Review and Giveaway- Zealana Air and Knitter's Pride Karbonz

I was recently sent a few more goodies to share with you guys! Well, one lucky winner in particular ;-)

First up is a newish yarn from Zealana called "Air". As you might suspect, Air has a bit of a light and airy quality to it- though at a substantial aran/chunky weight, it's definitely got body. It's made of 40% cashmere, 40% brushtail possum down, and 20% silk...and is about as soft as it sounds! It claims to be "ultra soft, durable, pill-resistant, and lighter & warmer than 100% cashmere." It's got a fuzzy, brushed texture, something which can be a little itchy on sensitive skin, but I actually think I could possibly wear this on my neck without a problem (and definitely my head or hands), which is saying something, especially this time of year when my skin is bone dry and itchin' all over ;-P

Air has pretty decent stitch definition for a brushed yarn, and the different fibers give it a lovely color depth. It appears to be chained plied (it's a little tough to tell with the fuzziness) which I always find pleasant to work with- nice and round. 

Educational Sidebar: 

Possum down, for those who are unfamiliar, comes from a type of marsupial native to Australia (NOT the North American opossum, which is significantly less cute... though I am one of the few people who actually does find them a little charming, heh.) While kind of cuddly-looking, the brushtail possum is a major invasive species in New Zealand that is causing any number of ecological issues. By harvesting the down from these critters, companies like Zealana are extracting some good out of their sad-but-necessary eradication. The down is extremely soft and luxurious- often even finer than cashmere, and with an angora-like halo minus the pokey-ness! 

Second are the needles! These are Knitter's Pride Karbonz needles, which I had not tried before. They have a sort of... masculine beauty. Handsome. Man-pretty, even. Kinda sexy. The tips are nickel-plated brass and are delightfully slick and pointy. The black part is a "high-tech carbon fiber"- I'd say it feels like extraordinarily smooth wood. It's somewhat entrancing to look at, almost like... black-iridescent. Like some sort of strange black gem stone, even. In any case... the carbon part is a bit grippier than the metal part, which causes the needles to handle rather uniquely. I will say it takes a few minutes of getting used to after using pretty much exclusively all-metal or all-wood needles, but I've cast on a larger project with them now and am quite enjoying them. The joins are very smooth, which is always a perk. The cord is your usual plastic cord- not too stiff, though. I suspect it will loosen up in time, too (they usually do.)

Wanna win some??
All you have to do is comment on this post. I'll pick a winner at random at the end of the day next Friday (Dec 20th)- the winner will recieve one ball of Zealana Air in shade "L07" (the greenish one in the pic) and a set of Knitter's Pride Karbonz circular needles, size US 9/5.5mm, 40". Good luck and happy knitting!