Knitting For Olive Pure Silk

Knitting For Olive Pure Silk is the perfect yarn for summer or dressy tops, and it also makes a luxurious sweater when combined with the KFO Soft Silk Mohair.

Knitting For Olive Pure Silk is made of 100 % bourette silk. Bourette silk is made of silk waste created during silk processing, where the short, leftover silk fibres are spun into a new yarn. It has a rustic and uneven look and is less shiny than other types of silk.

Pure Silk is a fingering-weight (4-ply) yarn, ideal for lightweight summer garments and held double for sweaters. Each 50g skein holds approximately 250m (270 yards), knitting to a gauge of 28 stitches x 38 rows over 10cm on 3mm needles.

Yarn Specifications

Yarn Name: Pure Silk

Yarn Brand: Knitting for Olive

Ball weight: 50g

Ball Meterage: 250meters

Ball Yardage: 270 yards

Yarn Composition: made from 100% silk, the bourette silk is cruelty-free (ie collected without killing the silkworm)

Yarn Gauge: This yarn is a fingering weight yarn.

Gauge: Using 3mm needles, it gives 28 stitches x 38 rows in a 10 x 10cm swatch

Recommend Knitting Needles: 3mm needles (US 2.5)

Recommend Crochet Hook: 3mm hook (US )

Knitting Machine: Can not be used as it is too thick for the knitting machine.

Care instructions: Best to hand-wash with a no-rinse detergent, then shape the fabric on a flat surface (e.g., a towel) and lay flat to dry. Definitely do not tumble dry.

Other Information: The bourette silk is made of silk waste created during silk processing, so no silk worms were harmed in the making. Using silk in this process creates a rustic, uneven look and makes it less shiny than other types of silk. The silk is also Oeko-Tex Standard 100, meaning all items in the production process (from workers to the environment to chemicals) are handled ethically.

Pattern Ideas

Here are a few patterns we love for Pure Silk, including some we have knitted here in the shop. There are plenty more, so if none of these is right for you, do get in touch and we will happily suggest something to suit your project.

• Camisole No. 7 knitting pattern by My Favourite Things Knitwear on Ravelry
• Gabrielle knitting pattern by Cocoknits on Ravelry
• Tide Loop Tee knitting pattern by Other Loops on Ravelry
• Lumme Tee knitting pattern by Sari Nordlund on Ravelry (a pretty colourwork tee that uses two shades of Pure Silk)
• Anker Tee knitting pattern by PetiteKnit, available at Knit With Me
• Cloud Tee knitting pattern by PetiteKnit, available at Knit With Me
• Sunday Tee knitting pattern by PetiteKnit, available at Knit With Me
• Ivy Top knitting pattern by PetiteKnit, available at Knit With Me
• Anker's Summer Shirt knitting pattern by PetiteKnit, available at Knit With Me

A few of these we have made ourselves, so do pop in and have a feel. Carol knitted her Camisole No. 7 by My Favourite Things Knitwear in three balls of Pure Silk in the colour Pink Daisies: see the Camisole No. 7 in Pure Silk on our Instagram. We also knitted the Cocoknits Gabrielle in Pure Silk held double: see the Gabrielle in Pure Silk. And the Tide Loop Tee by Other Loops looks lovely with Pure Silk held alongside Holst Garn Titicaca: see the Tide Loop Tee on our Instagram.

About Knitting For Olive

Knitting For Olive is a Danish yarn brand we absolutely love here at Knit With Me. Founded in 2015 by mother and daughter Pernille and Caroline, the company began as a small baby-and-toddler knitting-pattern business and has since grown into one of the most beautifully made, ethically produced ranges of yarn available anywhere.

Their yarns include Merino, Soft Silk Mohair, Pure Silk and Cotton Merino, all made from pure natural fibres with full traceability from farm to skein. They hold both the Responsible Wool Standard (RWS) and Responsible Mohair Standard (RMS) certifications, which means every skein is genuinely mulesing-free and produced with real respect for animal welfare, workers and the environment. Their silk is cruelty-free too, sourced only from cocoons where the silkworm has already hatched naturally.

On top of all that, the brand has donated the equivalent of hundreds of thousands of pounds to humanitarian causes worldwide. It is a brand that truly puts its values into practice at every level and that is exactly why we are proud to stock them.

Browse the full Knitting For Olive collection at Knit With Me