I’m delighted to share with you this long-dreamed-of and long-hoped-for yarn!
You had been asking us for a long time for a mohair yarn to match our yarns, and I myself was very curious to discover how mohair would marry with the properties of Arles merino. After much research to reconcile our demands for ethical and ecological yarns with the realities of production, Bérénice was born as a compelling desire for beauty and voluptuousness.
I was lucky enough to be able to choose a superb quality fiber for this yarn: South African super-kid mohair, even finer than kid-mohair and incredibly soft, with the RMS label guaranteeing its traceability and controlled breeding to respect animal welfare. I’ve been trying for several years to convince French breeders to entrust us with their mohair, but their cooperative organization doesn’t allow them to sell raw material. So I hesitated for a long time, but the discovery of this super-kid ethical mohair overcame my reluctance, and I hope the result will convince you too 🙂
This airy fiber is blended with 20% of our local organic Merinos d’Arles, giving the yarn a unique, fluffy, cloudy look and reducing its carbon footprint. This blend is loop-spun around a strong, shiny silk yarn, then combed to give the desired fluffy, voluminous look.
The yarn is then dyed with GOTS-compliant ecological dyes to reduce its environmental impact. We manufacture this very special yarn in Italy, near Biella.
Each ball of Bérénice weighs 25 g for 210 m of yarn and is available in 17 colors chosen to match the most popular colors in our carded and worsted ranges.
“Orgeat” is a frosted, slightly grayish white. It has been chosen from the Albertine and Pénélope palette and can be combined with these yarns for a tone-on-tone effect, or with the “poivre blanc” color of the Ulysse, Gilliatt and Cyrano yarns, which it will illuminate with a slightly brighter halo.
“Avoine” is a very light, delicate beige. It has been chosen from the Albertine and Pénélope palette and can be combined with these yarns for a tone-on-tone effect, or with the “quartz” or “biche” colors of the Ulysse, Gilliatt and Cyrano yarns, to which it will give warm, light reflections.
“Chocolat chaud” is a very soft, warm brown. It has been chosen from the Albertine and Pénélope palette and can be combined with these yarns for a tone-on-tone effect, or with “biche”, for a mottled effect, or “poivre”, for a more muted contrast, of the Ulysse, Gilliatt and Cyrano yarns.
“Fusain” is an almost black charcoal-gray lightened by the lighter shades of the silk thread, which takes the dye differently. It has been chosen from the Ulysse, Gilliatt and Cyrano palette and can be combined with these yarns for a tone-on-tone effect. It can also be used to darken and give depth to lighter colors for an interesting mottled effect.
“Crépuscule” is a medium gray, very slightly bluish. It has been chosen from the Albertine and Pénélope palette and can be combined with these yarns for a tone-on-tone effect, or with the “granit” color of the Ulysse, Gilliatt and Cyrano yarns, for a slightly more mottled effect.
“Goéland” is a neutral light gray illuminated by the slightly warmer shades of the silk yarn. It has been chosen from the Ulysse, Gilliatt and Cyrano palette and can be combined with these yarns for a tone-on-tone effect, bringing a precious, soft touch to this classic range.
“Petit matin” color is a very light, slightly grayed light blue. It has been chosen from the palette of Albertine and Pénélope and can be combined with these yarns for a tone-on-tone effect, or in light contrast with the “brouillard” color of the Ulysse, Gilliatt and Cyrano yarns, which it will brighten up with more luminous touches.
“Brume” is a slightly warm medium blue. It has been chosen from the palette of Albertine and Pénélope and can be combined with these yarns for a tone-on-tone effect, or in light contrast with the “ciel” or “lagon” colors of the Ulysse, Gilliatt and Cyrano yarns, to which it adds depth.
“Belle étoile” is a deep dark and warm blue illuminated by the lighter shades of the silk thread. It has been chosen from the palette of Albertine and Pénélope and can be combined with these yarns for a tone-on-tone effect. It also looks great knitted with the “tempête” color of the Ulysse, Gilliatt and Cyrano yarns, transforming it into a slightly sparkling midnight blue.
“Cyprès” is a sophisticated, intense dark green tending towards blue. It is common to our worsted and carded ranges, and can be combined with these yarns for a tone-on-tone finish.
“Sauge” is a delicate, slightly grayed water green. It’s common to our combed and carded ranges, and can be combined with these yarns for a tone-on-tone effect. We also like it in light contrast to the “eucalyptus” color.
“Doré” is a luminous dark yellow. It has been chosen from the Ulysse, Gilliatt and Cyrano palette and can be combined with these yarns for a tone-on-tone effect, bringing a precious, soft touch to this classic range. It is slightly darker than the “ocre” color of Albertine et Pénélope and will add depth and a subtle mottled look, knitted in double with this color.
“Caramel” is a warm medium brown. It has been chosen from the Ulysse and Gilliatt palette and can be combined with these yarns for a tone-on-tone finish, bringing a precious, soft touch to this classic range.
“Badiane” is a medium reddish brown illuminated by the lighter shades of the silk thread. It has been chosen from the Albertine and Pénélope palette and can be combined with these yarns for a tone-on-tone, beautifully sparkling effect. It will also look great knitted with the “érable” and “amarante” colors of Ulysse, Gilliatt and Cyrano yarns to create rich, warm cameos.
“Confiture de rose” color is a cheerful, deep fuchsia pink. Chosen from the Ulysse et Gilliatt palette, it can be combined with these yarns for a tone-on-tone effect. Slightly lighter and more saturated than Albertine et Pénélope’s “prune”, it will add depth and vivacity when knitted in double with this color.
“Oursin” is a subtle, light purple with a hint of gray. It has been chosen from the Albertine and Pénélope palette and can be combined with these yarns for a tone-on-tone, beautifully sparkling effect. It will also look great knitted with the colors “aster”, for a melting effect, or “figue”, for a contrasting mottled effect of the yarns Ulysse, Gilliatt and Cyrano.
“Tutu” is a delicate pale pink. It has been chosen from the Albertine and Pénélope palette and can be combined with these yarns for a tone-on-tone effect, adding luminous highlights to the “quartz” and “argile” colors of the Ulysse, Gilliatt and Cyrano yarns.
Bérénice was imagined to enrich the textures and colors of our yarns and open up new horizons for them: double-knit with Ulysse, Gilliatt or Cyrano, she makes them softer, discreetly shiny and irresistibly soft; combined with Albertine and Pénélope, she brings them lightness and voluptuousness for a luxurious knitting experience and precious realizations.
Whether tone-on-tone or playing with more adventurous contrasts, these combinations add depth and a new sparkle to our yarn palette and make you eager to rediscover them in a new range of projects and swatches 🙂
Here are some ideas from the range of samples we obtained by knitting Bérénice in double:
Bérénice + Albertine: from 22 to 20 sts and from 32 to 28 rows for 10 x 10 cm of stockinette with 3.5 to 4.5 mm needles
Bérénice + Pénélope: 18 to 16 sts and 28 to 26 rows for 10 x 10 cm stockinette with 4.5 to 5.5 mm needles.
Bérénice + Ulysse: 19 to 17 sts and 27 to 25 rows for 10 x 10 cm stockinette with 4 to 5 mm needles
Bérénice + Gilliatt: 16 to 14 sts and 24 to 20 rows for 10 x 10 cm stockinette with 5.5 to 6.5 mm needles
Bérénice + Cyrano: 13 to 11 sts and 20 to 18 rows for 10 x 10 cm stockinette with 6.5 to 7.5 mm needles.
Bérénice is also a beautiful lace yarn, fluffy without being too hairy, which knitted on its own creates a diaphanous, frothy material that’s very inspiring!
With small needles and a sample of around 28 sts per 10 cm (and a little patience :)), you’ll get a delicate, slightly transparent fabric that will be perfect for imagining a feather-light sweater or cardigan; with larger needles, you’ll get a soft, airy material, ideal for making shawls or stoles. Our lace stitch samples were made with needles between 4 and 5 mm, depending on the density of the pattern.
For the record, Bérénice takes its name from the sublime eponymous heroine of Racine’s play, so let’s hope this great piece of living poetry inspires us to do beautiful things!
I hope this Bérénice will fuel your creativity and provide you with some serene moments of pleasure for this new season.
