Tahki Torino, Berroco Pure Merino, Karabella Aurora 8

I finally got to test drive the Tahki Torino. I tried the regular Torino and not the Torino Bulky.

IN the pic are a strand of Berroco Pure Merino (light grey) , Berroco Pure Merino Heathers (dark grey), Tahki Torino (red), and Karabella Aurora 8 (pink).

The Torino looks like it should knit up to a different gauge than the other three, but all three have 4.5 as the suggest stotckinette stitch gauge. However both Berroco yarns suggest using a US9 (5.5mm) while the Karabella suggests using a US 7- 8 (4.5 - 5 mm) and the Tahki suggest using a US8 (5mm). I got the suggest gauge of 4.5 sts on a US 4 (3.5 mm) needle for all four yarns. Kathy at the Colonial Yarn Shop says that a yarn that suggests getting a gauge of 4.5 stitches on an US 8 will knit up differently than a yarn that suggests the same gauge but on a US 9 or US 7. I think fiber, ply and twist are far more important to yarn substitutions than what is printed on the ball band.

All four are irrestringibile (meaning they will not felt). All four did not change gauge after washing and blocking. All four are wonderful to work with, producing nice crisp cables and stitch definition. All four average about $7.50 - $8.50 per ball. All four come in 50 gram balls.

Here are the differences:

Karabella gives you 98 yards per ball. Tahki gives you 94 yards per ball. Berroco gives you 92 yards per ball.

Pure Merino Heather was the least soft of the three. Slightly dry feeling, but still very soft. Karabella was the slickest of the three (would not want to use it for anything that was to be steeked). PLain Pure Merino and Tahki were about the same in feeling.

Tahki Torino was the most loosely twisted, and sometimes the plys came apart. It was the easiest to accidently snag a loose strand. Tahki Torino also had the most loose fibers, not enough to produce a true halo, but just a little bit more fuzz than the Karabella Aurora 8 and Berroco Pure Merino and Pure Merino Heather.

Tahki Torino had the most drape of the three yarns. I could see how if I had to choose between the three yarns for a heavily cabled sweater I would choose the Torino. It would be the least dense and heavy. Maybe the loft of the yarn explains how it looks thicker than the other three, and knits up drapier. The Karabella Aurora 8

Berroco Pure Merino Heather and PUre Merino were the most tightly twisted, and the most dense feeling. The two Berroco's knitted up to a dense solid feeling yarn. For something that needs structure I would choose one of the Berrocos.

In any case if I had a pattern for either Karabella Aurora 8, Tahki Torino, Berroco Pure Merino, or Berroco Pure Merino Heather I would not hesitate to interchange or substitute any of these yarns for each other. They are all lovely cabled merinos.

Comparing Cabled Merinos

I've been swatching my lonely single ball of Berroco Pure Merino Heather all day yesterday. KNitting with it was absolutely addictive. I couldn't put the needles or the yarn down. Berroco has some real winners of yarn with their Comfort (a machine washable acrylic that is ab fab), Ultra Alpaca (a wool alpaca blend that takes away the problems that comes with 100% alpaca), and Pure Merino. If I were stuck on a desert island and could only have access to two commercial yarn companies it would be Noro and Berroco.

So far I've tried three cabled spun merinos: Baruffa's Merino Sei, Berroco's PUre Merino Heather, and Karabella's Aurora 8. THe three have multiple plies spun in a twist that is almost perpendicular to the yarn - which I've learned from reading Clara Parkes new book The KNitters BOok of Yarn is called cabled yarns.

All three are very soft and non-felting. The Aurora 8 is very slick, almost like it was coated with Teflon. THe yarn does not want to stay in a neat and tidy ball. I remember seeing the display at the Wooly Lamb and seeing a jumbled mess of Aurora 8 in the bin. Now that I have a few balls at home I've discovered that in the night Aurora 8 likes to turn itself into a jumbled tangled mess. Knitting the Aurora 8 was also a slippery experience. One the addi turbos I kept dropping stitches left and right. I did much better on Addi Naturas with the Aurora 8. The finished fabric was light and the stitches were very even. THere was no change in gauge after washing.

The Merino Sei had a definite change in gauge after washing. It was less slick than the Aurora 8. O.k. so the Merino sei has a different suggested gauge than the Pure Merino and the Aurora 8. But I like comparing the three since they have the same kind of wool and the same kind of construction. Of the three the Merino Sei was the most spongy and had the most elasticity. I'll bet that Merino Sei's bigger brother Merino Otto has the same properties.

Pure Merino Heather was the least slick of the three. It had just a tad bit of grab on the needles. I won't say it was scratchy feeling, just a little drier feeling. Berroco has three versions of its Pure Merino yarn. ONe is the Pure Merino, then there is Pure Merino Heather, and lastly there is Pure Merino Nuance. I don't know if the difference between the three is only in color or not. I'm wondering if the Pure Merino is a little less dry feeling than the Pure Merino Heather. Will have to find out.

Since I've gotten to the point that I'm sick of felting and have more than enough felted bags/totes lying around the house, I'd be happy to trade all the left over skeins of Cascade 220 I have stored for more of the Berroco Pure Merino and the Baruffa Merino sei.

I'm totally jealous of Jane Slicer-Smith and Nora Gaughan, not only for their amazing vision and talent as knitwear designers, but also because I imagine that with their jobs that they must have unlimited access to the Berroco and the Baruffa yarns. I wish I could have a full bag of every color of those two yarns (plus more time to knit it all).

Stitches East 2007

Stitches East 2007 was a blast. I went to the convention in Baltimore for three days and two nights with my friends Tracie and Rae Ann. ALso had the oppurtunity to meet up for dinner with Barbara Rutt one night and with Melanie Brown the other night. It was knit talk all night. We talked for hours just about knitting. Being at Stitches made you feel like you could knit anything and had all the time in the world to knit. It was tempting to buy too much yarn.

I took one class : Seven Principles for Perfect Sweater by Sally Melville. Loved the class. Even though many of the principles were techniques I already knew, there were also some techniques that I didn't know. The class was worth every penny. Most of the things Sally went over in class are covered in her Knitting Experience books. But it really made a difference to hear it and see it, rather than just to read about it. I wish the next book in her series would get published soon. But I've heard rumors that it may never get published.

For the class swatched I used Paton's Classic Merino. Using size 3.5 mm I got 19.5 stitches for a 4 inch square. Here is a picture of my class swatch complete with the excercise on picking up stitches and button holes. I like Paton's Classic Merino. It is a good basic yarn. Readily available at Joann Fabrics. Not real exciting, but not too bad either. Definitely the best thing going at the chain stores.

Then while at Stitches I fell in love with a Jane Slicer-Smith mitred (mitered?) pattern and had to have it. I bought the pattern and the yarn at the Great Yarns Booth. It was my biggest purchase out side of the cochenille software I also purchased. THe yarn for the mitred pattern is Baruffa's Merino Sei. It is the same type of wool as Paton's Classic Merino, but what a difference. They are as different as apples and oranges.

Here is my first swatch of Merino Sei. Becuase it is many more plys than the Paton's it is easier to accidently snag just one ply. But it is also loftier and springier. The gauge also changed drastically after washing and blocking. Before blocking I got 5 stitches per inch on a 3.75 mm, 5.5 stitches on a 3.5 mm and 6 stitches on a 3.25 mm. After washing the yarn bloomed and I then got 4.5 stitches on a 3.75mm , 5 on a 3.5mm and 5.5 on a 3.25 mm. Over all a very lovely yarn. I'd like to have a full bag of this in every color. Can't really afford that. So for now I'll be content with the 18 balls I purchased at Stitches. THe Merino Seit is also a superwash merino - so it isn't feltable.

So if I had to pick between the Merino Sei and the Classic Merino for a project which would I pick? Well definitely the Classic Merino if I'm going to felt it. Outside of that consideration, as long as my budget allows I'd pick Merino Sei any day.