Snow – the knit cafe

By A Mystery Man Writer

Last updated 03 Jun 2024

The first thing that we noticed about this plump, one-ply yarn is how it goes “poof”. Let me explain. Have you ever had the experience while working with a yarn, when once you finished a stitch, the yarn seems to expand and fill in all the crevices like a spreading cloud? Snow does this. Poof! Expect excellent pudgy st

The Drops Yarn Company is known for providing lovely, natural fibre yarns at budget conscious prices. Andes by Drops is no exception.
At The Knit Café we like to recommend this yarn to beginner knitters and crocheters. It is a Bulky-Weight yarn and therefore stitches build up fast and projects grow with speed. This is especially important for learners to keep them motivated to continue with their crafting, but lets face it - we all need some instant gratification sometimes. Andes is also a soft yarn, very pleasing to work with and will no doubt get new knitters or crocheters hooked on natural fibres. Alpaca makes up 35% of the fibre content in this yarn. Alpaca fleece is known for being very warm so this yarn is suitable for cold weather gear. What alpaca fibre does not have is what we call in the yarn-biz - memory. In other words it does not bounce back into shape once it is stretched. Luckily wool has memory in spades and since Andes is spun with 65% wool - projects made with this yarn can retain their shapes when worked in a tight gauge. Drops recommends a 9mm needle or hook be used with Andes which works perfectly for scarves and knitwear with some drape. Fitted garments like hats should be made with a smaller sized tool.

Fibre: 65% wool, 35% alpaca
Weight: bulky
Yardage: 96m / 105 yards
Gauge: 10 stitches and 14 rows per 10cm / 4 inches with 9mm needle
Care: hand wash in cold, lay flat to dry

This 100% wool yarn can be washed in the washing machine. This makes it a first choice yarn for projects that will be gifted to friends and family who are just not the hand wash type, or busy parents who want all their children's clothes to be easy care.
Ultra Wool Chunky is super-squishable - and pretty soft to the touch! It is a medium-thick yarn that slides easily along a knitting needle or a crochet hook, making it a good choice for newbies and learners. We recommend this yarn for chunky accessories - hats, mittens, scarves.

Fibre: 100% superwash wool
Weight: Chunky
Yardage: 133m / 145 yards
Gauge: 14 stitches per 10cm/4 inches with 6.5mm/10.5US
Care: machine wash in cold on delicate, tumble dry on low.

Fluffy Soft, Thick Yarn! We would not hesitate to recommend this yarn to a beginner. Despite it’s fuzzy halo this yarn feels smooth and glides easily without splitting. This is due to Wish’s unique construction. “Blown Yarns” are not conventionally spun. Instead fibres are blown into a tube. In the case of the Wish yarn the tube is made from Pima Cotton and the interior is a soft blend of Alpaca and Merino. Wish yarn is therefore made from 100% natural fibres making it unique in the world of blown yarns that usually rely on some synthetic content. Blown yarns are 30-35% lighter than conventionally spun yarns of the same thickness and will knit or crochet into a very even and consistent fabrics. Alpaca has long fibres that often shed while you are working with it and during the first wearings. Time and washing will take care of this for the most part.

If you love fuzzy, fluffy fibres give Wish a try for your next accessory or sweater project.

Fibre: 50% Alpaca, 33% Cotton, 17% Merino
Weight: Bulky
Yardage: 70m (77 yards)
Gauge: 10 stitches per 10cm/ 4” with 9mm/US13 needles
Care: hand wash in cold, lay flat to dry