Uptown Worsted is new from Universal Yarns, and is a soft, springy, anti-pilling acrylic yarn. This is a versatile worsted weight yarn for a variety of projects!
If you’re a knitter like me, you never pass up the chance to try out new yarns. It’s so easy to get stuck in a rut sometimes, and having a new yarn to play with can make all the difference. This week on KNITmuch, we’re exploring the new Uptown Worsted yarn from Universal Yarns. This is a worsted weight yarn in 100% acrylic, that is designed to be anti-pilling! If you’re a fan of easy-care yarns, this one will be right up your alley.
Always check the yarn labels for important information! Uptown Worsted reports a nice gauge at 18 sts over 4 inches. It’s also machine washable!
Reading a yarn label is always good practice if you’re not sure where to start with a new yarn. On the Uptown Worsted (which comes in dozens of colors), we can can see it’s intended for a gauge of 18 sts and 24 rows over 4 inches in stockinette stitch, so that’s definitely telling us it’s in the worsted weight range, even if the name of the yarn didn’t tell us that already!
If you’re out of the habit of reading your garment labels for the laundry symbols, you’ll also get some practice with the same symbols on many yarn labels. This one tells us Uptown Worsted is machine washable and may be tumble dried, which is a reassuring piece of information to have if you’re planning to knit up some items for the home or small children!
Swatch up your new yarns to see how they feel and knit up. This stockinette swatch shows neat stitch definition and an even drape.
Before you start a new project, or even if you’re not sure what project you’ll be starting, it’s a great idea to knit a swatch to see how the yarn feels and knits up. You can also grab your nearest gauge ruler or tape measure to check your gauge. Sometimes this is different from what the label says. My swatch above does have 18 sts over 4″ in stockinette stitch, just like the label says, but I got it with a 4.5mm needle instead of a 5.0mm needle. It never hurts to swatch to be sure!
Overall, this is a soft, springy yarn and it comes in so many colors that it would be easy to find a lot of different project options for it. This week we’re going to try a few more swatches with different stitch patterns, and finish off with a fun project for the home. If you’re a fan of easy-care yarns, Uptown Worsted will be right up your alley.
