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Merino Wool Yarns
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Welcome to the premier issue of the new Yarnmarket Just Your Type newsletter. Each month we’ll be featuring a different Yarn Type category from our store and showcasing many of the spectacular yarns in stock and ready to ship to you. With over 700 fiber gems now available, you’re sure to find the right choice for your next knitting or crochet project whatever you’re planning to create.
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Enjoy the Ultra Softness & Durability of Merino Wool
This month Soft Merino Wool Yarns are in the spotlight -- those luscious, ultra-soft beauties crafted from the fleece of the highly prized Merino sheep. Originally raised only in Spain, superior quality Merino sheep are now raised in Australia, New Zealand, Argentina, South Africa and the western United States, but Australia produces about 80% of the world’s Merino wool according to Wikipedia.
In knitwear fashions and handknitting fibers, the term "merino" carries with it the promise of a garment crafted of the very best soft wool available today and that’s why it’s often called the "cashmere" of wools. For example, Patagonia Inc., known worldwide for superior clothing & outdoor gear, purchases only 100% merino wool because it’s "exceptionally soft against the skin, naturally odor resistant and machine washable."
As yarn maven Clara Parkes points out in her encyclopedic The Knitter’s Book of Yarn, protein-based fibers such as those from animal fleeces & furs have tiny "scales" much like fish scales. With superfine merino wool, the scales are "so microscopic even the most sensitive person won’t be able to feel them—which is why Merino is highly regarded as a scratch-free wool . . . [with] lustrous sheen."
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.
So overall, merino wool is a sensational choice for garments & accessories where you need warmth & durability combined with exceptional softness & drape. (For more information, check out the complete article Merino Wool in Knitch Magazine.) Also Yarnmarket offers 60 merino & merino-blend yarns for your knitting & crocheting enjoyment, so now let's take a look at some of our all-time staff favorites.
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For wonderful stitch definition and innovative design, 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.
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Diagonal Aurora Sweater
Girl's Aurora Ruffled Turtleneck
Fabulously
Funky Jacket
Merino Frappe Cowl Sweater
Rio Drop
Stitch Shawl
Savoy Zip Cardigan with Hood
Cocoon
Lizzy Tunic
Airmix Looped
Fringe Jacket
Pashmina
Ajoure Sweater
Pashmina
Men's V-Neck
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Then for a totally different look & texture but that same great merino softness, the yarn mavens at Crystal Palace have created warm & comfy Merino Frappe.
We bet you'll love the fluffy halo of "Merino Frappe" that the brushed effect gives each ball in part because just a bit of nylon as the binder thread is added to the mix. And more than just the look, we know you'll love how it feels worn next to your skin in your cool-weather knitted & crocheted pullovers, scarves, shawls, cardis & jackets.
Even better yet, just look at all those marvelous heathered shades possible because "Merino Frappe" is "top-dyed" (the fiber is dyed before spinning). Also check for projects where "Merino Frappe" is used as the marvelous trim on a jacket or cardi crafted of self-striping Merino Stripes, another superb brushed merino fiber gem from Crystal Palace.
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For all you sock lovers, get ready to indulge your tootsies with velvety soft Impressionist Merino Sock created by Rio de la Plata. Combine wonderful texture with the Yarnmarket-exclusive Impressionist Collection colorways, and you have a superb option for all your lightweight projects.
The artisans of Rio de la Plata have even handpainted each strand using their special "Lana del Artista" technique so that each of your creations will be a spectacular work of art.
Such marvelous color combos so carefully crafted for you -- just imagine how spectacular your next fingering-weight pair of socks, a lacy shawl, a colorful scarf or a lightweight top will look in "Impressionist Merino Sock" yarn.
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You can tell how much we love 100% extrafine merino, but we also recommend the beautiful merino blends sensationally crafted today.
So for those who relish the sheen of silk combined with the luster of merino, there's no finer blend than Savoy from Tahki Yarn. "Savoy" is so buttery soft that we know from your first touch of a strand of it, you'll fall in love and enjoy working with it almost as much as wearing the finished outfit.
Fine Italian artistry gives you fabulous worsted-weight "Savoy" that's a joy to knit & crochet into sweaters, vests, scarves, shawls, tops and much, much more. And with 52% silk & 48% merino, no wonder "Savoy" is known for luxury at an affordable price.
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Next when you need a quick-to-create choice of merino mixed with extra fluffiness, discover the wonders of Rowan's chunky-weight marvel Cocoon. A superb blend of kid mohair with the merino gives "Cocoon terrific loft & texture.
Add a generous 100-gram hank to the equation for fewer yarn ends to weave in, and "Cocoon" becomes your fabulous chunky option for those terrific pullovers, jackets, ponchos, hats, scarves, mittens & bags you love to create.
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And if someone had told us merino wool could be made even lighter & airier by adding cotton to it, we wouldn't have believed it -- that is, until we experienced Gedifra's splendid Airmix for ourselves.
The yarn aficionados at Gedifra have developed this lofty, light fiber combo and named it quite aptly too since "Airmix" reminds us of this yarn's best qualities. It's also a lovely worsted ideal for creating sweaters, jackets & scarves in colors for women & men.
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And the ultimate merino blend has to be combining the "cashmere of wools" with Italian cashmere as the yarn mavens of Lana Grossa have so beautifully done with Pashmina.
Velvety soft to the touch, light and warm, "Pashmina" combines 22% cashmere with 78% extrafine merino for wonderful texture and durability without the expense of 100% cashmere. You'll love working with such delicately soft natural fibers. Better yet, you'll revel in the feel of "Pashmina" against your skin in pullovers, cardigans, hats, gloves, shawls & scarves and totally understand why it's named after the Persian word "pashm" meaning finest wool fiber!
Oh, and by the way, just as a little preview of what's to come, our 2nd issue of the Just Your Type newsletter will be emailed to you on Tuesday, March 24th, so get ready for the spotlight to fall on one of your all-time favorite yarn categories -- Adorable Baby Yarns. Start making your list of best fibers for baby & children's clothes & accessories, and we'll compare notes the end of next month, OK?
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Orginally published by Yarnmarket.com in 2/2009. Please note
that yarns and links may change over time.
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