Thursday, May 28, 2009

Yarn lusting, and some overuse of the word SO (we can't help it!)

Sometimes when a new yarn comes out, we literally LUST after it. We pet the skeins, fondle them, caress them, squeeze them... okay, folks, it's not x-rated, it's just yarn we're talking about! But there are some yarns that are born winners. And one of them arrived today.

Brand new for fall 2009 is Berroco Vintage Wool: Vintage Wool is a blend of acrylic, wool and nylon in a worsted gauge. Check out the awesome colors here, and just know that when you actually feel a skein of this yarn, well, I can't be responsible for what you'll do!

This yarn will be giving both Cascade 220 and Plymouth Encore some stiff competition. HOW, you ask, is that possible, since Cascade 220 and Plymouth Encore don't even complete with each other? I'll explain...
  • If you glance at the shelf, this yarn looks just like Cascade 220. It's got beautiful solids and lovely heathers, and it comes in a hank. The yardage (217) is comparable to the 220.

  • And if you look at the specifics of the yarn, it compares to Encore. First off, it's machine washable. And it's reasonably priced at only $6 compared to $5.50 for Encore. If you do the math, the Vintage Wool and the Encore both come out to 2.76 cents per yard.
So for all those Encore knitters, here's a yarn that is the same price as Encore, but much softer and without that acrylic feel. The color palette is different, so you can experiment with gorgeous rich shades that you haven't seen in the Encore line. (The heathers are simply stunning!) If you have issues with wool, Vintage Wool only has 40% wool, so you'll most likely not have any issues with it.

And for all you Cascade knitters, here's a yarn that looks and knits like Cascade 220. But it's much softer, and it's machine washable, so you can make items for kids that LOOK handwashable, and not worry that they'll be accidentally felted by those folks who don't know better. And at 2.76 cents per yarn, it's less than the 3.16 cents per yard you'll pay for the Cascade.

We love the Plymouth Encore and the Cascade 220, but Vintage Wool is unique in that it competes with different yarns in different ways. It is SO soft, the colors are SO beautiful, the price is SO reasonable and there are SO many yards... SO what does all this mean? Well, let's just say it's a KEEPER. In a big way!

Berroco fall patterns are coming in June! Hopefully by the third week in June we will have all the new books. They are SO awesome! ...Sorry! :)
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5 comments:

  1. Bettina6:40 PM

    I can't wait to try this yarn! Thanks for explaining it so well, I never thought of the price per yard, but how useful! I'm sure I will love it!

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  2. Linda6:44 PM

    I use a lot of Cascade, but my complaint is that it's not the softest yarn. I would love to have a yarn that looked like Cascade but felt better. Will give this a try!

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  3. Anonymous8:58 AM

    Thanks for the great comparison. I am excited to swatch with this!

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  4. Tracy10:06 AM

    Can you use that yarn to knit the Nimbus Cropped Cardigan?
    I'm still learning about stuff like that... I tend to just use the yarn the pattern says to use...
    : )

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  5. Jill12:13 PM

    Tracy - Good question! The Vintage Wool is a worsted weight yarn, and the Nimbus Cropped Cardigan calls for Peruvia Quick, which is a Bulky...

    A rule of thumb is that if you double strand any yarn, you "should" technically get the next weight up. So if you doubled a worsted weight yarn like Vintage Wool you should come close to getting a bulky gauge, like Peruvia Quick. You may need to switch your needle size, but it is worth a try!

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