I’ve been in the mood to make wearable crochet pieces recently and when I found Delia Creates’ Summer Mesh Sweater, I just had to give it a try. This free pattern was originally made using Lion Brand’s Coboo yarn in the shade ‘Tan’. Although the tan color creates a nice beachy feel, I wanted a pop of color to wear with my flowy white skirt. I ended up choosing the shade ‘Lichen’, which is more of a mint green/aqua.
Coboo comes in a variety of colors ranging from neutrals like ‘Taupe’ and ‘Coal’ to fun brights like ‘Magenta’ and a very sunny ‘Yellow’. I love that the composition of the yarn is a natural blend of cotton and bamboo. The bamboo tones down the stiffness of a traditional cotton, and it feels like it will create nice, soft drapey garments.
This is my first time working with bamboo yarn and it has been a little challenging so far. The yarn tends to split, so I’ve been working much slower than I normally would. I even had to rework some rows where I didn’t catch the split as I was working through the stitches. I typically use Susan Bates hooks because I like how the sharper edge helps to catch the yarn. In this case however, the sharper edge was just making the splitting worse, so I switched to a Clover 7/4.5 MM hook for this project.
The way things are going so far on this sweater, I would hesitate to recommend Lion Brand Coboo for beginners. It requires a little more attention and experience to avoid the splitting. If that’s something you think you can handle without going a little crazy, give it a try while it’s on sale for $4.19 a ball at Lion Brand. What summer pieces can you picture using this yarn for?
The Details
Fiber content: 51% Cotton, 49% Rayon from Bamboo
Yarn weight: 3, Light
Amount per skein: 232 yd, 3.5 oz (212 m, 100 g)
Price: $5.99
Pros: Super soft; natural fibers; nice drape
Cons: Splits very easily