"Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts."
β Winston Churchill
Hello there fellow knitter!
This is The Yarnist. The daily newsletter that makes you love knitting the same way Nigel Richards loves playing Scrabble.
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Knitspiration
π Our Favorite Yarn for Knitting Sweaters
There is no perfect yarn for sweaters.
Too much depends on the climate you live in, how sensitive you are to animal fibers, or even how soft you want it to be.
I'll dive into all of the considerations you need to make during the Sweater Knitting Weekend on Thursday (get your FREE ticket here).
But I'm also going to give you a preview of what I think the best kind of yarn is for knitting sweaters.
It may not be perfect, but in my opinion it's close.
Blending fibers with a drum carder (via SweetGeorgia)
βBlending things togetherβ
A lot of great yarns borrow properties from multiple fibers to create something with unique characteristic.
Most sock yarns include some nylon for added stretch and durability. Those are important features for a fiber that needs to fit a foot and stand up to wear and tear.
Yarns like Wool-ease are mostly acrylic, making them affordable, but it includes a small percentage of wool to provide additional softness and warmth. That small bit of wool goes a long way.
One of my favorite yarns to work with is a cotton acrylic blend, which ends up being silky smooth with amazing drape and incredible stitch definition. These qualities make it ideal for knitted toys or crocheted amigurumi.
But is there a fiber blend that is ideal for sweaters?
βAxial by Margaret Weinert-Lishner (using Zephyr DK)
The Perfect Sweater Yarn
Years ago we did a crowdfunding campaign to create what we thought was the ideal yarn for sweaters.
It utilized the warmth of wool and it's elastic nature to give the yarn the coziness every sweater should have.
That was combined with the coolness of cotton's moisture management and lasting durability.
These fibers were lightly spun using a woolen method, giving the yarn a lofty, rustic feel.
And the two different fiber types absorbed dyes differently, creating a muted color palette with a heathered appearance.
We called the yarn Zephyr, and sadly we don't currently have any available.
Luckily there are some similar yarns that share some or all of Zephyr's characteristics.
π Wool/Cotton Yarns We Love
Hereβs some of our favorite wool & cotton blend yarns you might want to check out:
This is probably the nicest yarn on the list. Not only does the superwash Merino make this super soft, it comes in a ton of gorgeous hand dyed colorways.
This yarn is closest in look and feel to Zephyr, but it has some synthetic fibers as well. All the fibers in this yarn are recyled which makes it eco friendly as well!
This yarn is similar to one of our favorite sweater yarns which is harder to find. Here you'll get luscious, soft merino and pima blended together perfectly.
While this is technically a wool cotton yarn, it's also cheating a bit. The chainette construction gives the yarn a light, airy feel. And the fiber core make it soft and fluffy.
This is the most affordable option on the list, but it's also cheating a little. Rather than blending the fibers together, they are plied around each other. The result is a solid smooth yarn with a light barber pole look.
Conclusion
So there you have it.
Those are a few examples of our favorite sweater yarn blend.
But what do you think?
Have you knit with one of these yarns before?
How did it go?
Hit reply and share your experience with us!
We'd love to hear your feedback. π
Announcements
Starts Thursday! 3-DAY LIVE ONLINE EVENT | April 16-18th
Sweater Knitting Weekend: Raglan Edition
Join us for a weekend filled with knitting workshops, tips and tricks for mastering new sweater knitting techniques, and inspiration for your next sweater project. Whether youβre a beginner or an experienced knitter, this event is perfect for anyone looking to explore Raglan sweaters with fellow Fearless Knitters.
Your hands have frogged enough rows and battled enough yarn tangles. They deserve this magnesium lotion that soothes tired knitter muscles without leaving greasy fingerprints all over your next project.
Rub it on your hands, wrists, and shoulders before bed, and wake up ready to tackle that tricky colorwork pattern.
Your muscles will thank you, and so will your knitting needles.
Before you go...below you'll find a few ways we can work together, and other bits & bobs:
Here's some ways to take our relationship to the next level:
βοΈ Buy us a coffee (Now accepting PayPal!)β Each of our emails is the culmination of many hours of research and lots of cups of coffee. If you want a simple way to show your appreciation you can buy us a coffee here.β β
π₯Ύ Get on the Sweater Camp Wait List βOur next session of Sweater Camp starts soon, but spots are extremely limited and will fill up fast. If you want to be the first to join, get on the wait list by clicking HERE. β
π Take a Yarnist Academy class βThere are more than 50 classes to explore with topics like 2-Color Brioche, Mosaic colorwork, Entrelac. New classes are added every month! Explore our classesβ
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