming cumbersome. Hats, cowls, and scarves take full advantage of the softness and halo, and at a bulky gauge, relatively few stitches produce a lot of fabric.

The halo is part of the point, so this isn't the yarn for a pattern where every small detail needs to stay sharply defined. Give it cables or larger-scale texture and you'll still see plenty of definition, but simple stockinette may be where Beatrix is happiest—the angora gets room to bloom and the fabric does the interesting work for you.

A very soft yarn named after the woman responsible for one of literature's most famous rabbits feels about right.

I handed Leilani the sample sweater. That was it for the day. Lost her to the fluff. -Kerry

Pattern ideas:

• Crunching Leaves Cowl
• Metropolis (FREE)
• Sunday Cardigan
• Weekend Waffle Shawl (crochet)