This week Red Heart has sent me Heart and Sole. If you didn’t catch onto the play on words in the title, this is a sock yarn. Sock yarn is one of the yarns I’ve been using more and more frequently, so I’ve found many uses for it. It’s becoming my new go-to yarn.
One of the only things I could complain about is the name of the solid colors, but I love those cheeky color names.
First thought when I was unboxing this yarn was “YES!!! I got purple!!!” It’s my favorite color and I think these clever people are catching onto it… My second thought was about the texture. This yarn is a wool and nylon blend, it’s all very smooth, which gives it the tactile appearance of softness without giving up any of the hard-wearing capabilities sock yarn so desperately needs.
After this, my eye was drawn back to the colors. They’re all solid colors, as in not tonal; the solid colors are the same color the whole way through, it doesn’t get lighter or darker in anyway. Available colors have a good mix of solid colors and variegates. On the Red Heart website there’s a page with the old version of Heart and Sole, this was purely variegated colors. Now there are a lot more solids as well as color shifts. All the links in this article are for the re-released Heart and Sole.
Purple and Skyscraper, it’s going to be my favorite color combo!
Since the composition is 73% wool and 27% nylon, washing is a breeze. Machine wash in warm water and lay flat to dry. There are a lot of different ways to mark your socks for machine wash or hand wash, but I find I don’t have the time to hand wash a whole lot of socks. I end up not wearing them as much as I would like because of the washing instructions. I make a point now to only make socks that can be machine washed. This is a huge bonus to me personally.
I know this might be something inane, but I really like that this yarn comes in a skein. Most of the sock yarns I have had experience with come in a hank. That means it has to be balled, so I have to drag out the swift and ball winder, set them up, keep the cats away from it, and make myself a yarn cake. I usually do a few at a time so I don’t have to get everything out again in a couple days. Aside from the process of balling the yarn, it can come apart in a project bag, especially if you’re anything like myself. Just throw it in a bag and swing it along as you go. The skeins are much more durable than a cake; less start up work as well!
There’s something about this photo that’s oddly pleasing to me. Those perfect skeins all lined up. Red Heart Heart and Sole Sock Yarn
Overall I’m very pleased with this yarn; a good range of color, excellent fiber composition, and soft! I’m pleased to announce that you guys are in for quite the week. I’m very passionate about sock yarn and by the end of these posts, everyone will be emailing with recommendations on 12-step programs to help me. Stay tuned!
This is part 1 of 5 in this series.
Go to part 2: 5 tips to maximize your knitting time with Heart & Sole Yarn by Red Heart
