Yarn Review: James C. Brett Marble DK

Yarn: James C. Brett Marble, Double Knit
Shade: MT1
Material: 100% Acrylic
Weight: 8 ply / DK
Price per gram: 6.3 cents

This is some of the prettiest yarn with which to work. It's double knit, so one strand of the yarn is completely white, but the other strand varies from white to dark grey, giving a beautiful gradient to anything you work up. Certain projects can feel tedious at times (Single crochet blankets, anyone?) but watching the yarn change from light to dark and back again helps point out all of the progress being made. As a goal-oriented individual, I will definitely be looking for similar yarn the next time I think about starting a large, simple project like an afghan.

The arguably second-best attribute of this yarn is the fact it is, wait for it, machine washable! I'm just as guilty as anyone of getting a little lazy from time to time with my "hand wash" articles, even the finer ones, but I always feel guilty knowing I'm ruining the material much faster than I should be. Whatever is made with this yarn, however, should be able to handle the stress of a normal washing machine.

The only thing dislikable about this yarn is the fact that double knit yarn is a little harder to work up. Being a very proficient crocheter means this poses little problem for me, but I would not recommend any beginners using a double knit yarn unless they are willing to take excellent care with their stitches. Making a single mistake with the double knit yarn while one strand is bright white and the other is dark grey means a single glance will show off the mistake because the white strand isn't following the same pattern.

Photographed in artificial lighting.

I purchased this yarn at a local yarn store in Ottawa.

For North Americans, find out where James Brett yarns are stocked by using this store locator and choosing "Handknitting - James Brett" in the first drop down menu, followed by selecting your state or province in the second drop down menu.

For anyone living in the UK, you can contact James C Brett yarns directly and inquire about your local stores.