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Finest yarn, finer than thread, so soft, but challenging
I love fine thread crochet but recently had to stop using thread because the lack of stretch and necessity of working tight was hurting my hands. I switched to using lace-weight wool yarns instead. The springiness of the wool lets me get even, beautiful stitches without tiring my hands. Normally, I use Malabrigo Baby Merino Lace, which is gorgeous and soft and a great value, but they don't have a pure white, and I wanted to make snowflakes, so I tried this yarn. It is incredibly fine. I can work it on my finest hook 1.15mm for snowflakes that sit on a fingertip, even finer than the finest thread I've ever used. It is so soft, I can barely feel it. It does indeed have luster, too, and a tiny bit of halo. It's really lovely and a top-quality material for extremely fine work. That said, it has two downsides. The first is its delicacy it is undoubtedly less durable than a cotton thread. I can't imagine machine washing this even though it claims to be washable. I can tear it with my fingers! This is not really the yarn's fault, rather a limitation of the fiber, but it's worth mentioning. The other problem I have is with the plies splitting easily. The yarn tends to untwist itself slightly in my hand and end up plied very loosely by the time it gets to my hook. It means I have to work more slowly with this than I do with single-ply lace yarns. One last note: the white color is more of a pale cream than a true snow-white.
By Rattify on Dec 27, 2016
56 found this review helpful
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Looks great in crocodile stitch crochet
I got the undyed one and its ecru color looks plain in the hank, but when you put it against your skin, it looks incredibly classy. I made a crocodile stitch neck warmer, and something about the yarn made it quite naturally form perfect, round scallops for the scales even before blocking. It's probably the nicest, highest quality wearable item I've ever made, and it's definitely the yarn, not me!
18 found this review helpful
Tiring to work with
Cotton always has a lot of friction but this has a lot more than I'd expect from such a smooth yarn. Also, it isn't very poofy I don't know the technical term, so it ends up looking loose if you don't work tight. I found this yarn tiring to work with.
37 found this review helpful
Unique yarn with incredible shine
This yarn is unique in a couple of ways.
Firstly, its wrapped construction makes it hands-down the most perfectly shiny yarn I've ever seen. Occasional irregularities in the wrapping appear but aren't a big deal. So, if you want sheen, here you go.
Secondly, its firm core makes it springy not in an elastic way it does not stretch AT ALL but rather, when you bend it, it springs back. This helps it hold stitches open and makes it look good in wide stitches like five-pointed Marguerite or Galaxy crochet stitches. This also makes it good for certain kinds of decorative crochet work because it wants to hold its shape open even though it also wants to drape. So your finished project never looks limp.
Stitched very tightly on a small hook, you can get it very dense and then it has really good structure, too. It can make leaves, flowers, snowflakes, that kind of thing. Any pattern that works for thread crochet I've found also works for this yarn as long as you use a small hook and work tight. Obviously, the end result is bigger than it would be with thread.
It blocks well thanks to its vegetable fiber core, too.
I only didn't give it five stars because of a few little things. Firstly, it was very difficult to wind, it seemed to come already tangled. Secondly, the extreme lack of stretch makes it more tiring to work with than most yarns of its weight. Finally, it is quite delicate, and the wrapping strands are so long that if you catch one and snag it, it pulls off a LONG thread and can mar quite a big chunk of yarn.
I am using this to make Christmas ornaments and it works very well for that.
79 found this review helpful
Springy, itch-free even on sensitive skin, joy to work with
My favorite wool yarn. It doesn't feel all that soft when you first touch it, but the proof is in the wearing. Softer-feeling yarns can still prickle if they have a few thicker hairs mixed in. I have extremely sensitive skin, and ANY prickliness will bother me, but I was able to make hand and arm warmers with this yarn without any prickle at all, even on the inside of my wrist normally a sensitive area. The colors are lovely, too. It wears well. Also, its springiness and elasticity makes it a good choice for garments that have to stretch, like hats or mitts. Easy to work with, too. It works up very evenly and makes me look way more skilled than I am. Highly recommended.
59 found this review helpful
Very soft and glossy, but splits
The two plies are somewhat loose to each other, so I have to take extra care not to split, either poking the hook between the plies or just getting a few loose strands stuck on the hook. I find that annoying so I took off a star for it.
Otherwise, though, it's a really nice yarn. Beautifully soft and with a subtle gloss, and very warm, the way alpaca is supposed to be! The colors are good, too. Pink taffy is a bit too pale for me but ginger is so rich and gorgeous.
Note that alpaca has less stretch than sheep's wool, and this yarn is particularly non-stretchy not sure why, something about its wind. So if you're making arm warmers or other things that need to stretch, be sure to knit/crochet them a bit loose.
394 found this review helpful
Easy to work with, soft and beautiful
The chainette construction gives stretch most cotton lacks, and the yak makes it softer. It breathes very well but holds heat anyway. I made hand warmers for when I'm using the computer. It keeps my hands warm but not sweaty. It has a lovely subtle sheen, very classy. Never splits. Possibly the easiest-to-work-with yarn I've ever had the pleasure of trying. I'm buying more.
63 found this review helpful
Unbearably soft!!!
I kept having to stop and rub my in-progress capelet against my cheek to feel how soft it was. Highly recommended for making a project you'll get to feel, like a scarf or shawl. Frogs easily, considering how loosely plied it is. I'm going to buy more colors and make shawls/capelets to go with, like, ALL my clothes, that's how nice it feels.
49 found this review helpful
Soft, but a tiny bit prickly on sensitive skin hard to frog
This feels lovely and soft on hands, but when I made arm warmers out of it, it felt prickly on my inner wrists and inner forearms, where the skin is more sensitive. Also, every time you frog it, it gets fuzzier and more tangled. Recommend you only use it for projects you feel confident you can get right the first time, without having to unravel any of it. But the colors are to die for and it looks just gorgeous, so definitely do try this yarn!
109 found this review helpful