Yarn tasting: adriafil sogno

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.  

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Pros:
High End superfine alpaca and polyamide yarn
Easy to work with
Vibrant colour range
Great for Winter projects
Animal fibres make it warmer than synthetics

Cons:
Less "memory" than wool
Short meterage
Not a budget yarn