Yarn Review: Cascade Yarns Eco +

Yarn: Cascade Yarns, Eco +
Shade: 7098 - Merlot
Material: 100% Peruvian Highland Wool
Weight: 12 ply / Bulky
Price per gram: 8.8 cents

Sadebruce on Ravelry

This is the highest quality yarn I've purchased to date. It comes in a hank versus a center-pull skein, which means rolling the yarn into a ball is required prior to working with it. It's important to only do this once you're ready to work with the yarn, because storing yarn in a ball for long periods of time can stretch it out.

This beautiful burgundy color is exactly what I was looking for to obtain a fantastic fall and winter look. The pure wool is quite bulky and a bit on the fuzzy side, but being Peruvian* wool it shouldn't pill and fuzz as quickly as Merino* wool. You do lose a share of the softness compared to Merino wool, so save this special yarn for adult items, but as long as your skin isn't too sensitive it's still fairly soft. You don't really want to use expensive yarn on clothing that will be outgrown in six months anyways.

I've already made myself a pair of mittens which I'll have modeled and photographed to be listed for sale on Etsy soon. I absolutely loved how quickly this bulky yarn worked up compared to my usual worsted or lighter weight yarns, but there is a note on Ravelry that mentions this bulky yarn is considered by some to be a light bulky or aran weight.

Since this is a natural fiber and not acrylic, the yarn and anything you make with it should be hand washed in cold water and laid flat to dry.

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

My Canadian friends can search for local stores by province on this list on the Estelle Yarns website. My U.S. friends can find local stores that likely stock this yarn by searching on this map directly on the Cascade Yarns website. (Cascade Yarns is a subsidiary of Estelle Yarns.)

* What is Peruvian and Merino wool? These wools are named after their sheep counter parts. The Merino sheep is bred for the softness of its wool, but it's also fragile and has a tendency to pill and fuzz quickly, not to mention stretch. The Peruvian sheep is a cross breed between Merino sheep and Corriedale sheep in order to combine the softness of the Merino wool with the durability of the Corriedale wool.

Peruvian Highland Sheep, courtesy of Michell.

Sources:
1. Corriedale. Wikipedia. Accessed 25 October 2014. Link.
2. Merino. Wikipedia. Accessed 25 October 2014. Link.
3. Wool Production Basics. Penn State. Accessed 25 October 2014. Link.
4. Wool of the Andes Worsted Yarn. Knit Picks. Accessed 25 October 2014. Link.
5. Peruvian Highland Wool. Michell. Accessed 28 October 2014. Link.

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.