I tried using my red merino wool cashmere blend, which I have tons of, but I have found that if I pull it too tight it breaks. I suspect this would be a problem with any one-ply cashmere, so I'm just going to be careful with it. I think red would work extremely well with this pattern. Another option, but one that would take a bit more time, is that I have a 100% silk sweater with 4 ply lace weight yarn that I haven't unraveled yet. It's a salmon color, which isn't a fav of mine, but silk is incredibly strong - oh, and it's silk. BUT, I probably could make a boatload of money off of 100% silk laceweight, so I think I'll go with the red (stream of consciousness writing helps solve so many problems, I've found).
So that's it. Will be casting on Monday! Happy Sunday!