Last year we had a long fall, with mild weather and spectacular colors! There were no thoughts of winter and cold weather, but as we all know, winter was certainly around the corner. We knitters are happy to get our needles and yarn and start knitting to keep ourselves, our families, and our friends warm and cozy.
The new yarns for the fall and winter have arrived and I chose to write about a new yarn that caught my eye: UNIVERSAL YARN Linear.
One ball of UNIVERSAL YARN Linear
Why did I choose this yarn?
It’s a blend of superfine alpaca (34%), merino wool (33%), and acrylic (33%). The alpaca content brings warmth and drape; the RWS-certified merino wool ensures ethical sourcing and adds yarn memory, bounciness, and more warmth. The acrylic will add strength and durability without roughness. It sounds like a perfect blend for a winter garment that can be worn day after day, not too heavy but warm and nice.
This yarn is a marled yarn, where two or more colors are twisted together, and the colors mix, and the shades are more subtle, and I must confess I love marled yarns! All colorways are beautiful, but I want a neutral color to be worn daily with any outfit, so I chose the Sketch colorway.
It has a generous yardage of 191yds (175m) for 50g, making it a cost-effective yarn, I can keep the cost of the project reasonable.
Reading the ball band, I discovered it knits to 20-22 stitches per 4 inches using needles Size 4-6 US (3.5-4mm). I must get my needles and start swatching.
I’m working with the KNITPRO Karbonz 32” (80cm) fixed circular needles in sizes US 5 [3.75mm] and US 3 [3.25mm]. With a resilient, flexible cord, and brass tips, these needles are light and have a smooth join between the needles and the cable. They’re good for my hands and for the yarn I’m using.
Two sets of Karbonz fixed circular needles
I start a swatch with over 30 stitches to check the gauge and the fabric created with each pair of needles. The fabric is soft and light as I imagined, perfect for a winter sweater or cardigan.
My knitted swatch for knitting with Linear yarn
Join me tomorrow, I’m choosing a pattern, the notions, and everything else I need for my new project.
This is part 1 of 5 in this series
