Knitty: Yarn Roundtable

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by Amy R Singer & Keri Williams
Photographs by Amy R Singer, Michelle Hotchin

one of the yarns at a Yarn Roundtable event, ready for sampling

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 wanted 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.

dislike/disagree/bad

deep love/total agreement/great

Name	Aspen
Brand	Tilli Tomas
Fiber content	100% Spun Australian Merino
Yardage	130 y \| 50 grams
Gauge	4.5 stitches per inch
Sugg. Retail Price	$11.00

overall impression
would you buy it?
how does it feel in the ball?
how does it feel knit up?
is it fairly priced?
how's the stitch definition?
drapey [1] or stiff [5] ?
describe it in one word	dense cottony silky felt
what's the one thing you couldn't know about this yarn until you knit with it?	it's like knitting in felted yarn. Really lovely experience. doesn't feel like most merino yarns - more like some cotton blends ball feels soft but knit up feels very crisp

Name	Chirapa
Brand	Mirasol
Fiber content	100% hand-dyed merino wool
Yardage	165 y \| 50 grams
Gauge	6.5 stitches per inch
Sugg. Retail Price	$8.00

overall impression
would you buy it?
how does it feel in the ball?
how does it feel knit up?
is it fairly priced?
how's the stitch definition?
drapey [1] or stiff [5] ?
describe it in one word	sproingy vibrant marvelous
what's the one thing you couldn't know about this yarn until you knit with it?	it has wonderful random color distribution short color breaks don't think i would like it in a sock

Name	DK Merino First Cross
Brand	Biggan Design
Fiber content	100% premium all-Australian Wool
Yardage	115 y \| 50 grams
Gauge	5.5 stitches per inch
Sugg. Retail Price	$7.50

overall impression
would you buy it?
how does it feel in the ball?
how does it feel knit up?
is it fairly priced?
how's the stitch definition?
drapey [1] or stiff [5] ?
describe it in one word	cuddly workhorse bright
what's the one thing you couldn't know about this yarn until you knit with it?	has a lot of stretch in it great stitch definition; crisp feel to stitches

Name	Eskimo
Brand	Garnstudio
Fiber content	100% wool [feltable]
Yardage	50 m \| 50 grams
Gauge	2.5 stitches per inch
Sugg. Retail Price	solid: $3.70 mix: $4.35 print: $4.85

overall impression
would you buy it?
how does it feel in the ball?
how does it feel knit up?
is it fairly priced?
how's the stitch definition?
drapey [1] or stiff [5] ?
describe it in one word	puffy squeaky feltable smooshy
what's the one thing you couldn't know about this yarn until you knit with it?	I would love to felt with it lovely on 5mm needles softens a lot in the knitting great stitch definition; buttery to work with; a real winner

Name	Geologie
Brand	Nashua Handknits
Fiber content	37% Acrylic, 33% Mohair, 30% Wool
Yardage	142 y \| 50 grams
Gauge	4 stitches per inch
Sugg. Retail Price	$9.95

overall impression
would you buy it?
how does it feel in the ball?
how does it feel knit up?
is it fairly priced?
how's the stitch definition?
drapey [1] or stiff [5] ?
describe it in one word	surprising seductive soft splitty
what's the one thing you couldn't know about this yarn until you knit with it?	it sheds while you knit it up, but still yummy that I should knit with bamboo or Denise needles instead of metal recommended needle size knits really loosely; I used 2.75mm and the fabric was great! how many colors are hiding in every part

Name	Heather
Brand	Schaefer
Fiber content	55% merino wool SUPERWASH, 30% cultivated silk, 15% nylon
Yardage	400 m \| 4 oz
Gauge	7-8 stitches per inch on US#1
Sugg. Retail Price	$29.00

overall impression
would you buy it?
how does it feel in the ball?
how does it feel knit up?
is it fairly priced?
how's the stitch definition?
drapey [1] or stiff [5] ?
describe it in one word	shiny glowy sheen
what's the one thing you couldn't know about this yarn until you knit with it?	that the softness translates despite the ropey texture very subtle shading use a bigger needle size and it would make an awesome shawl

Name	Ivy
Brand	Nashua Handknits
Fiber content	50% Alpaca / 45% Merino Wool / 5% Polyamide Estellina™
Yardage	137 y \| 50 grams
Gauge	4.5 stitches per inch
Sugg. Retail Price	$8.99

overall impression
would you buy it?
how does it feel in the ball?
how does it feel knit up?
is it fairly priced?
how's the stitch definition?
drapey [1] or stiff [5] ?
describe it in one word	stars subtle comfortable
what's the one thing you couldn't know about this yarn until you knit with it?	how flexible it is with the silver very elegant; the twinkle is v. subtle I expected it to split when knit up, but it didn't

Name	Kasuri [hand dyed]
Brand	Habu
Fiber content	60% mohair, 40% silk
Yardage	186 y \| 14 grams
Gauge	laceweight
Sugg. Retail Price	$8.65

overall impression
would you buy it?
how does it feel in the ball?
how does it feel knit up?
is it fairly priced?
how's the stitch definition?
drapey [1] or stiff [5] ?
describe it in one word	dreamy wispy fluffy
what's the one thing you couldn't know about this yarn until you knit with it?	that I can knit with mohair yarn without it shedding all over me the variegation does not compete with lace. This yarn was made for lace knitting a lot softer than I thought at first, and easier to knit with

Name	Kid-Silk
Brand	Drops
Fiber content	75% mohair SuperKid, 25% silk
Yardage	200 m \| 25 grams
Gauge	5.75 stitches per inch
Sugg. Retail Price	$10.10

overall impression
would you buy it?
how does it feel in the ball?
how does it feel knit up?
is it fairly priced?
how's the stitch definition?
drapey [1] or stiff [5] ?
describe it in one word	sensual sheddy down thin
what's the one thing you couldn't know about this yarn until you knit with it?	I emphatically do not like mohair yarns, but I'd knit with this; it's that soft! hairier than Rowan's Kid Silk, less sheen excellent core (doesn't split) with a great halo

Name	Moorland
Brand	Classic Elite
Fiber content	42% merino wool, 23% alpaca, 19% mohair, 16% acrylic
Yardage	147 y \| 50 grams
Gauge	6 stitches per inch
Sugg. Retail Price	$10.95

overall impression
would you buy it?
how does it feel in the ball?
how does it feel knit up?
is it fairly priced?
how's the stitch definition?
drapey [1] or stiff [5] ?
describe it in one word	sturdy rustic halo
what's the one thing you couldn't know about this yarn until you knit with it?	the copper colour looks almost burnished when knit up nice halo. Doesn't split - thought it might it is a little scratchier than it looks. Colours blend beautifully

Name	Saphira
Brand	SWTC
Fiber content	100% superwash Merino wool
Yardage	120 m \| 100 grams
Gauge	3.5 stitches per inch
Sugg. Retail Price	$10.50

overall impression
would you buy it?
how does it feel in the ball?
how does it feel knit up?
is it fairly priced?
how's the stitch definition?
drapey [1] or stiff [5] ?
describe it in one word	cohesive squooshy fuzzy
what's the one thing you couldn't know about this yarn until you knit with it?	subtle color changes used one size larger needles and liked the drape the yarn feels more like roving in the ball, but knits up in a solid fabric which still has nice drape

Name	Sock
Brand	Malabrigo
Fiber content	100% superwash Merino
Yardage	440 y \| 100 grams
Gauge	5-7 stitches per inch
Sugg. Retail Price	$23.50

overall impression
would you buy it?
how does it feel in the ball?
how does it feel knit up?
is it fairly priced?
how's the stitch definition?
drapey [1] or stiff [5] ?
describe it in one word	gorgeous sumptuous subtle luscious
what's the one thing you couldn't know about this yarn until you knit with it?	I would never believe it's a superwash this yarn is sumptuous, and knitting it is pure delight it works better at a finer gauge I could knit many things besides socks with this yarn

Name	Tofutsies Powerstripe
Brand	SWTC
Fiber content	50% Superwash Wool, 25% SOYSILK brand fiber 22.5% Cotton, 2.5% Chitin (made from shrimp and crab shells)
Yardage	425 m \| 100 grams
Gauge	8 stitches per inch
Sugg. Retail Price	$16.75

overall impression
would you buy it?
how does it feel in the ball?
how does it feel knit up?
is it fairly priced?
how's the stitch definition?
drapey [1] or stiff [5] ?
describe it in one word	playful twisty strong airy
what's the one thing you couldn't know about this yarn until you knit with it?	little splitty but very soft it stripes! it could be a nice yarn for lace knitting; soft, nice drape.

Name	Ultra Alpaca Light
Brand	Berroco
Fiber content	50% Superfine Alpaca, 50% Peruvian Wool
Yardage	144 y \| 50 grams
Gauge	5.75 stitches per inch
Sugg. Retail Price	$5.75

overall impression
would you buy it?
how does it feel in the ball?
how does it feel knit up?
is it fairly priced?
how's the stitch definition?
drapey [1] or stiff [5] ?
describe it in one word	classic versatile sturdy comfy
what's the one thing you couldn't know about this yarn until you knit with it?	softer to knit than it appears in the ball doesn't seem sheddy at all - looked like it might knits up quickly; slippery woolly and not too itchy

Name	Vivaldi
Brand	Garnstudio
Fiber content	58% Mohair, 19% Wool, 23% polyamide
Yardage	280 m \| 50 grams
Gauge	5 stitches per inch
Sugg. Retail Price	$~~16.75~~ 8.40 Editor's note: The incorrect price was listed on the Yarn Roundtable review sheet, which means the participants were not aware of the actual (lower) suggested retail price as they reviewed. Knitty sincerely apologizes for the error.

overall impression
would you buy it?
how does it feel in the ball?
how does it feel knit up?
is it fairly priced?
how's the stitch definition?
drapey [1] or stiff [5] ?
describe it in one word	cotton candy fluffybunnyness squishy
what's the one thing you couldn't know about this yarn until you knit with it?	it is softer than most mohairs subtle depth of color surprisingly not sticky

© 2008 Knitty magazine. The information shown in this column is mathematically averaged from a standardized questionnaire completed by each Yarn Roundtable participant. Yarn Roundtable participants are not compensated for their participation and each questionnaire is anonymous. The opinions expressed on this page are those of the Yarn Roundtable attendees and not of Knitty.com

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