Tag: yarn review

Article

Rito Hobby Infinity Hearts 2X Lace · Review

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The yarn reviewed here was gifted as part of a paid partnership with Ritohobby.co.uk.

Winter is almost over and Spring has nearly sprung, so it’s starting to look a lot brighter outside. I always find the transition between Winter and Spring super inspiring, especially with regards to colour, so it’s right about time to kick off the new season with some gorgeous new yarn in Springtime shades!

It’s been a while since I last reviewed any yarn, but I’m so glad to be getting back on it! I was lucky enough to be chosen as a creative influencer for the wonderful company Rito Hobby the other month, and it’s been an absolute pleasure to get involved with this Danish brand and work with them on some cute collaborations and projects.

As part of this exciting new partnership I had the chance to choose some yarn and try it out. After having a peek at their website, I came across this incredibly tactile-looking yarn called 2x Lace by Infinity Hearts, which is a splendid combination of cotton and polyester, ideal for homeware (my fave) and especially blankets and cushions. I decided on three pastel colours, Powder, Yellow and Old Pink which complemented each other perfectly.

The texture of this yarn is a dream for crafters who love modern, tactile looks.

I really love this yarn’s chainette construction which is sturdy but also soft. It’s well suited to all kind of home decor projects, especially ones that need a little weight to them, as well as play mats or rugs and even wall art like macramé or for weaving. The possibilities are endless! It would probably be a bit too heavy for a garment, but I could see it working for an interesting infinity scarf.

I chose to crochet this yarn up using a 15mm hook as I work quite tightly, but for a super-sturdy effect you could use a 6 or 7mm hook, ideal for poufs or anything that you need to be a little more durable. In fact, the recommended hook size for this yarn is 6-10 mm, so there’s a big window in terms of the textures and thickness of the fabric you can make.

Knitting with this yarn is also a joy, as it looks absolutely fantastic used with simple stitch combinations for a really modern effect. It would look stuning knitted up as an XL throw or afghan. Plus, with it’s great-value 250g/90m size, one bobbin of this yarn with go a long way.

All in all, I absolutely adored working with this yarn. For designers who love sturdy, squishy, statement pieces and are looking for a yarn that is all three this should be your new go-to… Fabulous! If you’re a designer who loves touchy-feely textures this will tick all your maker boxes.

Keep your eyes peeled for a fun homeware project usig this yarn very soon, and don’t forget to follow me over on Instagram to keep up with my antics!

Article

Yarn Review · Hobbii Summer Cloud

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This yarn was kindly gifted by Hobbii to review and as such is a sponsored post. However, my review is objective and honest.

Summer has almost ended, and here in Spain the leaves on the trees on our garden have even started to fall. I must say that it feels like an age since I last reviewed any yarns, so it’s been lovely to work with the wonderful people at Hobbii again and to try out their newest yarn, Summer Cloud! It’s a pretty, fluffy and sturdy cotton/acrylic yarn with a gorgeous halo and I’m excited to tell you all about it.

I have a wonderful pattern coming soon using this yarn. but for now let’s get to grips with this lovely soft bundle of squishiness. On first impression, this bulky yarn is bouncy, soft, light-yet-heavy and great quality. Even though this yarn is named after the Summer, it’s perfect for winter creations (as well as homeware) and works up quickly on a 6 mm (US 10) hook or needles. Its structure is interesting too, as on first glance it looks like a ‘blown’ yarn, but in fact it is high-quality acrylic yarn wrapped in a light cotton netting. This gives it an irresistible heathered look which looks beautiful and suits snuggly outerwear like hats and scarves.

Hobbii’s Summer Cloud is a gorgeous bulky yarn for all seasons.

Being a bulky yarn you can speed through projects rapidly, with sturdy results using the recommended needles. The only recommendation I would mention is thatas I am a tight knitter I would probably go up a needle size or two the next time I work with this yarn, just to add a little bit of extra drape.

Regarding the colours that are available (I chose Lemon and Butter Caramel), the selection is small but perfectly formed, with colours ranging from cheerful yellows to punchy reds and those ideal staples such as grey and black. Whatever colour you need for your project, you’ll be spoilt for choice with these timeless colours.

Just like the yarn, the ball band design is of a high quality, securely attached and with a clean design. One of my pet hates is dated and messy ball bands, so it’s so lovely to have elegant but simple packaging. Just look at that cloud ice cream – cute!

Overall, this will be my go-to mid-season yarn for all my cosy makes! I’ll definitely be getting my hands on some of their pinks and neutrals to work with, and experimenting with some cute hats and scarves.

Check back soon for some information regarding my newest pattern, designed using this wonderful yarn.

Knitting pattern · Tutorial · Yarn Reviews

The Strand Blanket · Free Knitting Pattern

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Sometimes you’ve just got to stick a dog in a photo, haven’t you? If you’ve been following my antics over on Instagram you’ll have seen that we recently added two puppers to the family – a Golden Retreiver and a GSD cross – and we couldn’t be happier! Obviously I was happy because dogs = extra photo opportunities (joke) but I couldn’t resist grabbing Bob our Golden for a quick pose! Doesn’t she look lovely?

The Strand Blanket.

Designing this blanket alongside the wonderful folks at Marrier Yarns was an absolute joy! They kindly sent me a generous 500g cone of their 4ply acrylic, a couple of balls of their Smooth Touch Cotton Look DK and a colour pack of Midget DK to play about with and design a project with – how cool is that?

I’m a big fan of actylic yarn, but sometimes it’s hard to find decent quality man-made fibres at a good price. I was pleasantly surprised to see that Marriner Yarns are quietly flying the flag of great-value yarn at incredibly small prices. I particularly love the colour selection available, as well as the generous sizes. The 400g cone I used for this blanket is wonderful for large projects and the small 25g balls of Midget are ideal for Amigurimi, granny squares or adding a pop of colour alongisde neutrals – just as I did here with this blanket. I love, love, love these yarns!

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Watching the colours change and form stripes as you work is one of those “aahhh”” moments!

The Strand Blanket is a great beginner’s project, ideal for anyone wanting a long-term “pick up, put down” make that is repetitive and calming but also exciting! Watching the colours change as you work is wonderfully satisfying, and the chunkiness means that it’ll work up in no time. You can work as many rows as you like to make any size blanket (my measurements are approximate and my own) so it’s also flexible and versatile. Just cast on more or less stitches as you wish and work for as many rows as you want until you reach your desired size. Easy as pie, no-fuss and pretty, just the way we like it at Emmaknitty. I love the neutral yarn working together with the splashes of bright, punchy shades and of course the squish of garter stitch is always gorgeously cosy. What a dream!

You will need:

  • A cone of Marriner 4ply in a neutral shade (I chose beige);
  • A bumper pack of Midget DK;
  • An 8.00mm circular needle longer than 32″;
  • A wool/yarn needle for weaving in ends and scissors.

You will need to know:

The Long Tail cast on (or other stretchy cast on technique), the knit stitch, slipping stitches purlwise, binding/casting off, weaving in ends.

Notes:

  • For this project you will be using a circular needle but knitting as you would on straight needles (i.e. not joining in the round). This is because the blanket will be quite large, and using circulars for big knits puts less strain on your wrists and arms. We want to be comfy when we knit, right?
  • The blanket is worked fully in garter stitch (knitting evey stitch) using three strands of yarn and we will always slip the first stitch purlwise and knit the last stitch. This leaves a clean edge.

Method:

Firstly we need to separate the cone of yarn into two. Carefully wind two 200g (or as equally sized as you can) balls of yarn from the cone and set aside. Now take your miniature 25g balls of Midget and join them all together, forming one large ball of alternating colours. You can choose how you combine the shades, but sime nice ideas could be attaching all similar colours together, going from bright to more neutral shades or just randomly going in and attaching the different shades randomly as I did.

You should now have three balls (tee hee) and now we’re ready to knit!

Squish factor: Off the scale.
  • Cast on 130 stitches onto your 8.00mm circular needles, holding all three strands together. It’s always a good idea to cast on loosely, especially if you’re a tight knitter.
  • Slip the first stitch purlwise and knit every stitch to the end of the row.
  • Follow the above instructions for all of the project, watching those gorgeous shades pop out when you least expect it and stopping when the blanket is at the right length for you. I stopped knitting when my blanket was approximately 64cm (25″) long which made it a great size for a lap or pet blanket.
  • Cast/bind off loosely, weave in ends and block if desired.

I hope you enjoyed this simple, off-the-cuff pattern! Do check out my other free patterns and turorials and feel free to share your own The Strand Blanket on Instagram by tagging me at @emmaknitty… I’d love to see what you make!

Yarn Reviews

Yarn Review · A Yarn and Colors Special

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One thing the professions in teaching and the design industry (both my jobs as it happens) have in common is that planning ahead is essential. As a teacher, you are always thinking ahead regarding preparing exams, making sure that your students have the right knowledge to pass and that you haven’t missed anything out. As a designer, you simply have to plan ahead for the next season, check out what’s in and what colours will be hot, what celebrations are on the way… After all, nobody wants to be that girl hurredly knitting baubles on Christmas Eve, right?

Now that Spring is almost upon us, and as the weather (hopefully) starts getting warmer, our thoughts as makers start to turn to cooler knits and crochet items. For me, finding the ideal cotton yarn has always been a challenge, especially balls of cotton that come in trusty 100g size!

The squish is real. Pictured: Yarn and Colors Super Must-Have in Lilac.

Luckily, the brilliant team over at Yarn and Colors were kind enough to send me over an AMAZING selection of their Super Must-Have cotton to make some SS ’19 goodies with and review. You can’t get more generous and thoughtful than that!

I have to say that I was totally blown away by the sheer range of colours available – from trusty neutrals to exceptionally beautiful brights – as well as the thrill of using chunky cotton yarn, something that’s quite hard to find these days. The quality was obvious at first squeeze, too and this cotton has a very pretty sheen to it thanks to it being mercerized. Result. As for the size, its chunky weight combined with its generous 3.52oz size makes for great value. Can you tell that I like this yarn?

Zingy! Pictured: Yarn and Colors Super Must-Have in Pistachio.

Project-wise, the possibilities are endless. This yarn would be great to make a gorgeous summer top with, but you know me, homeware is my bag and I can totally see it worked up as a giant floor cushion, an armful of durable tea towels or some summery placemats.

The name says it all: Super Must-Have? Absolutely!

Article · Yarn Reviews

Yarn Review · Hobbii Yarn Special

EmmaknittyLeave a comment
HOBBIYARN.png
Hobbii – Twister in Light Elegance (21)
YARN INFO: Weight: DK/Light Worsted – Needle/Hook: 3.0 mm (US 3) – 4.0 mm (US 6) – Composition: 50% cotton/50% acrylic– Ball Weight: 250 g (8.8 oz) – Yarn Length: 1000 m (1,094 yds) – Tension: 26 stitches, 36 rows to 10 cm/4″
Hobbii Rainbow 8/8 Organic Cotton in White (001)
YARN INFO: Weight: DK – Needle/Hook: 3.5 mm (US 4) – 4.0 mm (US 6) – Composition: 100% Organic Cotton – Ball Weight: 50 g (1.8 oz) – Yarn Length: 75 m (82 yds) – Tension: 20 stitches, 24 rows to 10 cm/4″

What springs to mind when you hear the word “Denmark”?

Cakes? Cold weather? Ham? Vikings? The Little Mermaid? Me, all of those, plus the stunning city of Copenhagen that I was lucky enough to visit a few years ago. Copenhagen is a beautiful place, full of characteristic, colourful buildings (check out Gammel Strand for some serious architecture envy and excellent bars), bicycles, friendly and happy people, plus some of nicest and well-kept parks I’ve ever seen… Sigh. We were tempted to relocate, actually, but it was a bit too expensive, so we shuffled off back to Spain, full of cake and €10 pints of ale, or øl.

This isn’t actually a tourism plug for Visit Denmark, but a couple of yarns reviews for my newest obsession, the Danish yarn brand Hobbii!

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Funnily enough, this lovely company is based in Copenhagen, and offer a superb variety of yarns for all tastes, most of which are completely natural or seriously high-quality blends. They also stock a huge array of accessories that will make any knitter or crocheter drool, plus an incredibly quick delivery time. My yarn took 3 days to arrive from Denmark to Spain, and that’s fast.

Hobbii very kindly sent me some yarn to try out, and given that the weather has been warm recently, I chose some organic cotton (Rainbow Cotton 8/8) and a very pretty cotton blend (Twister) that comes in a very generously-sized cake.

Let’s start with the organic cotton first. I’m a sucker for high-quality cotton, and these 50g balls really kick other cottons I’ve tried to the kerb; soft, durable, easy to work with and versatile, you don’t get that annoying ‘splitting’ of the plies like with some cottons on the market, plus the organic-ness (is this a word?) makes you feel good whilst crafting.

I used this cotton held double with Twister to add an almost heathered effect on the skirt of this little dress I designed to great effect.

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All in all, this will be my go-to cotton yarn from now on. I’m sold!

As for Twister, this was my first time using a yarn cake with variegated colours, so I was excited to choose this gorgeous colourway (Light Elegance 21), a feminine blend of greys, rose, burgundy, pink and light pink, ingeniously twined together for a smooth experience. I started using the cake by crocheting from the inside-out, which meant the bodice of the dress started with a stunning rose-burgundy shade, moving out to rose-burgundy-pink then to pink… Drool. If ombré is your thing, you’ll love this yarn. This yarn is a thin DK, but sturdy and soft. Even though it’s a blend, you cannot tell that there is any acrylic content – that’s the sign of a high quality yarn.

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Hobbii, you’re my new bestie!

The Positives:

  • Soft, high-quality yarns.
  • No knots in Rainbow 8/8, a few tiny but invisible knots in Twister. Good job.
  • Unbeatable value.
  • Awesome ball band designs.
  • Large colour palettes. Superb colour transitions.

The Negatives:

  • Literally none, and I always find a negative!

Are you a fellow indie-dyer or yarn brand who’d like me to review your yarns for free? Drop me a line and we can have a chinwag…