Tell me of your favorite wool sweater yarns!

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The title sort of covers it. Almost all of the sweaters that I’ve knit have been worsted weight and most of them have been made with Cascade 220 because I know how it behaves. When it comes to picking out finer weights of yarn for sweaters, I tend to go into my LYS, flail around a bit, and grab whatever I see first. There’s very little method to it. I thought it might be a good idea to ask what your favorite wool sweater yarns are so I something to think about next time I go yarn shopping. What do you recommend? Is there anything you hate?


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14 responses to “Tell me of your favorite wool sweater yarns!”

  1. St-Denis Nordique! It’s a sport, and its fingering cousin is called Boreale (though I haven’t used it). Sport-weight, workhorse wool, not too expensive with the discount at WEBS. It took me a while to get the right pattern for mine, but I love the FO: http://www.ravelry.com/projects/laureneliz/larch-cardigan. Plus, I didn’t have enough yarn, but when I got more the difference between dye lots was indistinguishable. Nice.

  2. St-Denis Nordique! It’s a sport, and its fingering cousin is called Boreale (though I haven’t used it). Sport-weight, workhorse wool, not too expensive with the discount at WEBS. It took me a while to get the right pattern for mine, but I love the FO: http://www.ravelry.com/projects/laureneliz/larch-cardigan. Plus, I didn’t have enough yarn, but when I got more the difference between dye lots was indistinguishable. Nice.

  3. I’m a die hard Cascade 220 fan. I’ve also made a sweater with Filatura di Crossa with good results. Not as economical as Cascade, though.

  4. I’m a die hard Cascade 220 fan. I’ve also made a sweater with Filatura di Crossa with good results. Not as economical as Cascade, though.

  5. I’ve done a sweater out of Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino, which was HEAVEN. I loved every minute of it and the sweater is wearing well. It’s my favorite lounge-around-without-feeling-slobby sweater! (FO link http://www.ravelry.com/projects/Nalamienea/pipit)

    I’ve also done one from Sundara Aran Silky Merino which was so blissful to knit it with it should be illegal. The problem is that it’s a single ply and it’s beginning to pill under the arms something awful. It’s pure heaven to wear too, though, so I’m dealing with it okay! (FO link http://www.ravelry.com/projects/Nalamienea/opulent-raglan)

    For kids and dad’s (’cause he won’t handwash hehe) I love Caron Simply Soft Eco. It’s cheap, comes in great colours, and knits/wears well. All of my nieces and nephews have a sweater out of this stuff!

    Hope that helps some!

  6. I’ve done a sweater out of Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino, which was HEAVEN. I loved every minute of it and the sweater is wearing well. It’s my favorite lounge-around-without-feeling-slobby sweater! (FO link http://www.ravelry.com/projects/Nalamienea/pipit)

    I’ve also done one from Sundara Aran Silky Merino which was so blissful to knit it with it should be illegal. The problem is that it’s a single ply and it’s beginning to pill under the arms something awful. It’s pure heaven to wear too, though, so I’m dealing with it okay! (FO link http://www.ravelry.com/projects/Nalamienea/opulent-raglan)

    For kids and dad’s (’cause he won’t handwash hehe) I love Caron Simply Soft Eco. It’s cheap, comes in great colours, and knits/wears well. All of my nieces and nephews have a sweater out of this stuff!

    Hope that helps some!

  7. Almost all my sweaters are made with Madelinetosh yarns now. I love the colors and this knit up fabulously. I mostly use their sock and sport yarns. More expensive, but also has really good yardage.

  8. My theory: pick yarn up. If it’s soft and a pretty color, buy it. 🙂

  9. My theory: pick yarn up. If it’s soft and a pretty color, buy it. 🙂

  10. Mel

    Well seeing as you’re in the UK I’m gonna reccommend anything from the Sirdar Sublime range. Nothing but awesomely smooth and soft luxury jumper yarn, I’m a big fan!

  11. 220 of course! But right now I’m knitting an EZ Fair Isle Yoke Pullover in 220 Sport and it’s acting much like the regular 220 does. It’s a very lofty sport yarn so I’m getting 6 sts to the inch on a US6 which is nice since it goes fairly quickly. I also second Nordique – it wears really well.

  12. Och, oof, ay (that’s the sound of me making pensive noises)… I haven’t got one? I’ve got a mad love affair with Annell Malmedy, but that’s only because it is wicked cheap, comes in lots of colours, AND superwash. Nothing luxurious, very work-horse-y.

  13. Och, oof, ay (that’s the sound of me making pensive noises)… I haven’t got one? I’ve got a mad love affair with Annell Malmedy, but that’s only because it is wicked cheap, comes in lots of colours, AND superwash. Nothing luxurious, very work-horse-y.

  14. I love finer-than-worsted-weight sweaters, personally. The heaviest-weight sweater I’ve made was a cardigan out of BlueMoon Fiber Arts BFL Sport. It’s not super cheap, but it’s bouncy & lustrous and I only needed two skeins. (I’m not into hand-dyed stuff generally, but the semi-solid I used was quite nice.) I also second the recommendation for Saint Denis Boreale!

    I’m currently making a pullover out of Swan’s Island Organic Merino fingering, and it’s fantastic! (Best christmas present ever?) And of course, you’d have to pry the sadly discontinued Rowan 4ply Soft out of my cold, dead hands.

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