Well – what can we say!  This has been the hit of the Summer 2020 yarns.  Naturals is, well, a natural for summer tops and is a favourite for just about anything!  Janie Crow used it for her Fruit Garden Crochet along this year and it was just beautiful for that (at time of writing we have one pack left in stock).  The Colour range is amazing for a newly launched cotton blend with 23 colours.  We stocked all 23 ready for Wonderwool which was sadly postponed due to Covid restrictions but Covid didn’t stop us selling!  The yarn is a mix of bamboo and cotton giving it a lovely drape and sheen and has amazing metreage which means that it can be used for big projects without breaking the bank,  Technically it is a DK but Jenny has used it successfully for 4-ply projects too – just check your tension before you start!
  
Stylecraft are always brilliant when it comes to colours with the Naturals range is more in line with their Yarn Stories colours than their Special so the colours are quite subtle.  With 250m/100g, one balls goes a long way – for to five balls for an adult summer top and only one for a first size baby jacket. It is easy to knit and crochet with although as it is cotton-bamboo it is quite slippery on the needles.  It can be used for colourwork but care has to be taken securing the ends when finishing as it can slip undone. 
 
Naturals can be machine washed and dried in the tumble drier on cool.  Jenny has used other bamboo yarns in the past and advocates care as it can lose its sheen if washed carelessly.
 
Technical details: 
60% bamboo/40% cotton 100g/250m balls.
Knits to DK tension with 22 st x 30 rows on 4 mm needles.
Swatch to check first, but it can be used for 4-ply patterns too.
Can be machine washed on 30 degrees, tumble dried on cool and can be dry cleaned.
 
Recommended For
A great all-round yarn for both knit and crochet and has good pattern support from Stylecraft.
​
Our opinion:
One of the best yarns of the Summer season with lovely colours and drape.  Ideal if you don’t like the feel of wool or the fact that synthetics don’t biodegrade easily.

Itch Rating: 
(0= not itchy at all 'I could wear this next to my skin' and 5  =very itchy 'I can't wear this'
Ruth's rating: 0
Jenny's rating: 0
 
Bottom line:
This is a lovely cotton mix yarn with lots of colours in the range.  It is accessible to most budgets giving a luxury look to an affordable project.  Beautiful drape to the finished garments.  Ideal for knitting and crochet.

Stylecraft Bellissima
 
Following the success of the baby yarn Bambino, Stylecraft extended this yarn into the adult market with Bellissima DK and Bellissima Chunky.  The yarn is spun to mimic merino wool giving it a very round profile and plenty of bounce.  It has great stitch definition making it quite easy to work with but like all yarns with good stitch definition, isn’t forgiving of mistakes! 
  
Bellissima comes in a great range of colours as you would expect of a Stylecraft yarn and as it is 100% acrylic it has plenty of metres per 100g so goes a long way.  It is easy to knit and crochet with although some crafters may find the spin unwinds as they work – Ruth doesn’t have any problems with it while Jenny finds it fine to knit with but her (poor) crochet technique causes it to unravel.   For those of you who have seen the Honeycomb Blankets which we showed at Wonderwool in 2019, you will recognise the yarn -- you can find the kits here.
 
Like other acrylics, Bellissima is easy to care for as it can be machine washed.  Care needs to be taken though as if too much heat is applied it loses structural integrity and the project may grow and lose its bounce. Like any other acrylic, Bellissima originates from petrochemicals which may contribute to environmental changes. As a synthetic, it cannot resist heat and will melt and then burn if exposed to a naked flame.
 
Technical details: 
100% premium acrylic sold in 100g balls.
DK has 268m/ball and chunky has 156m/ball
Knits to standard DK and chunky tensions
Can be machine washed on 30 degrees, tumble dried on cool and can be dry cleaned.
 
Recommended For
Bellissima is a great all-round yarn for both knit and crochet and has good pattern support from Stylecraft.
​
Our opinion:
This is a good quality acrylic which mimics the appearance of merino yarn giving a high end look to a very affordable yarn.
 
Itch Rating: 
(0= not itchy at all 'I could wear this next to my skin' and 5  =very itchy 'I can't wear this'
Ruth's rating: 0
Jenny's rating: 0
 
Bottom line:
This is a quality acrylic yarn with a good colour palette. It feels soft when knitted up and is accessible to most budgets.

​Cons:
Petrochemical origin
Slow to biodegrade
Structure destroyed by heat
Medium stretch
 
Pros:
Good quality fibres
Good value
Smooth and easy to work with
Versatile
Good  colour range
Easy to care for

West Yorkshire Spinners is one of our favourite British suppliers with good quality, British sourced natural fibre yarns.  From socks to special breed yarns, we love it all!  

Croft is a wonderful luxury wool which was launched first of all as an aran weight and this season as a DK.  Both weight yarns have pattern support in the form of pattern books from WYS as well as some free patterns available on their website or in the shop.   
 
The Shetland yarn in Croft takes dye very well to produce saturated colours and it includes solids and variegated in the ranges.
 
Croft is fabulous to work with.  As it is 100% wool, Croft is gentle on the hands as it has stretch.  The yarn works well for textured and colourwork alike and because it is wool, the finished fabric has ‘memory’ so it can be blocked to shape very easily and will keep that shape. 
 
While Croft can be machine washed using the wool cycle, it cannot be tumble-dried and we would advise washing your tension swatch to see how well the yarn reacts to the wool cycle on your machine (not all washing machines are made equal as we have probably all found to our cost in the past).
 
Recommended for: 
Versatile and hardwearing so a good all rounder.  Good for knitting and crochet.
 
Technical details: 
100% Shetland wool
DK  has 225 metres on 100g hank
Aran has 166 metres on 100g hank
Knit to standard tensions for DK and Aran
 
Our opinion:
We love it!  Good for knitting and crochet as the yarn has a good twist on it and doesn’t split.
Jenny finds it a little prickly next to her skin but it wouldn’t be a problem for hats and gloves.  For scarves or jumpers she would need something between it and her skin.   The structure of the yarn makes it ideal for colourwork and textured items but it also looks lovely in stocking or garter stitch so can be used for basic, plain items too.

Itch Rating:
​(0= not itchy at all 'I could wear this next to my skin' and 5  =very itchy 'I can't wear this')
Jenny 2/5
Ruth 1/5
 
Bottom line:
High quality luxury yarn with very pretty colour palette.    

King Cole’s Subtle Drifter is the solids version of their very popular Drifter variegated yarn.  Subtle Drifter DK was launched last year while the chunky version is one of the new season yarns for Winter 2020.  A mix of cotton, wool and acrylic makes for a wonderfully soft yarn with the cotton providing weight, the wool warmth and the acrylic durability.  The colour range is good with a mix of neutrals and colours giving choices for everybody’s taste. 
 
Subtle Drifter is smooth and nicely rounded making it easy to work with for beginners and more experienced crafters alike while the acrylic content means it goes a long way so it is an economical choice too.
 
Like other acrylic mixes, Subtle Drifter is easy to care as it can be machine washed.  Care needs to be taken though as if too much heat is applied it may lose structural integrity and the project may grow and lose its bounce.  The cotton and wool content will however ameliorate this effect.

The acrylic content of the yarn is derived from petrochemicals which may contribute to our environmental changes. As a synthetic, it cannot resist heat and will melt and then burn if exposed to a naked flame.
 
Technical details: 
25% cotton/6% wool/69% acrylic mix sold in 100g balls.
DK has 300m/ball and chunky has 156m/ball
Knits to standard DK and chunky tensions
 
Recommended For
Subtle Drifter is a great all-round yarn for both knit and crochet and has good pattern support  from King Cole.  
​
Our opinion:
This is a really soft and cosy yarn with gives good drape on the finished project.  It shows cables well as it has good stitch definition. King Cole have included some patterns for men's garments in their support as well as accessories and garments for women and children so it ticks all the boxes.
 
Itch Rating: 
(0= not itchy at all 'I could wear this next to my skin' and 5  =very itchy 'I can't wear this'
Ruth's rating: 0
Jenny's rating: 0 (Jenny is knitting the DK up for her middle son who is even more fussy about itchy yarns than she is!)  
 
Bottom line:
This is a good quality mixed fibre yarn with an good colour palette. It feels soft when knitted up and is accessible to most budgets.

​Cons:
Petrochemical origin for acrylic content
Slow to biodegrade
Structure destroyed by heat
Medium stretch
 
Pros:
High quality fibres
Good value
Smooth and easy to work with
Versatile
Easy to care for
Good metreage so goes a long way

This is another of our curated high quality yarns from Adriafil. 
 
WoolCot is mixed fibre DK with a very interesting spin (I've added a picture of a strand of it to show this construction).  The ultrafine coloured merino core is surrounded by mesh of organic neutral coloured cotton.  The finished fabric is quite dense but very lightweight.  It is sold as a DK and does knit to tension using the correct needles but will also knit to a lightweight aran tension by just going up in size in needles so it doubles its potential.  Because of its make-up, WoolCot has 150m on 50g so goes a long way making it more economical than the price would suggest.  You can find the yarn here on our website.
 
Technical Details
56% extra merino/44% organic cotton polyamide sold in 50g/150m balls
Knits to DK tension of 21 stitches x 27 rows on 4mm needles OR Jenny achieved an Aran tension of 18 stitches x 24 rows on 5mm needles
Machine wash on 30° (wool wash)
 
Recommended for:
This is a luxury yarn ideal for garments and accessories. 
There is some pattern support in the latest Adriafil pattern book (available in our shop) but it will work for most DK and light Aran or Worsted patterns
 
Our Opinion
Jenny has test-knitted this and found it gentle on the hands. It is soft to work with but quite ‘sticky’ – it might be difficult to use with bamboo or wooden needles so benefits from slippy metal or plastic ones instead.
Often natural fibres have around a third less metres/ball than synthetics but this one is very similar to Stylecraft Special DK (same metres per 100g) so it goes a long way.  The finished fabric is very soft and when knitted as DK it produces quite a dense fabric while remaining very lightweight.
If you are willing to experiment and make test tension squares, you can use it for both DK and Aran patterns.   Suitable for both knit and crochet with good stitch definition.
 
Itch Rating: 
(0= not itchy at all 'I could wear this next to my skin' and 5  =very itchy 'I can't wear this'
Ruth's rating: 2
Jenny's rating: 3
 
Bottom line:
This is a high quality mixed fibre yarn with a which feels soft when knitted up and has some pattern support from Adriafil. More accessible to all budgets than at first sight because of the metres/ball.

The weather is definitely turning to Autumn here in South Wales and with it our thoughts turn to thick and cosy winter yarns so we have chosen Adriafil's Sogno for today's yarn tasting.

Our philosophy at Ammonite Yarns is to stock British yarn wherever possible but we can’t resist taking some of the best yarns from Continental Europe and Sogno falls into that category! 
 
Sogno is a really interesting yarn in that it is not a roving but neither is it fully spun.  The finished fabric has volume and a varied texture which Adriafil have characterised as Souffle. We all have our favourite yarns to work with and both of us tend to use finer yarns for most projects (even Aran is pushing it!)  but this is a really lovely yarn to work with.  It is soft and pliable when knitting or crocheting and comes in a varied palette of ten saturated colours.  It would be a great addition to the stash of any superchunky fan.
 
Technical Details
70% superfine alpaca/30% polyamide sold in 50g/50m balls
Knits to superchunky tension of 12 stitches x 16 rows on 8mm needles
Handwash only
 
Recommended for:
This is definitely a luxury yarn best for garments and accessories. 
There is some pattern support in the latest Adriafil pattern book (available in our shop) but it will work for most superchunky patterns.
 
Our Opinion
Jenny has test-knitted this and found it gentle on the hands.  Alpaca can cause her problems to knit with as she finds it prickly but the superfine content of this one means it is fine for her to use.  Jenny found it soft to work with as it has give and stretch.
As a natural fibre with 50m of yarn per 50g, Sogno admittedly doesn’t go too far but Jenny made a pair of fingerless mitts with approximately 2/3 ball so a hat would take two or three. A medium size slouchy cardigan takes 15 balls. 
The yarn is cuddly and soft and, although a superchunky, it makes a lovely lightweight but thick fabric.  We have all colours in stock with brights and neutrals in the range.  You can find the range here -- both of us have fallen for the yellow!
 
Itch Rating: 
(0= not itchy at all 'I could wear this next to my skin' and 5  =very itchy 'I can't wear this'
Jenny's rating: 3
Ruth's rating: 1
 
Bottom line:
This is a high quality mixed fibre yarn with a modern and vibrant colour palette. It feels soft when knitted up and had some pattern support from Adriafil.  

Stylecraft has added to its range of good value DKs with Highland Heathers.  It complements the special range with its subtle heathery tone and can be used for any DK pattern (although we always advise that you check your tension before beginning your project). 
 
Heathers comes in a muted colour palette with 12 colours in the range.  As you might expect from the name, the colours are not solid with the heathered effect being achieved by subtle mixing of strands of colour within the spin of the yarn.  The overall effect is understated and really very pretty.
 
Jenny has been working on the Stylecraft Christmas MAL which is a knitted advent decoration.  She finds the yarn easy to handle with little splitting – very similar to special and as such, suitable for knitters and crochets alike.  The MAL can be found here on Stylecraft’s website.  The patterns are free to download and you can buy all of the colours on our website here.
 
Again, like Special, Heathers is 100% acrylic.  It doesn’t have quite as many metres on the ball with  272 metres compared to 295m per 100g but still goes a long way.  It is reasonably price so is an economical yarn making large projects more affordable for those with smaller budgets.  It is suitable to most projects, from accessories to garments to homeware.
 
Highland Heathers is easy to care as it can be both machine washed and tumble dried. Care needs to be taken as if too much heat is applied it loses structural integrity and the project may grow and lose its bounce.
 
No yarn is perfect so we should mention that acrylic generally doesn’t feel as warm as wool to wear and has less stretch and “memory” which can affect the lifetime of a finished project, especially if too much heat is applied. Like other acrylic yarns, it originates from petrochemicals which may contribute to our environmental changes. As a synthetic, it cannot resist heat and will melt and then burn if exposed to a naked flame.

Technical details: 
Premium acrylic, sold in 100g/272m balls.
Knits to standard DK tension of 22 stitches x 30 rows on 4mm needles. 
 
Our opinion:
As this is a brand new yarn, we don’t have much experience of using it but Jenny is finding it similar to Special to handle.  Like Special it lacks stretch so handles differently to wool  yarns but is a good yarn for a budget price.  We love the colours which are amazing for Autumn knits and the pattern support from Stylecraft is good too.  

Itch Rating: 
(0= not itchy at all 'I could wear this next to my skin' and 5  =very itchy 'I can't wear this'
Ruth's rating: 0
Jenny's rating: 1
​ 
Bottom line:
This is a good quality acrylic yarn with a pretty colour palette. It feels soft when knitted up and is accessible to any budget. 

Stylecraft Special
We believe this is one of the best acrylic yarns on the market and is a very popular yarn.  Special is produced in 4-ply, DK, aran, chunky and super chunky and includes a range for babies. This review is specifically about DK but the characteristics are duplicated across the range. 
 
Special DK comes in a vast array of colours – you can see the colours we stock here  which is only just over half of the range!  This means it is a good choice for projects using multiple colours and is the preferred choice of many crochet designers.
 
The yarn is smooth and nicely rounded making it easy to work with for beginners and more experienced crafters alike. Compared to other acrylic yarns, it feels gentle to working hands and doesn’t tend to snag on dry skin. The smoothness of the yarn means that it is slightly more slippery than is ideal for stranded colour work. Darned in ends may work free over time.

As it is 100% acrylic, Special DK goes a long way with 295m on a 100g ball and is very reasonably priced. This makes it an economical yarn making large projects more affordable for those with smaller budgets.
 
Special DK is an easy to care for yarn as it can be both machine washed and tumble dried. Care needs to be taken though as if too much heat is applied it loses structural integrity and the project may grow and lose its bounce.
 
No yarn is perfect so we should mention that acrylic generally doesn’t feel as warm as wool to wear and has less stretch and “memory” which can affect the lifetime wearability of a finished project, especially if too much heat is applied. Like other acrylic yarns, it originates from petrochemicals which may contribute to our environmental changes. As a synthetic, it cannot resist heat and will melt and then burn if exposed to a naked flame.
 
Technical details: 
Premium acrylic, sold in 100g/295m balls.
Knits to standard DK tension of 22 stitches x 30 rows on 4mm needles. 

Recommended for:
This is a utility yarn that can be used for almost anything, both knit and crochet.
Particularly good for blankets and kid's garments
​
Our opinion:
When Jenny knitted with Special DK she needed to use a slightly smaller needle as her tension tends to be slightly loose. She achieved stitch and row tension by dropping to 3.75mm.  Jenny found it less relaxing than other yarns to knit with as it lacks stretch. Ruth found it an ideal yarn to crochet with as it flows smoothly through the stitches without splitting.

Itch Rating: 
(0= not itchy at all 'I could wear this next to my skin' and 5  =very itchy 'I can't wear this')
Ruth's rating: 0
Jenny's rating: 1
 
Bottom line:
This is a good quality acrylic yarn with an amazing colour palette. It feels soft when knitted up and is accessible to any budget. 

​

All our new Autumn ranges are now sitting pretty on our shelves but, with the covid firebreak in place in South Wales, you are unable to come and visit the shop to see and squish our lovely yarns.  To make sure you don’t miss out, we are going release a series of posts to give you a virtual tour of all our yarns from the new arrivals to old favourites. In each post we will cover a different yarn and talk about all the things we would normally tell you when you visit the shop. Sadly you can’t feel the yarns through your screen but we will do our best to give you a sense of how it handles and knits and crochets. We will even provide an itch rating – although bear in mind that Jenny is a delicate flower and Ruth is less sensitive when it comes to fibre!
 

Love is Enough CAL by Janie Crowfoot

When I read that the new colourway of Janie's  CAL is named after a poetry book  by William Morris, of course I had to look up the title poem and here it is:

Love is enough: though the World be a-waning,
And the woods have no voice but the voice of complaining,
Though the sky be too dark for dim eyes to discover
The gold-cups and daisies fair blooming thereunder,
Though the hills be held shadows, and the sea a dark wonder
And this day draw a veil over all deeds pass'd over,
Yet their hands shall not tremble, their feet shall not falter;
The void shall not weary, the fear shall not alter
These lips and these eyes of the loved and the lover.

It does sum up present times very well and the message of love overcoming the worst of challenges is very apt.


The Crochet Along originally ran earlier this year but was disrupted somewhat by world events, namely Covid so Janie and Stylecraft decided to run the crochet-along again in a new colourway.
The CAL will begin again on the 3rd November with instructions for the new colour way being released every two weeks until the 9th February 2021.   There is a colour substitution document that will show each round or row of every motif from the Fruit Garden CAL to be used in conjunction with the original patterns to create the new ‘Love is Enough’ Blanket. The original patterns will remain on the Stylecraft website throughout and there are ‘how to videos’ on Jane’s own page.

Our stock of the new colourway is due in this week so if you would like to make sure you have your pack you can pre-order here for £55.00 including p&p.

The pack includes:
Stylecraft Life DK:
Duck Egg Nepp x 4, Mint x 3, Copper x 1, Cranberry x 1, Fern x 1, Heather x 1, Mustard x 1, Olive x 1
Special DK
Buttermilk x 1, Vintage Peach x 1
Bellissima DK
Precious Posy x 1