I love double‑strand knitting — working two strands together is an easy way to elevate any project. Why knit with two strands of yarn together? It allows so much room to play around with fibres, textures, and colours!
My shop has lots of yarns you can play around with and combine — for example, Cautiva (Wooldreamers) held with Mohair & Silk (Lise Tailor) in our in‑store Adorable Ginger Scarf, or Suave (Pascuali) with Mohair & Silk for my current WIP, the Love Note Sweater (Tin Can Knits).
Today I want to focus on Titicaca from Holst Garn — a lace‑weight alpaca that’s incredibly light with a soft halo and gorgeous drape. It’s less airy than brushed mohair/silk, naturally lanolin‑free and hypoallergenic, so it sits beautifully next to skin and mellows out any rustic wool you pair it with.
Can you knit Titicaca alone? Absolutely — but I think it truly shines held double, where its halo softens any base yarn. Adding a strand of Titicaca is a great way to transform your base yarn without making the fabric heavy.
A note on gauge: When pairing Titicaca with another yarn, go up about 0.5 mm (for example, if you’d knit Coast on 3.0 mm, try Coast + Titicaca on 3.5 mm) so the fabric has the right drape and stitch definition.
Let's Talk Colours: Holst’s Perfect Matches
Here’s a quick look at Holst Garn’s colour matches. They pair Titicaca with three other bases—Supersoft (Merino/Shetland), Coast (Lambswool Merino/Cotton), and Tides (Merino/Silk). While each Titicaca shade may not be an exact match with those bases, together they create a harmonious, uniform look.
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Holst pairs Titicaca colours with shades from their other bases to create either:
- Monochrome blends: two very similar colours that knit up almost seamlessly (great when you want the yarn to support textured stitch patterns rather than steal the show). Example: Havana (Titicaca) + Coffee (Supersoft).
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Tonal blends: two shades in the same colour family for a gentle marled look. Example: Galaxy (Titicaca) + Jay (Coast).
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Playing With Colour
Holst's suggestions are a fantastic starting point — but my invitation is to experiment. Try high‑contrast pairings for bold marling, or unexpected complements for subtle depth. Experimenting is half the fun!
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Project Ideas
Ready start a project? These are for pattern suggestions for combining Holst's Titicaca with one of their other bases!
 Satellite |
 GARDEN pullover |
 Skyline Pullover |
 by Emilie Luis |
Practical Tips for Knitting Two Strands Together
Keep both strands in the stitch: This might sound obvious, but when one strand is lace‑weight, it’s easy to leave it behind. Use pointy needles to help catch both yarns cleanly -- I tend to gravitate towards working with metal needles when working with Holst Garn. Plus, it can be helpful to periodically glance at your stitches to ensure both yarns are being picked up each time.
Fixing mistakes: The good news? Alpaca is less 'sticky' than mohair, so if you need to ladder down and pick up missed half‑stitches, it’s usually easier — a crochet hook becomes your friend.
Final Thoughts
Holding Titicaca with another Holst yarn is one of my favourite ways to add softness and a gentle halo without bulk. Drop by our Dartmouth yarn shop to squish Titicaca and see all the colours for yourself — I’ll happily help you choose a combo and the right needle size for your project!
–Meg, Owner of Stitch & Knit Dartmouth
Have you knit with Titicaca before? Are there any possible colour combos catching your eye?
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