Looking for Something Exotic and Unusual?

This month, our Just My Type newsletter features some unusual fibers -- including several that are absolutely delicious! My favorite flavor out of all the plant-based yarns is banana, like the gorgeous Frabjous Fibers Banana Silk. The texture is soft, with a pretty sheen, and the colors are absolutely glorious! Bright summery shades that you'll want to use for warm weather wear. Perfect if you're visiting some sunny retreat during the cold winter months, or if you're already planning your summer wardrobe.

Other delicious fibers include Fibra Natura Mermaid yarn (that is a combination of kelp, cotton, superwash wool and silk) and Susan Moraca's Cornocopia and Corntastic yarns. I also love the feel of Creamy Solid which is made from milk fiber.

Of all the exotic yarns we present this month in Just My Type, I'm over the moon for Vicuna. This yarn is created in South America from the rarest fiber on earth and it used to be illegal for anyone but royalty to wear it! Believe it or not, we're temporarily out of stock on this "worth more than its weight in gold" yarn, but we're getting more in very soon.

It's hard to believe that knitters will spend $299 for a ball of yarn, but when you consider that items created with vicuna become family heirlooms -- and most are created with just one ball -- it doesn't seem like such an extravagance. The yarn is VERY warm, even in a lace knit, and it's reputed to get better and softer with time. I like to keep a ball of it in my desk here at YarnMartian headquarters...just so I can admire it from time to time and fantasize that it's my very own.

If vicuna isn't your cup of Dom Perignon, Qiviuk is a fabulous "next best thing." Like Vicuna, this is a super-duper warm yarn (from the underbelly of the muskox) and there are loads of patterns that require just one ball. At the more reasonable price of -- gasp! -- $90.80 per ball, it's also treasured for family heirloom items.

Of course, if you want to save (?!) there's always Windy Valley Guanaco for a mere $82.55 per ball. This is another exotic from South America that is soft and light, but also wonderfully warm and will last for a very, very long time.

These three yarns by Windy Valley are extraordinarily expensive, but there's a reason for their cost: rarity, beauty, longevity, and beauty. Yes, they're that beautiful! Like quality china, they're to be treasured and passed down from generation to generation.

The January issue of Just My Type features many more unique yarns that you'll want to learn about. Be sure to read your latest issue. And, if you don't subscribe to our Just My Type newsletter, you'll want to sign up for it because it's loaded with interesting information about various yarns. Each issue concentrates on a certain type of yarn, so you could collect them to create your own library of fibers.