Cowl
The Loopy Ewe has had their solid series yarn for a good while. It’s 100% superwash wool and it’s fingering weight. Since I generally don’t use 100% wool yarn for socks, I’ve never done a lot with this yarn, though I do have a bit of it and I have plans for most of it.
One of Loopy Academy’s projects this semester has to be colorwork, I chose Ombre’ Quintet.
Ombre’ Quintet
Colorwork is one of my least favorite things to do . . or it WAS one of my least favorite things to do, but I really enjoyed this project. I enjoyed it so much that I couldn’t put it down.
Fingering weight is recommended and for this pattern, it’s held double. I ordered the Loopy Cake set (6 small skeins) in Chocolate & Roses.
Loopy Cakes
As soon as I started holding that yarn double, I knew I had found my perfect worsted weight yarn! I love the tight twist, and the smoothness of the yarn. The more I worked on this project, the more I fell in love with the yarn. I remembered having read at TLE’s blog something about this yarn changing but I couldn’t remember the details. Instead of searching for the answer, I went straight to Sheri and asked. Here’s the info from her:
Swatch
For my gauge, soaked and blocked, using size 7 needles, it’s pretty much exactly 5 stitches per inch . . maybe 21 stitches per 4 inches, which is a great worsted weight. With size 8 needles, gauge is about 3.75 stitches per inch, or it would be about 14 stitches per 4 inches, which would work if you needed Aran weight but, still, I think it’s too loose.
Of course, you would need to do your own swatch. I wouldn’t say I’m a loose knitter but I’m probably on the looser side of normal. Goodness .. that doesn’t even sound like a nice thing to say about myself but you know I’m talking about knitting!
Back Side
Even the back side looks pretty neat. I’m want to cast on another colorwork project but there are other things that have to be done first .. maybe.
Since The Loopy Ewe is moving out this yarn and replacing it with yarn from a new dyer, for now, it’s marked down from $12 to $9 per skein and those are 220 yard skeins. So, held double, it’s $18 for 220 yards. That’s fairly comparable to Malbrigo Rios ($14.50 for 210 yards) but you get a lot more colors with TLE’s Solid Series, and they’re solid and for anything that has a pattern you want to show, I always use a solid or semi-solid. Cascade 220 is $9 per skein of 220 but it isn’t Superwash, which means it will seriously felt and, in my opinion, it’s more scratchy than TLE’s Solid Series. Those are the two yarns I’d find comparable to the Solid Series.
OK .. here’s the full disclose: I’m not getting paid for this post. I’m not getting free yarn. I’m just sharing with you that I was seriously impressed with this yarn.
Paula says
I knit at all, but I’m learning just by reading your posts! Your project looks like it has little hearts all over. Love it.
Kathy says
This is just so pretty! Dumb question tho- how do you knit double stranded w one skein? Do you pull from beginning and end at same time? Doesn’t that get knotted together? I seriously want to try this one but don’t want to order double the amount of yarn just to use double strand.
Thanks!
JudyL says
Very good question! I’m going to do a whole blog post on that subject because you are not the only one who has asked!
Kathleen Hayes Schwitzner says
I use this yarn ALL THE TIME and LOVE it. However for socks, it isn’t holding up as well as I’d like.
I plan to take all of my odds and ends of it and make one great fair isle item out of all of them!
JudyL says
I don’t ever use 100% wool for socks. In my opinion, all socks need some amount of nylon, and even with nylon, I like a very tightly twisted yarn for socks. The Loopy Solid Series is tightly twisted enough, but without nylon, I would never recommend it for socks but . . that’s just my opinion.