Yarn Profile:
Adrienne Vittadini Eva

First Impressions
When I first set eyes on Eva, in her plump little dumpling-like skein, I was reminded of a brand new tube of lipstick. The skein's succulent, crisp lines were so gorgeous that I didn't have the heart to use it.

Eva's firm, two-ply spin looks like a cross between rope and novelty wrapping string. But because it's composed of wool and alpaca, it's soft and fluid, with occasional stray fibers to help blur the look.

Eva is available in nine rather formal colors, including the Crimson I used for this review, white, black, tan, grey, purple, light green, dark green, and dark blue (those last names are mine).

Knitting Up
Eva knits up easily. The yarn's tight twist and firm surface help it slide easily, and there was no snagging.

As I worked, I noticed that the yarn had a tendency to spin tighter and tighter until I finally had to stop, dangle my work in midair, and let the spin unwind. This didn't cause my swatches to bias, but it did slow my progress. Let's hope these issues were unique to a particular batch.

Eva undergoes an interesting transformation when you begin to knit with it. In skein form, it looks almost sculpturally tidy. But in swatch form, the two plies lose their distinct definition and a state of chaos emerges.

The effect is something between sand and small cobblestones. You will think your stitches or tension are to blame, but don't worry. It's the yarn, and it's intentional.

Blocking / Washing
The swatches performed fine in cool water, but there was subtle bleeding once I upped the temperature. The bleeding continued when I rolled up the swatches to blot the excess water (woops, I didn't need that towel anyway).

Eva lost some of her toughness in the wash, and the mottled surface took on a more pearly hue. The gauge remained true, and despite the bleeding there was no discernible loss in color depth when the swatches dried.

Wearing
Eva is a tough broad. You're likely to hurt yourself before you manage to tug a strand apart in your hands.

The fabric is firm but slightly elastic, thick enough for warmth but thin enough to maintain attractive body definition.

Conclusion
Eva is the kind of yarn you'd use for an interview sweater. It looks stylish and dressy but doesn't scream, "Hey, I made this with sticks and string!"

It's not, however, a yarn for babies or children. I know it's strong and knits up well, but that's not the point. This elegant, womanly yarn belongs on that shelf next to a bottle of Chanel No. 5.