Black Elephant Singles are back with a bang! Petra’s eye for gorgeous hand dyed colours is pure magic and we love it when a box of her yarn arrives in the shop. Rich, saturated and speckled, hand dyed yarns are a joy to knit with, making every stitch exciting.

Black Elephant Merino Singles are a single plied 4ply weight, 100% Superwash Merino. Dyed in the Black Elephant studio in Sheffield, the production is environmentally conscious and they aim towards a zero waste production. Singles are lightweight, drapey and flow well. I really like them for light shawls as they drape and hang delicately. Also these qualities lend themselves well to lighter summer wear. For more body they pair well with a strand of mohair lace held along side, or work well in marled projects. Due to the single ply nature of the yarn the stitch definition is slightly softer but it will still make beautiful lace projects. I also love them for larger and more ambitions projects like a fade or gradient or pairing with a yarn of a different texture.

The joy of these yarns are the colours and the way they flow across your needles, they all look so tempting. If you are looking for some project inspiration see below for some designs that are really speaking to me right now:

Yaveena (link to Ravelry) by Brian Smith. This large semi-circle shawl is worked sideways using short row shaping. Each short row wedge is separated by a row of eyelets. Stitches are picked up along the lower edge and then a panel of lace is added in a contrast colour. I love the simplicity of the main shawl that is then embellished with this band. It is like a ribbon trim on a piece of fabric and add such a nice detail. It’s knit in Black Elephant Singles and takes three skeins. Two for the main colour and one for the contrast.

Venezia Shawl (link to designers website) by Joji Locatelli. It’s always good to have a single skein shawl design in your library. I love them for quick knits or good stash busters. This is the project for those single skeins you couldn’t live without. This shawl is worked from tip to tip with a reversible lace motif that runs along the edge. Delicate and a practical shape.

Ripple Halter (link to designers website) by Jessie Maed Designs. I have seen a lot of this style of top recently in the knitting world and out and about. It’s the style to knit for this summer! Merino singles feel so lovely against the skin so it’s the ideal choice for this top.

Sandcastles Shawl (link to Ravelry) by Noma Ndlovu. Another one skien shawl, because its lovely and looks awesome knit in hand-dyed yarn. Making a feature of lace drop stitches that create lighter patches between rows of garter stitch. Noma has a few single skein shawls that are all worth checking out.

Lento (link to Ravelry) by Jonna Hietala. This jumper has been on my knit list for so long. Not only does it use a Merino Singles but its held together with a mohair lace. Yep, cosy! This gives the stitch a little more body and makes a denser garment. Knit from the top down with raglan increases, I would of course choose Fyberpsates Cumulus paired with the Black Elephant Merino Singles.

Whispering Willow (link to Ravelry) by Saysha Greene. This stunning shawl features graphic brioche branches echoing willow trees. Brioche is great for creating graphic lines in contrasting colours. It will take two of each colour if done in Black Elephant Merino Singles.

Lizzie Sweater (link to designers website) by Susanne Sommer. This top down light jumper features Susanne’s skill for creative Brioche repeats. I like how the colour from the brioche triangles is then carried over the shoulders in garter stitch. It’s fun way of using the colour.