About that yarn - Woolyknit 4-ply cones
Yarn weight: 4- ply (held double for sweater above to make DK)
Yardage: 2350 m on a 500 g cone
Purchased from: Woolyknit
Price: £18 for 500 g cone
Colours: 48 available, "Burnt orange" used
Fibre source: British wool, from Suffolk and Jacob breed sheep
Processing: Majority of Woolyknit yarns processed and spun in the UK, some spun in Europe
Micron: 31-33
Supplier suggested uses: Weaving, machine knitting, hand knitting, crochet
Texture: Very good; shows textured stitches well
Lace: Reasonable; holds blocking well, slightly fuzzy so yarnovers are not entirely crisp
Cables: Good; cable is clear, slightly fuzzy yarn softens the look
Things we love:
Local fibre sourcing is always a huge plus.
Affordable, this is a great price for a British wool yarn.
Fabulous choice of colours, I found I hard to pick!
Particularly good for "plain knitting" as in the sweater above. Shows cables, texture and lace fairly well (swatches below).
Sheepy smell - there is no doubt where this yarn came from.
Felts well- you might want to hold several strands together to make a thicker yarn for felting projects.
Pure wool steeks beautifully as it a grippy.
Downsides:
Depending on your view on woolly yarns you might find this one a bit "rustic". It has a pleasingly crunchy traditional wool feel, but if you only opt for super smooth merino you may not be a fan of this one. Next to skin soft is very subjective, for this one I would say: hands - yes, hat- maybe, neck - probably not, sweaters - definitely.
The yarn has some strands of kemp (thicker hair), these are not hugely problematic as they can be pulled out as you work, but they might up the tickle factor a little.
This yarn would be great for colourwork, but it comes on 500 g cones, sometimes you just want a small amount of a colour. There are a few colours available on 125 g cones, but not the full range.
If you want a thicker yarn you will need to hold several strands together, means having multiple cones or rewinding.
Depending on how you feel about the sheepy smell you might put it down here.
The verdict:
This yarn will definitely be appearing again. The sweater is warm and cosy even on a chilly day. The yarn was enjoyable to knit with and is particularly pleasing on large areas of stocking stitch.
There is plenty left from two cones having made the KISS sweater above holding the yarn double (46" bust made). I am thinking mittens, a vest and perhaps a cardigan since I "accidentally" bought two cones in kingfisher blue as well. I also plan to try it out for weaving on a rigid heddle loom (beginner weaver!) so I will share how that goes.