Yarn Bases

If you are new to yarn, here’s a great place to get some info on the differing yarn weights.

Hand-dyed yarn needs to be wound into a ball or cake before it can be worked. There are lots of great online tutorials about this and if you are planning on Getting Really Into Yarn, a swift and ball winder are a good one-time investment.

Also, let’s all just have a good giggle about the fact that my most frequently used yarn weight is called “fingering.” I’ll wait.

LACEWEIGHT

Mohair Silk

72% Kid Mohair/28% Mulberry Silk

459 yards/ 50 grams/single ply

It has a lovely halo and is a treat to work when held double with a fingering weight yarn (IT'S SO FLUFFY!)

Suri Silk Floof

74% Baby Suri Alpaca/26% Mulberry Silk

328 yards/ 50 grams/single ply

Suri has less stitch definition than mohair and looks like a wet Muppet in the skein BUT it is lovely and soft and provides a wonderful texture. It's a little beefier weight-wise than the mohair silk, and is also great for those of y'all who are allergic to mohair!

FINGERING

Bluefaced Leicester Wool Bases

Bluefaced Leicester (BFL) is a British sheep breed that produces the most glorious wool: it's soft but a little sheepier than merino, which means it is less prone to pilling. It has a beautiful luster, takes dye wonderfully, and has good stitch definition. (I love it so much.)

BFL Sock

75% Superwash British Bluefaced Leicester Wool/ 25% Nylon

464 yards/100g/4-ply

2-Ply BFL Sock

80% Superwash British Bluefaced Leicester Wool/20% Nylon

400 yards/100g/2-ply

Pure BFL

100% Superwash British Bluefaced Leicester Wool

438 yards/100 grams/4-ply

BFL Silk

55% Superwash British Bluefaced Lecister Wool/45% Silk

438 yards/100 grams/4-ply

Targhee Sock

Targhee is a US sheep breed that produces the most glorious, springy, sturdy-yet-soft wool. The Targhee Sock base is more of a heavy fingering (giggles)-to-sport weight and is excellent for socks, accessories, and garments.

90% Superwash US Targhee Wool/10% Nylon

465 yards/115 grams/3-ply

Corriedale Sock

Another soft but sturdy wool, Corriedale has a bit more drape to it than the Targhee.

75% Superwash Corriedale Wool/25% Nylon

434 yards/115 g/3-ply

Highland 4-Ply

Highland 4-Ply is a properly sheepy non superwash fingering base. It doesn't take dye as intensely as a superwash base, so colors aren't quite as saturated and speckles aren't crisp as on some of the other bases, but it's a lovely workhorse of a yarn and shines in garments and colorwork.

100% Peruvian Highland Wool

459 yards/100 g/4-Ply

Merino Wool Bases

Merino Sock

80% Superwash U.S. Merino Wool/20% Nylon

434 yards/115g/4-ply

Supersoft Merino Sock

75% Superwash U.S. Merino Wool/25% Nylon

463 yards/100g/4-ply

Sparkle Sock

75% Superwash Merino Wool/20% Nylon/5% Gold Stellina

400 yards/100 g /2-ply

Silver Sparkle Sock

75% Superwash Merino Wool/20% Nylon/5% Silver Stellina

400 yards/100 g /2-ply

Bronze Sparkle Sock

70% Superwash Merino Wool/20% Nylon/10% Silver Stellina

438 yards/100 g /2-ply

BFL DK

100% Superwash British Bluefaced Leicester Wool

246 yards/100 grams/4-ply

Polwarth Silk DK

This non superwash base is soft with a bit of a drape, but not nearly as shiny as many bases with silk. It doesn't take dye as intensely as a superwash base, so colors aren't quite as saturated and speckles aren't crisp. It's a nice option if you want a non superwash yarn but are sensitive to the prickle of a more rustic wool.

85% Polwarth Wool, 15% Silk

331 yards/115 grams

WORSTED

Rambouillet Worsted

100% U.S. Grown and Processed Superwash Rambouillet Wool

196 yards/115 grams/5-Ply