Swatching Lang Cloud 8

Why Did I Get More of This Expensive Yarn?

I’ve been on a bit of a blow yarn kick lately. It started with Lang Cloud color 14, which I got for my birthday (check out that post here). I loved it so much I decided I wanted to get more colorways, like a collection. Color 8 in particular is the one—it’s genuinely iconic at this point.

But… this yarn isn’t cheap.

To justify getting another color, I decided to sell something I’d been holding onto: graded Pokémon cards from my ex. He was really into the hobby, and we’d sometimes open packs together. I didn’t care much about the cards themselves, but I got into the experience—especially the excitement of maybe pulling something fun or valuable. I remember looking through the little booklet that showed all the cards you could pull from the set and falling in love with the Gardevoir EX from the Scarlet & Violet base set. It’s basically a flower diva holding a bunch of yarn with a granny square blanket in the background—right up my alley.

He knew that part of what I liked was the randomness of finding something cool in a pack—not having it handed to me. I thought just buying the card took the fun out of it. But for Christmas, instead of getting me something I’d actually use or enjoy, he gave me three graded cards, including that Gardevoir—then made sure to tell me how much he spent on it (over $100). It wasn’t my hobby, and it definitely wasn’t my wishlist. 

So when I realized I could sell it and get yarn I’d been wanting instead, it just felt right. The card had been sitting in my room for months and every time I saw it, it reminded me of him. I didn’t want to think about it. I think there’s something kind of poetic about using that money to buy the loudest, most extra colorway of a yarn I actually love. Especially one full of pinks and greens—very Gardevoir-coded.

And the cherry on top: I got it for a steal. I had a $15 off eBay coupon from selling the cards and found a shop selling it for $17 a skein—four skeins came to just $65, way cheaper than the usual $30 each.

The Swatch

Color 8 is intense in the best way. It’s a riot of hot pink, electric blue, forest green, and random unexpected moments. It shifts constantly and sometimes verges on ugly, but in a really satisfying, can’t-look-away kind of way. Even if I don’t love every section as it’s knitting up, I always want to keep going just to see what’s next.

Funny enough, this was the colorway I originally skipped over. When I thought I’d only ever get one colorway, I didn’t want it to be the one—it felt too obvious, too overdone. But once I decided I wanted to collect a few different ones, I came back around to it. There’s a reason everyone’s drawn to this one—it really is that yarn. 

I’ve included some photos of different sections of the swatch so you can see how the colors behave—it changes a lot depending on your needle size and stitch count. It’s one of those yarns where you can’t really predict what it’ll look like until it’s on your needles, but that’s what makes it so fun.

What I’m Making With It

I’m using it for the Seul Cardigan by Mochi Knits. This color is bold, but it’s especially bold for my wardrobe. I didn’t want to tone it down—I wanted to do the color justice, but I also didn’t want to feel like I was wearing a full-body rainbow. A cardigan felt like the right way to handle that—open, a little more broken up, something I could layer over a black tank top and still feel like myself in. It makes the yarn feel like part of the outfit instead of the whole thing.

What I really wanted was a pattern where the body came together as one piece. I loved how with my Cloud Sweater there was this natural flow—a kind of slow ombré up top that gradually shifted into smaller stripes towards the bottom. It felt like a natural progression down the body. 

With a yarn this busy, there’s bound to be some mismatch, and I’m okay with that. But I wanted at least a little cohesion. To me, it makes sense for the front and back panels to be different, but mismatched stripes along the sides feel messy and distracting. I did consider a raglan for a fully cohesive, all-flowing-together piece, but I just didn’t find a raglan cardigan that felt right for this project.

I came across the Seul Cardigan through a TikTok that highlighted how thoughtfully designed it is. Details like short row shaping, a folded neckline, and Italian bind-offs on all of the ribbing all contribute to how clean and polished the finished piece feels. That mattered to me—because with a yarn this bold, I wanted the construction to feel intentional and put together, not thrown together. 

So far, the Seul Cardigan feels like it’s striking the balance I wanted—clean and put together enough to handle the yarn’s boldness without feeling too polished or stiff. I haven’t even made it halfway yet, but I’m excited to keep going and see how it all comes together. 

For buttons, I found these vintage silver buttons that are rectangular domes—kind of toggle-shaped, with a nice weight to them. I wanted to avoid round plastic buttons because they can sometimes look cheap or homemade, especially with a bold yarn like this. I think these buttons will add a cool, chic touch to the cardigan, and hopefully, they’ll look as good as I imagine in my head.

At the end of the day, this project is about reclaiming something and making it my own—a way to turn past energy into something colorful and meaningful. I’m excited to keep knitting and see where this project takes me. It’s working up pretty quickly, so I’ll likely have updates next week. If you’re interested, feel free to check back!