Welcome to the 33rd issue of the Yarnmarket Just My Type newsletter for January 2012. Each month we’re featuring a different Yarn Types category from our store and showcasing many of the sensational fibers & fiber blends in stock and just right for your favorite knitting & crochet projects. With over 800 yarns now available from Yarnmarket.com, you’re sure to find the perfect option for your next creative endeavor no matter what it is. Having trouble reading this issue? Then please enjoy the online version.
Explore the Wonderful World of Wool & Merino
When we think of knitting and crocheting for cool-weather projects, the first fiber that always comes to our minds is wool, and we bet you're no different. For warmth, durability and classic styling, nothing beats the benefits of wool.
Years ago the yarn labels just said "wool" on them and nothing could be machine washed, but nowadays a whole new vista of wool yarns are before us. But how do we choose the best wool for our specific project and why are merino wools considered to be softer than the others? And what if we are doing a felting project?
First off, when choosing yarns suitable for felting, we have to keep in mind that these projects are designed for untreated animal fibers that include primarily wool but untreated alpaca, mohair, angora and llama will also felt, just to name a few.
"Untreated" means the fiber has not been processed so that it becomes "superwash" and therefore not suitable for felting. Many untreated animal fibers have scales on each strand, and when we add heat, moisture and/or agitation to the mix, we can force these scales to open up and start sticking together until we have the thickness and density in the felted piece that we prefer. Such untreated yarns as the Ella Rae Classic Wool Family will give you a wide range of options for your felting projects. In addition, we have a Yarn Type category devoted to yarns that will felt, so check out the Terrific Felting Yarns for more sensational options.
Then when contemplating our many wool options, we always turn to the advice of our favorite yarn gurus, and fiber aficionado Clara Parkes does a wonderful job of describing five different breed categories of sheep:
As you can see from these brief descriptions, merino wool yarns like those in our Soft Merino Wool Yarns department are ideal for a lovely range of knitted and crocheted projects because of their softness and you should check for key words such as "fine," "extrafine" and "ultrafine" for the highest quality.
Merino is also highly valued for its wicking ability because it naturally moves moisture away from the skin and is able to regulate body temps through evaporation & cooling. In addition, merino resists pilling even in the finest, lightest grades yet is extremely durable with great tensile strength & springiness.
Recent developments with merino fiber come to us from the Australian Wool Innovation group, a not-for-profit organization owned by over 29,000 wool growers. They have created the trademark "Merino Perform" symbol in order to indicate to the consumer that the merino used "delivers the ultimate benefits for sports and outdoor activities all year round, in all climates."
So check out our Soft Merino Wool Yarns department overviewing these lovely fiber gems currently in stock at Yarnmarket.com. That way you'll have plenty of options from which to choose for all your favorite outfits this fall & winter. Also explore books with terrific information about merino and other wool yarns including The Knitters Book of Wool and Morehouse Farm Merino Knits from which we borrowed the great merino sheep photo.
We know you enjoy browsing for yourself, but we also have the following special staff recommendations of yarns and projects that show you just how terrific merino and merino blends can be.
Starting off our merino yarn recommendations, we begin with the classic merinos that are 100% and traditionally plied yarns. First we have the Italian merinos from Filatura Di Crosa available in a variety of yarn weights.
Elegant, DK-weight Zara is the foundation yarn in the series, and due to its immediate popularity with designers and craftspeople alike, worsted-weight Zara Plus yarn was added to the package. More recently the Filatura Baby Yarns collection has expanded to include Zara Baby and its big sister Zara Plus Baby yarn for a baby-inspired color palette.
Or when you are looking for this same gorgeous merino with the tight twist in a fingering-weight fiber gem, check out Zarina yarn and Zarina Print Baby. Both crayon brights and baby pastels are available in these two lightweight, multi-seasonal lovelies.
And as our latest addition to our Filatura merino family, we now have in stock superb laceweight Nirvana yarn. Crafted in Italy from 100% extrafine mercerized superwash merino wool, Nirvana's mercerizing, superwash process has made luscious merino softer than ever -- something we didn't think possible -- and is a fabulous lightweight addition to the collection.
For wonderful stitch definition and innovative design and 20% off until Valentine's Day, check out 100% extrafine merino Aurora 8 from Karabella. Sensationally crafted of eight 2-ply merino strands, "Aurora 8" has a tight twist to prevent splitting and to give texture & drape to your knitted and crocheted garments and accessories.
Add that "Aurora 8" comes from a highly respected 120-year-old Italian mill that's the favored supplier to many of the world's top fashion designers, and you have an affordable, high-fashion option for all your sweaters, jackets, shawls, hats, scarves, bags & more.
Also take a peek at the complete Aurora family including Aurora 8 Space-Dyed for lovely multi-hued options, Aurora Bulky for all your chunky-weight projects & beautiful fine-gauge Aurora 4.
Or if you prefer your merino blended with cashmere for sumptuous results, discover the wonders of luxury with Margrite and Margrite Bulky, both beautifully crafted in Italy from 80% merino & 20% cashmere.
Then for that oh-so distinctive French flair we so love, we know we can always count on Anny Blatt Yarns to give us everything we need including five gorgeous merinos and wool blends.
Starting off with two lovely 100% wools, enjoy fingering weight Baby Blatt and DK-weight Merinos. Both are supersoft fiber gems that are spectacularly crafted in France to be superwash, which means they are machine washable. And they are so velvety against your skin, that you'll enjoy knitting and crocheting with them as much as others will enjoy wearing whatever you make for them.
Three other Anny Blatt wool blends give you marvelous variations in texture and gauge too including ethereal Fine Kid, faux fur Jalouse and fun, funky Nanook Multi and Nanook Solid. All three are unique Anny Blatt creations that will give you many hours of pleasure with your craft no matter which one you choose for your next project.
Now for an American yarn manufacturer with a fabulous collection of 100% wools and wool blends, take a look at Classic Elite Yarns plus their fantastic Classic Elite Books & Patterns area.
Wool aficionados have quickly fallen in love with the dynamic 100% wool duo of Liberty Wool Solid yarn and its auto-striping cousin Liberty Wool Print. Both yarns are affordable, machine wash, tumble dry and dyed to coordinate in a wide range of knitting & crochet projects.
Classic Elite's wool blends are also superb and include Portland Tweed, Fresco, Lush (available in limited supply) and Wool Bam Boo, just to name a few of our favorites.
When we're looking for 100% merino in a classic sport weight, we have to look no further than Gems Sport from Louet Yarns.
Terrific when knitted up & crocheted into soft socks, cuddly baby outfits & warm yet lightweight sweaters, "Gems Sport" is beautifully spun and dyed in South Africa to create a definite must-have yarn for your cool-weather garments and accessories. Add a tight twist to reduce pilling & add elasticity plus machine washability, and "Gems Sport" is a real "gem" of a choice. Available in generous 100-gram hanks for fewer tie-ins and a wonderful palette of solid hues.
Now if you prefer your 100% merino to come with excellent pattern support for babies and children, check out Jil Eaton's MinnowMerino yarn.
With a velvety touch in a worsted-weight fiber gem that's easy care besides, "MinnowMerino" also has a bright, fun, cheerful color palette any wee one will enjoy. And each buttery soft hank knits up and crochets beautifully into the most wonderful baby & kids' clothing, blankets, hats, coats, gloves, scarves and more.
As a subdivision of well-known British Sirdar Yarns, in the past few years the yarn mavens at Sublime have created and expanded their yarn collection to include luxury wool blends. As part of their sensational "Cashmere Merino Silk" yarn family, Baby Cashmere Merino Silk 4-Ply, Baby Cashmere Merino Silk DK and Cashmere Merino Silk DK are all great choices for babies, children and adults.
Or if you're looking for a traditional sweater weight fiber beauty, take a peek at the luscious hues available in Cashmere Merino Silk Aran yarn.
Of course, we can always count on British knitwear guru Debbie Bliss for excellent pattern support, and her long-term love affair with merino wools continues with a lovely range of options.
First off, Debbie's Baby Cashmerino, Cashmerino DK and Cashmerino Aran continue as three of her most popular yarns. Beautifully crafted of 55% merino, 12% cashmere & 33% polyester microfiber, this trio of fiber gems gives great results with easy-care machine washability.
Two other lovely wool blends from Debbie are merino/alpaca/acrylic, chunky Glen yarn that's great for traditional knitting and crochet projects, while Paloma is a superb Peruvian blend of extrafine merino & baby alpaca.
And if you prefer 100% superwash merino in a variety of yarn weights, discover the wonders of Debbie's "Rialto" yarn family: Rialto Chunky, Rialto Aran, Rialto DK and Rialto 4 Ply all give you ultra softness with a tight twist for excellent stitch definition especially for Debbie's oh-so popular cable patterns.
Then when we crave lovely wools with excellent pattern support, we can always turn to American yarn powerhouse Berroco Yarns. First off, Berroco excels with its "Ultra Alpaca" wool/alpaca yarn family, which includes the original Ultra Alpaca yarn, Ultra Alpaca Tonal, Ultra Alpaca Light and lightweight Ultra Alpaca Fine.
The other two pairs of lovely classic wool blends are Peruvia and Peruvia Quick for all your worsted and chunky projects and Berroco Sox and Berroco Sox Metallic for fingering-weight excitement.
Berroco is also well known for transforming lovely wools into "fancy" or novelty yarns for your knitting & crocheting pleasure.
One such innovative yarn is brand new from Berroco -- self-ruffling Lacey yarn, which gives you a softer, more feminine look than other rufflers. Then from super chunky Link to trendy, faux fur Nanuk and from lustrous Borealis to auto-striping Souffle, wool blends innovatively spun into fancies are definitely well represented in the Berroco yarn family.
Now the yarn aficionados at Crystal Palace Yarns have also loved merinos for many years and have even included the word "merino" in the names of many of their classic and innovative merinos and merino blends to help you easily identify them such as with Merino Frappe, Kid Merino Print and Merino 5 Solid. And in more recent years they've created a collection of brightly-hued, auto-striping merino gems that definitely deserve to be showcased.
The yarn that started the "mochi" craze is Mini Mochi beautifully crafted of 80% supersoft merino & 20% springy nylon. It's ideal for socks, scarves, wraps, gloves, really any fingering-weight garment you have in mind, and you can even color coordinate it with its single-hued cousin Mini Solid.
Then building on the success of "Mini Mochi," Mochi Plus yarn expanded the collection to include a great worsted-weight choice along with its coordinating Plus Solid.
Or if you have been looking for a chunky-weight option, look no further because most recently the Crystal Palace yarn mavens have developed lovely Chunky Mochi for your knitting & crocheting pleasure.
Another well-respected design & yarn company is Rowan Yarns, and their love affair with merino wools has been going on for well over a decade.
From super chunky Big Wool to multi-seasonal Wool Cotton, classic merinos and merino blends are well represented.
Traditional tweeds with added softness are also available from Rowan in the "Felted Tweed" family including the original Felted Tweed and the more recent additions of Felted Tweed Aran and Felted Tweed Chunky.
And when you're looking for something with a modern twist, check out superb, chunky-weight Cocoon and the alpaca/merino blend Lima yarn spun as an unusual chainette to add loft yet not heaviness.
Helene Rush and her staff at Knit One, Crochet Too have also created superb merino and wool yarns for many years and have wonderful diversity in their collection.
Both sumptuous Brae Tweed and luminous Meadow Silk give you classic looks as their names imply but also offer buttery softness you'll love.
Then building on the success of cotton self-striper Ty-Dy yarn, Helene has expanded the collection to include Ty-Dy Wool, Ty-Dy Socks, Ty-Dy Socks Dots and most recently Ty-Dy Socks Skinny Stripes and Ty-Dy Superkid.
Knit One Crochet Too is also well respected for the lovely tone-on-tone, fingering-weight fiber beauty Crock-O-Dye for your knitting & crocheting pleasure.
If you prefer hand-dyed yarns along with machine-dyed options from a yarn company, then Aslan Trends has a wide range of merinos and merino blends for you.
Two classic 100% merino yarns -- thick & thin, super chunky Del Sur and worsted-weight Del Cerro work up beautifully in both knitted and crocheted garments & accessories. Or for a classic merino blend, take a peek at buttery soft angora/merino Invernal.
Then as lovely kettle-dyed choices, Aslan brings you three color-coordinated yarns in different weights: fingering-weight Santa Fe, worsted-weight Bariloche and super chunky Los Andes. All three are spun from 85% merino & 15% nylon for added durability and work up beautifully!
In terms of hand-dyed yarns, Yarnmarket has partnered with yarn maven Iris Schreier to create our own hand-dyed, 100% merino yarn in Yarnmarket-exclusive colors.
The color palette for Abbey Merino is inspired by the pastel drawings of an American monk and Yarnmarket is donating $1 for every hank purchased to help support the artist's abbey. The yarn itself is simple in its purity -- perfect for garments or accessories that touch the skin and great used for any worsted weight project.
And when you're looking for hand-dyed yarns that are the favorites of independent and traditional designers alike, be sure to explore Madelinetosh's dynamic duo now available at Yarnmarket.
Covering both DK-weight projects and quick-to-knit and crochet beauties, we now have in stock 100% machine wash merino Tosh DK and Tosh Chunky. Craftspeople and designers alike rave about these two yarns from Madelinetosh and they especially love the tight twist, velvety feel and gorgeous range of colors.
And speaking of colors, remember that you can help us decide which colors to add to our collections for each of these yarns. Just look over the Tosh Chunky Special Orders and the Tosh DK Special Orders product pages, order your favorite colorways, and once we have your color in stock, we will add it to the regular product page in the weight you prefer.
For Uruguayan handspun, hand-dyed yarn, you're sure to enjoy the lovely merino blends from Manos del Uruguay. We also appreciate that this brand was born when a group of women developed an idea to promote economic & social development of women in rural areas of the country. These craftswomen are the owners of Manos and are able to stay in their hometowns yet still make a decent living by handspinning & dyeing the wonderful Manos wool and wool blend handknitting yarns.
Well-known for their "Wool Clasica" trio, Manos Wool Clasica Semi-Solid yarn, multi-hued Manos Wool Clasica Space-Dyed yarn and marled Manos Wool Clasica Naturals yarn are beautifully spun from a sensational blend of both merino & corriedale wool with incredibly gorgeous marbleized, subtly striated hues in a slightly thick & thin strand.
Also available are fantastic Manos Silk Blend Semi-Solid and Manos Silk Blend Space-Dyed with a fabulous blend of 70% merino with 30% silk. The luster and sheen of these superb yarns has to be experienced to be believed, and this DK-weight duo is ideal for multi-seasonal, lightweight projects.
We've saved for last marvelous hand-painted merino/silk blends from one of our favorite American fiber artists, Gina Wilde, co-founder of Alchemy Yarns.
Gina's beautiful, wool/silk, DK-weight Sanctuary Handpaint Elements and Sanctuary Handpaint Colorways give you lovely options for all your lightweight shawls, tops, pullovers, shrugs, scarves, gloves, hats, really any DK or sport-weight project.
Gina and her husband also offer a lovely top dyed option with Migration yarn so that you can explore this luscious merino/silk blend without breaking the bank.
We've always loved this gorgeous hand-dyed merino pair from one of our favorite American yarn aficionados, Laura Bryant, founder of Prism Yarns.
Laura's beautiful, 100% merino, fingering/sport-weight Merino Mia gives you lovely multi-hued options for all your luscious socks, airy shawls, sumptuous scarves, delicate baby items & lightweight adult garments. Add that it has a firm twist to resist pilling and is machine washable, and you have a great fiber choice.
Or for a gorgeous merino blended with luxurious cashmere and springy nylon, take a peek at Symphony. So aptly named because of its wonderful orchestral blend of fibers, "Symphony" is also machine washable so that is equally great for baby and children's outfits & accessories as it is for adult & teen goodies.
And just as a little preview of what's to come, our 34th issue of the Just My Type newsletter will be emailed to you on Tuesday, February 28th, so get ready to enjoy our next spectacular yarn type you're sure to enjoy. Also be sure to check your emails next Tuesday (January 31st) for some special announcements you're sure to enjoy too.
And as always,
Happy Knitting!
Your Yarnmarket Knitting Store Staff
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