How to choose?
Can you feel it? That crisp bite to the breeze when it comes through in the morning like the whisper of an old friend? Sipping my hot coffee, I can’t help but recall my warm woolens of winter last….
Okay, enough of that. A poet I am not, but I AM a yarnologist. Which, in my opinion, is better. So let’s talk yarns, specifically cold weather yarns. There are so many different types of yarns out there; so many weights, so many fibers. How do you know what to choose for which project?
Let me walk you through a few of my favorites. I’ll even help you find patterns for them so you can show off your skills while keep you and your loved ones toasty warm!
Alpaca
The alpaca is such an amazing animal. With their cute little faces and warm, furry coats, they are definitely one of the cutest animals ever. And boy are they smart!
Did you know that they are also one of the warmest animals ever? Alpaca fiber is even warmer than wool, and it also offers a drape that no breed of sheep could ever mimic. Add to this that allergies to alpaca are almost unheard of (they don’t make lanolin like sheep do,) and you’ve got a super fiber for all of your winter knits and crochets. Seriously, the perfect cold weather yarn.
Here at Rows & Roses, we’ve got you covered as far as scrumptious alpaca yarn. Just look at that gorgeous Eco Alpaca by Cascade in the pic above. No dyes, there’s are the many natural colors of alpaca! What could you make with this decadent yarn? Here are some patterns I’ve found that would be perfect:
KNIT: this gorgeous hat Graham, the Hipster Shawl, you could really play with the different colors in this Colouring In,
CROCHET: the Diadem shawl would be perfect in this yarn, and so would the Facets Cowl if you use two contrasting colors!
More alpaca yarns:
Wool
Wool is maybe the most popular animal fiber for yarn, and it’s not hard to see why. Wool is anti-microbial, water resistant, and dries quickly. There are all different breeds of wool, but the softest is Merino.
Rows & Roses has lots of Merino yarns to choose from, with more on the way. From the gorgeous Malabrigo Sock pictured here, to the workhorse Valley Worsted and Valley Sport, and even our super-bulky star Berroco Coco, if you’re looking for soft and wooly and wonderfully warm, look no further.
How about some patterns?
KNIT: the Lacy Not Lazy socks and this Sockhead slouch hat. For the Valley Superwash Worsted, I am loving this Free For All cowl. If you’re wanting Coco’s bulky squish, you’d do well with the Chai Latte beanie or the Sugared Almonds cowl.
CROCHET: If you’re dying to crochet with some Malabrigo sock, I bet you’ll love Just Breathe and Fingerless Gloves. Valley Sport works well for Lizard (one of my favorite shawls to make!) and the worsted is perfect for Kruska. Coco would make a great Quinn cowl or Chunky Pebbles hat.
More wool yarn:
Silk
I am rapidly discovering just how underappreciated silk is. How is it possible that more people don’t LOVE this fiber?! Anti-microbial, soft and silky (haha,) and super strong, silk will hold up to just about anything.
From the matte and slubby silk exchange of Mantra, to the shiny and luxe Silkpaca, it’s really hard to imagine how anyone could pass it up, especially since it’s been proven to be even warmer than alpaca. Isn’t that amazing?
I know y’all want to see some patterns that would be perfect for all this silk yarn I’ve got waiting for you, so let’s do it!
KNIT: Silkpaca lends itself well to knits that are drapey and airy, such as Gorges Cowl and Swallowtail Shawl, while Mantra would be great for Tincture and emPower Lace.
CROCHET: Mantra would make an amazing Wild Sunset as well as a Spring Bean cowl, while Silkpaca is perfect for Inner Light, or Pax if Tunisian is more your speed.
More silk yarns:
I hope I was able to help you out a bit and offer some insight and education, as well as some great patterns to kickstart your creativity. Remember that you are always welcome to come use the free winding station and enjoy a cup of coffee anytime you’re out and about. This little shop is all about community so I want to see you here enjoying it! If you found value in this post, please consider sharing, commenting, pinning, tweeting, or otherwise helping me to get it out there. Thank you all so much, for all you do to help my little LYS be the best that it can be ♥
