Reflective yarn first hit my knitting radar about four years ago. The pattern I saw was for a dog coat, and I thought, “how useful!”

Red Heart has added Reflective to their line of yarns. This is a bulky-weight acrylic yarn with a strand of polyester “tape” that’s about 1/32″ [.7mm] wide and reflective on both sides. Reflective comes in 10 colors that will go with most winter coats, including several neon colors that are perfect for the snowboarders in your family.

The three acrylic strands are very soft, and very softly spun. The bulky weight means that it will knit up in a hurry.

Reflective is perfect for any kind of night wear — hats, scarves, leg warmers, gloves, mitts. What more thoughtful gift for a runner than a hat, pair of leg warmers, or headband (or the whole set) that will reflect in headlights when they are out for an early morning or late evening run!

Dog walkers would equally appreciate a hat or mitts, and their furry friends will also be safer on the sidewalk with a dog coat or leash made of Red Heart Reflective yarn.

This week, though, our project is going to be a trick-or-treat bucket designed to keep your ghosts and goblins safe this Hallowe’en. Along our journey, we’re going to learn about cast ons and increasing for center-out circles and we’ll also do a little tutorial about knitting intarsia in the round. Come on along!