New Yarn: Burnish
Bamboo flourishes across this beautiful earth, from tropical nooks to mild and temperate nations. Our new yarn, Burnish (no longer available), taps into this abundance by starting with bamboo.
The beauty of bamboo-based Burnish is that it drapes and shines like silk but is more durable, less expensive, machine washable, and 100% vegan. We love that it manifests the refinement and grace of silk without requiring animal products or precious care!
Burnish is essentially a rayon, a fiber created by chemically breaking down plant materials (bamboo, in this case) into a pulp, which is then extruded into fibers. We are happy to say that this rayon meets all the eco-toxicological standards required by Europe’s Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals regulation.
Burnish comes in seven lovely colors, each one an essential voice in the chorus. Swan White, Gray Willow, and Pale Celery form a trio of pale cools, a bit aloof and seriously beautiful. Radiant Sweet Pea bridges that crowd with the saturation and oomph of Prussian Blue, Red Sienna, and Scarlet Orange.
One hundred grams of Burnish yield a generous 339 yards of fingering weight yarn, perfect on US 2 to 4 needles. We’re casting on for scarves, wraps, and sweaters and love the willowy drape and super clean stitch definition!
Our first Burnish project is the free pattern for our Little Moons Lace Wrap, an evocative and incredibly beautiful introduction to our new favorite yarn!
Want to give it a try? Browse the Burnish collection right here!
Looking for more inspiration? Explore all of our free knitting patterns and knitting tutorials, buy one of our many knitting kits and yarn bundles, and shop for beautiful yarn. We have over 35 gorgeous natural fiber yarns in 100’s of magnificent colors, designed to bring integrity, beauty, and joy to your next knitting project and only available at Purl Soho!
I love your patterns, but I need help in knitting such beautiful pieces. What do u suggest? Your instructions seem difficult to follow. It is a dream for me to knit something like Little Moons Lace wrap but do you recommend that I start with something easier.
Hi Jackie,
Thanks for writing in! Lace can be a bit more of an intermediate to advanced skill but it need not be. My suggestion would be to grab some scarp yarn and needles and cast on 28 stitches and give the pattern a try. If the swatch works out, you are good to go! If you do find it a bit too challenging, you could work your way up to this by knitting a simpler lace project, such as our Open air Wrap in Linen Quill.
Best of luck and I do hope you will give lace knitting a try!
Julianna
I purchased Burnish to make the Asymmetrical Shawl. Unfortunately, it was a horror show to wind and I ended up throwing it all out. I am disappointed that I never got to work with it but it was a tangled mess, both skeins. Is there an option to have the yarn wound before shipping from Purl Soho?
Hi Carol,
I’m so sorry to hear that you had so much trouble winding Burnish! Please reach out to us at [email protected] so we can try to make this right. For future orders, you can always leave a note in the comment box of your order asking us to wind your yarn, and we will gladly do so before shipping!
Warmly,
Julianna
Hello Julianna – I had the same difficulty winding the bamboo yarn, meaning I need another skein of the white yarn featured in the pattern of the white tee shirt with the orange pocket. The yarn itself is quite “fiddly” – it takes some practice to get an even stitch. I did a lot of re-knitting! But it is so beautiful, I love it❤️. I want to make the blue Bamboo Shell. Can I just substitute the Burnish for the Habu?
Hi Sarah!
Thank you for writing in, though I’m sorry to hear you had trouble winding your yarn, too! Unfortunately, we no longer carry Habu yarns, however I suggest looking them up in your favorite search engine to see where they can be purchased. As for Burnish, you can definitely substitute it for the Habu Bamboo yarn used in the Bamboo Shell! We always recommend making a gauge swatch when substituting yarns, especially for a fitted garment, just to make sure your project will turn out as intended. If you would like to learn more about gauge swatching, we have a handy tutorial to reference called All About Gauge!
I hope this helps!
All the best,
Margaret
Would you tell me the full care instructions for burnish yarn? I am just finishing the wedding shawl. I know it is machine washable, I presume in cold water. Can it be dried in the dryer?
Hi Missy,
We’re so excited that you’re finishing up your Wedding Shawl! Burnish is machine washable on a delicate and cold cycle and then lay flat to dry. Hope this helps!
All the best,
Cat
Thanks so much for the prompt reply!!