Kibou Fiber Content: 54% Cotton, 34% Wool, 12% Silk. Yardage: approximately 297 yards Physical Weight: 100g Yarn Weight: DK w/varying thickness from light sport to Bulky. Gauge: 5-5.5 sts per inch Recommended Needle Size: US 5 needle. Packaged as skeins. MSRP: $19.95 | Pattern Support: No free patterns from Knitting Fever (KFI) for Kibou however there are 13 patterns for this specific yarn which can be purchases in three or four different books from KFI. Palette: 6 self-striping colorways |
First Impressions
I now know all wool yarns do not feel the same, just as all acrylics do not feel the same. Simply because something has wool in it does not mean it is going to itch like mad. Nor does it mean it will feel coarse. I have a better understanding of just how important formulation is when it comes to the final hand of a fiber. Of course that goes out of the window if you have an allergy or sensitivity to wool/animal fibers. Fortunately, I do not have an allergy or sensitivity.
Kibou (Pronounced: Key-Bo) is the Japanese word for hope. I think it was quite fitting this was the Noro yarn I picked from the group of four I was provided for review. Visually, I was enamored with the colors and the range of the hues. There is real artistry present in the crafting of the colorways. The hand, I found quite pleasant. The main fiber is cotton which really adds a beautiful lightness to the yarn. I honestly found myself imagining all of the projects I could make with this fiber. I was truly inspired by the possibilities and could not wait to dive in.
Swatching
For the Crochet Swatch: I found this yarn worked equally well in the crochet swatch. The definition the yarn provided to each stitch was lovely. There was firmness with a really pleasant give to each of the finished stitches. I normally find crochet stitches quite dense and this yarn really countered that well.
When it came to the Abuse Olympics I must give Kibou kudos. No matter how many times I ripped the little Olympics swatch apart the yarn bounced back. After 8 frogs and virtually no hint of distortion to the yarn I did not see any point to continually knitting and undoing. When it came to unknitting the yarn was a dream. It came apart as easily as it went together.
Making a Project
The more I knit with this yarn the more I felt I was knitting a Monet painting. The play of colors within themselves and against each other showed the artistry inherent to the yarn. I do not consider myself an artistic person when it comes to colors, yet the more I progressed in the scarf the more artistic I felt. I began to better appreciate this brand of yarn which I had summarily written off years ago based on a single, inexperienced, 15 second experience. There was a simplicity to working with this yarn. Kibou moved through my fingers and around my needles effortlessly. It did not matter whether I was using stainless steel or bamboo the yarn moved equally well. The balance to this blend of fibers is exceptional. I even found the contrast within the colorway incredibly interesting. The reserved vibrancy of the hues in this particular colorway constantly drew my interest. Just when I thought a color was about to become too vibrant it transitioned away from the precipice and the same is true when the color seemed about to go too dark.
Final Thoughts
The visual, textural and tactile interplay when working with Kibou is a real testament to the the artistry of Noro.
Copyright William Souza 2014