Naturally Soft Cotton by MillaMia

A couple of weeks ago, the lovely people at Love Knitting sent me four balls of their new MillaMia yarn - Naturally Soft Cotton.

I am a big fan of cotton - having knit a whole wrap out of Scheepjes Stonewashed XL which is a 70% cotton/30% acrylic blend. This is my first time handling 100% cotton and I love it. I often hear that knitters aren't so keen on cotton because it can be hard on the hands, but this isn't something I've ever experienced.

But even if you had - oh my god, you guys! - this is so soft! I mean, you could probably tell that by the name, but seriously. You know that one cotton shirt you have that's worn in just enough, so that when you slip it on, it feels like a hug? That's what this yarn feels like.

My immediate thought is that I want a garment out of this - yes, a whole garment. A simple jumper - the Nouri or the Vara from Pom Pom Quarterly Summer 2016 would be perfect. Or Hannah Fettig's Featherweight. I feel this is a yarn that lends itself to simple, elegant patterns. Or ones into which you want to snuggle - your call ;)

The dusky palette of this range is a little outside of my comfort zone. I tend to avoid pinks, but the colours I was sent - Bright Purple, Off White, English Rose and Rustic Rose - are lovely. Isn't it funny how you can get stuck in a bit of a colour rut? My entire wardrobe is in shades of blue and green, so I would never have chosen these colours, but they look so lovely together I'm dreaming of a colourwork pattern to use them in...

The Seaweed colourway is very much my usual colour, although the Mild Grey would make a great staple everyday piece. There are 22 colours at the moment, focused on pastels and pops of bright colour, but I would love to see some more natural shades launched for the cooler months - browns and greys and creams. I can see me layering up garments made out of these throughout the year because cotton is so wonderfully versatile - a cotton cardigan can be worn on cool summer evenings and layered up through the winter. Unlike wool (sorry, wool!) which doesn't really get much wear in the summer.

And what am I going to make with these little beauties? Well, as soon as I saw them, they work so beautifully together I thought - colourwork. I had a hunt on Ravelry for a cowl with a colourwork pattern and couldn't find the one I'd already conjured up in my head, so... I guess I'll be having a go at that on my own then. Wish me luck!