because you deserve to delight in every stitch

While you like your finished sweaters, you are a process knitter. You knit for the act of knitting. For feeling the fibers travel through your fingers. Soft wools and alpacas help you calm down after a stressful day at work - seriously, why do they schedule you for so many meetings when they could have just sent an email - and crisp cottons and linens invigorate your senses and help you tackle that monstrous to-do list.

You are intentional about creating time for your knitting. There will always be laundry to do, so you can let it wait just a little bit longer so can finish that button band tonight.

I believe that you deserve to delight in every single stitch. Life it too short and precious to spend time knitting with a yarn you don't like. And you work hard and you shouldn't waste your money on yarn you won't like and won't wear.

That's why I write these yarn review posts. You deserve to be confident in any purchase you make associated with my patterns.

This review is not sponsored and all thoughts & opinions are my own. 

It’s too cheap to be that good

I know, I know. I'm supposed to use words like “economical", “good value” or “affordable” because they sound nicer. But when you see a 100% wool yarn listed for $3.99/ball you know cheap is the first word that comes to mind.

And well, it is. 

But cheap doesn't have to mean bad. And with Knit Picks Wool of the Andes Worsted it's good, good, good.

The fiber & other details

Knit Picks Wool of the Andes Worsted is a 100% Peruvian Highland Wool. While it's definitely a workhorse yarn, it's still comfortable enough to wear next to your skin. If you're sensitive to a little itch, you might want to wear a light layer underneath. I found that wet blocking it with a wool wash really helps to soften it up.

Some other details:

• Recommended gauge: 4.5 - 5 sts to 1" on US 6 - 9 needles (4mm - 5.5mm)

• Yards: 110

• Grams: 50g

• Care: Hand wash, lay flat to dry

• so many colors. seriously so many colors.

While there is a superwash version of Knit Picks Wool of the Andes Worsted, I prefer non-superwash for a few reasons. 

non-superwash yarns will:

• hold their shape longer (both horizontally and vertically)

• retain their stitch definition

• stand up to the wear & tear of everyday life

• it doesn't stain

• it's warmer

• it won't start to smell

When you have little ones to run after, you need to know that your cardigan will stay on your shoulders and you won't need to worry about your sleeves stretching out of shape with little hands constantly tugging at them.

Getting Knitty With It

(sorry, not sorry for getting that song stuck in your head)

Put Up

Knit Picks Wool of the Andes Worsted comes in a ball of yarn, so as soon as you receive them in the mail you can immediately cast on. With two kiddos around, it's hard for me to find time to wind yarn from skeins into cakes, so I really appreciate this time saver. 

Color

The color is even and the heathered colorways add extra dimension that makes them look even more expensive than they are.

Stitches

I'll talk about this in greater detail below, but Wool of the Andes Worsted looks great with lace, texture, and cabled stitches. 

Casting On

Your Slipover uses a US 5 for the ribbing and US 6 for the mock cable stitch pattern. I like that it creates a more dense fabric to add a little extra warmth as a slipover during these cold winter months. The swatches sprinkled throughout this post were knit with US 7 and look great. The Knit Picks recommended needle size goes up to a US 9, though I think that might create a fabric that is too open (unless you're a really tight knitter). 

But that's why swatching is so important. You want to be able to test for gauge and fabric.

Frogging

Throughout the design process of Your Slipover, I had to rip back my work several times. I even had to rip back after blocking the 3rd sample and reknit the upperback. Despite ripping back and reusing the yarn, it still looks great and it blocked out nicely.

Wear & Tear

The wool fabric that Wool of the Andes Worsted achieves the right blend of strong and soft. It's been a few months since I finished two samples of Your Slipover and I've been wearing them pretty often as I prepped for the launch of the pattern. 

So far, there are no signs of pilling and it's kept its shape quite well. When it is ready for a cleaning I'll soak it with a wool wash and lay it flat to dry.

Stitch Patterns

how else I’ll be using it

While I'm finishing up the 3rd sample of Your Slipover to showcase the optional bust darts (pattern update coming soon), I'm already thinking about other ways I want to use this yarn:

• a yellow striped sweater for Jackson

• a lace pullover for Wren

• a matching cardigan using the same mock cable stitch pattern from Your Slipover

your turn!

I’d love to hear from you. Have you used Knit Picks Wool of the Andes before? What was your experience? If you haven’t used it yet, are you willing to give it a try now that you’ve read this post? Please share all of your thoughts in the comments below.