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Pink Needles
TITLEroundtable
yummy

Not every knitter is lucky enough to have a Local Yarn Store nearby. And of course, not every yarn shop can carry every yarn.

The Knitty Yarn Roundtable was created to give knitters more information about yarn than just what's on the ball band.

Once a month, 30 knitters gather in Toronto [the hometown of Knitty's editor] to sample a variety of yarns of every possible description -- from budget to super luxury.

The events are open to anyone who can attend, and are advertised on the Knitty blog and the dedicated Yarn Roundtable blog. Knitters bring their own needles and yarn companies of every size send in yarns they want our readers to try.

Five different yarns from five different manufacturers are sampled at each event by all knitters present who provide their opinions on a standardized form. Yarns that did not receive good feedback will not be featured in Knitty, in accordance with our review policy, so if you see a yarn on these pages, it means the majority of knitters liked it, found it interesting or surprising! Yarns are listed below in alphabetical order by yarn name. This issue's reviews include feedback collected from three different Roundtable events.

Editor's note: All swatches shown were knit by the same knitter using what she felt was the most appropriate needle size for each yarn.

Items are rated on scale of 1-5. Retail prices are in USD.

YRstar
dislike/disagree/bad
YRstarYRstarYRstarYRstarYRstar
deep love/total agreement/great

Name Cashmere Merino
Silk Aran
YRaspensw
Brand Sublime
Fiber
content
75% Extrafine Merino Wool, 20% Silk, 5% Cashmere
Yardage 94 y | 50 g
Gauge 4.5 stitches per inch
Sugg. Retail Price

$10.00

YRallhemp6lux
overall impression YRstarYRstarYRstarYRstarYRstar
would you buy it? YRstarYRstarYRstarYRstarYRstar
how does it feel in the ball? YRstarYRstarYRstarYRstarYRstar
how does it feel knit up? YRstarYRstarYRstarYRstarYRstar
is it fairly priced? YRstarYRstarYRstarYRstarYRstar
how's the stitch definition? YRstarYRstarYRstarYRstarYRstar
drapey [1] or stiff [5] ? YRstarYRstarYRstar
describe it in one word
  • almost perfect
  • yummy
  • sublime
  • squooshy
what's the one thing you couldn't know about this yarn until you knit with it?
  • it has a slight shine to it that emphasises the individual stitches
  • really stretchy and springy
  • somewhat splitty, depending on how you knit

Pink Needles

Name Fabel superwash
YRchirapasw
Brand Garnstudio
Fiber
content
75% Superwash Wool,
25% polyamide
Yardage 205 m | 50 g
Gauge 6.5 stitches per inch
Sugg. Retail Price

$5.00

Chirapa
overall impression YRstarYRstarYRstar
would you buy it? YRstarYRstarYRstar
how does it feel in the ball? YRstarYRstarYRstarYRstar
how does it feel knit up? YRstarYRstarYRstarYRstar
is it fairly priced? YRstarYRstarYRstarYRstarYRstar
how's the stitch definition? YRstarYRstarYRstarYRstar
drapey [1] or stiff [5] ? YRstarYRstarYRstar
describe it in one word
  • dependable
  • rough
  • bright
what's the one thing you couldn't know about this yarn until you knit with it?
  • it knitted OK. Not as soft as I would have liked, but will probably work okay as socks
  • colours work into interesting combination / patterns
  • stitch definition is better than I expected

Pink Needles

Name Luxe
YRdkmerinosw
Brand The Unique Sheep
Fiber
content
25% Tussah Silk,
75% Superwash Merino
Yardage 400y | 100 g
or
400 y | 4 x 25g [gradience -- 4 color-matched skeins that change color gradually, skein by skein; center 4 pink skeins below are gradience]
Gauge sock
Sugg. Retail Price

$23.00
$24.00 [gradience]

Biggan Design DK Merino First Cross
overall impression YRstarYRstarYRstarYRstar
would you buy it? YRstarYRstarYRstarYRstar
how does it feel in the ball? YRstarYRstarYRstarYRstar
how does it feel knit up? YRstarYRstarYRstarYRstarYRstar
is it fairly priced? YRstarYRstarYRstarYRstar
how's the stitch definition? YRstarYRstarYRstarYRstarYRstar
drapey [1] or stiff [5] ? YRstarYRstar
describe it in one word
  • yum
  • pretty
  • awesome
what's the one thing you couldn't know about this yarn until you knit with it?
  • the varigation is really subtle and shows well knit up. Really pleasant yarn to knit with
  • smoother than I expected
  • the colours blend together beautifully

Pink Needles

Name MerLin
YReskimosw
Brand Louet
Fiber
content
70% Merino, 30% Linen
Yardage 156 y | 100 g
Gauge 4.5 stitches per inch
Sugg. Retail Price

$19.50

Garnstudio Eskimo
overall impression YRstarYRstarYRstar
would you buy it? YRstarYRstarYRstar
how does it feel in the ball? YRstarYRstarYRstar
how does it feel knit up? YRstarYRstarYRstarYRstar
is it fairly priced? YRstarYRstarYRstar
how's the stitch definition? YRstarYRstarYRstarYRstar
drapey [1] or stiff [5] ? YRstarYRstarYRstarYRstar
describe it in one word
  • crunchy
  • stiff
  • natural
what's the one thing you couldn't know about this yarn until you knit with it?
  • the linen content provides a crisp stitch definition, while it is very soft from the merino
  • softer when knit up than on the skein, but not terribly exciting
  • not as crunchy as expected for the linen content. A couple of uneven stitches. I don't think it was my tension

Pink Needles

Name Peruvian
Highland Donegal
YRheathersw
Brand Elann
Fiber
content
90% Highland Wool, 10% Donegal
Yardage 100m | 50g
Gauge 5 stitches per inch
Sugg. Retail Price

$3.50

Schaefer Heather
overall impression YRstarYRstarYRstarYRstarHALF
would you buy it? YRstarYRstarYRstarYRstar
how does it feel in the ball? YRstarYRstarYRstarYRstar
how does it feel knit up? YRstarYRstarYRstarYRstarHALF
is it fairly priced? YRstarYRstarYRstarYRstarYRstarHALF
how's the stitch definition? YRstarYRstarYRstarYRstarHALF
drapey [1] or stiff [5] ? YRstarYRstarYRstarYRstar
describe it in one word
  • interesting
  • easy
  • itchy
what's the one thing you couldn't know about this yarn until you knit with it?
  • it has depth in its colouring that I did not expect
  • a little softer than expected
  • splits a bit. Softer when knit up than in the ball

Pink Needles

Name Possum Merino
YRgeologiesw
Brand Supreme
Fiber
content

40% Possum fur*, 50% Merino Wool, 10% Silk

*This is an eco-friendly fur yarn, endorsed by both Greenpeace and the World Wildlife Fund. The possums were introduced to New Zealand in the 1800s, and the New Zealand ecosystem has no natural defense against them. As a result, the possums are devastating the endangered native flora and fauna of New Zealand, especially the native birds that are predominantly flightless or ground-nesting. Yarns like this one are part of an effort to develop a fur industry that can help save the New Zealand native environment.

Yardage 210 m | 50g
Gauge 7 stitches per inch
Sugg. Retail Price

$12.50

Nashua Geologie
overall impression YRstarYRstarYRstarYRstarYRstar
would you buy it? YRstarYRstarYRstarYRstar
how does it feel in the ball? YRstarYRstarYRstarYRstar
how does it feel knit up? YRstarYRstarYRstarYRstarYRstar
is it fairly priced? YRstarYRstarYRstarYRstar
how's the stitch definition? YRstarYRstarYRstarYRstar
drapey [1] or stiff [5] ? YRstarYRstar
describe it in one word
  • lofty
  • delicate
  • cozy
  • splitty
what's the one thing you couldn't know about this yarn until you knit with it?
  • very soft and wonderful to knit with
  • uniform and regular but breaks easily when tugged
  • feels like velvet when knitted up. Does tear easily, but I didn't have a problem knitting with it

Pink Needles

Name River Twist
YRivysw
Brand Mountain Colors
Fiber
content
100% Merino Wool
Yardage 220 m | 100g
Gauge 4-5 stitches per inch
Sugg. Retail Price

$24.00

Nashua Ivy
overall impression YRstarYRstarYRstarYRstarYRstar
would you buy it? YRstarYRstarYRstarYRstar
how does it feel in the ball? YRstarYRstarYRstarYRstar
how does it feel knit up? YRstarYRstarYRstarYRstarYRstar
is it fairly priced? YRstarYRstarYRstarYRstarHALF
how's the stitch definition? YRstarYRstarYRstarYRstar
drapey [1] or stiff [5] ? YRstarYRstarYRstarHALF
describe it in one word
  • soft
  • playful
  • comfortable
what's the one thing you couldn't know about this yarn until you knit with it?
  • slides easily on the needles, works up fast, and feels so luxurious. The colours are a bonus
  • I would walk past this yarn, but now I have tried it I want it! The colours are lovely
  • though I found the yarn splitty, I would buy this for the colour. Until I knit this up I had no idea the colour would be so beautiful

Pink Needles

 

Name Silk Merino
Brand Blue Heron Yarns
Fiber
content
50% Silk, 50% Merino
Yardage 375 y |8 0z
Gauge 5 stitches per inch
Sugg. Retail Price

$37.50

Habu silk mohair
overall impression YRstarYRstarYRstarYRstarYRstarHALF
would you buy it? YRstarYRstarYRstarYRstarHALF
how does it feel in the ball? YRstarYRstarYRstarYRstarYRstarHALF
how does it feel knit up? YRstarYRstarYRstarYRstarYRstarHALF
is it fairly priced? YRstarYRstarYRstar
how's the stitch definition? YRstarYRstarYRstarYRstarYRstarHALF
drapey [1] or stiff [5] ? YRstarYRstar
describe it in one word
  • shiny
  • beautiful
  • soft
what's the one thing you couldn't know about this yarn until you knit with it?
  • colours merge very quickly. I doubt this would puddle. Amazing number of colours in the colourway
  • you don't think that all the colours would knit up well together, but they do beautifully
  • the texture is very soft. When knit, slight sheen

Pink Needles

Name Silk 'N Ewe
YRkidsilksw
Brand Mountain Colors
Fiber
content
50% Wool, 50% Raw Silk
Yardage 250 y | 75g
Gauge 5-6 stitches per inch
Sugg. Retail Price

$16.99

Drops Kid-Silk
overall impression YRstarYRstarYRstarHALF
would you buy it? YRstarYRstarYRstar
how does it feel in the ball? YRstarYRstarYRstar
how does it feel knit up? YRstarYRstarYRstarYRstar
is it fairly priced? YRstarYRstarYRstarYRstar
how's the stitch definition? YRstarYRstarYRstarYRstar
drapey [1] or stiff [5] ? YRstarYRstarYRstarYRstarHALF
describe it in one word
  • crunchy
  • nubby
  • rough
  • rustic
what's the one thing you couldn't know about this yarn until you knit with it?
  • bit of a pain to knit with but lovely fabric
  • I wouldn't have known there was wool in it at all. Just feels like raw raw silk
  • nubbly texture doesn't show up as much in stockinette
  • hard to knit with. Very soft. Can't feel the wool. Colours are nice, but a bit overwhelming.

Pink Needles

Name Superfine Egyptian Cotton
YRheathersw
Brand Diamond Luxury Collection
Fiber
content
100% mercerized cotton
Yardage 108 m | 50g
Gauge 5.5 stitches per inch
Sugg. Retail Price

$5.00

Schaefer Heather
overall impression YRstarYRstarYRstarYRstar
would you buy it? YRstarYRstarYRstar
how does it feel in the ball? YRstarYRstarYRstarYRstarHALF
how does it feel knit up? YRstarYRstarYRstarYRstarHALF
is it fairly priced? YRstarYRstarYRstarYRstarYRstar
how's the stitch definition? YRstarYRstarYRstarYRstarYRstarHALF
drapey [1] or stiff [5] ? YRstarYRstarYRstarYRstar
describe it in one word
  • crisp
  • tidy
  • nice
what's the one thing you couldn't know about this yarn until you knit with it?
  • I like the hand better on smaller (3.25mm) needles
  • I'm not generally a fan of mercerized cotton, but I liked it more than I would have expected. Easy on the hands
  • shiny and pretty, but splitty when you knit with it
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