Knitting with a Classic:
O-Wool from the Vermont Organic Fiber Company offers three great organic yarns for knitters who want to use great materials without causing harm to the planet.
The company's 2-ply and heavy worsted weight merino yarns are great additions to any eco-friendly knitter's yarn bag.
Specifications:
- Content: 100 percent organic merino wool
- Yarn Weight: Heavy worsted
- Gauge: Yarn label says 16 to 18 stitches per 4 inches with size 8 or 9 US needles; I got 16 stitches per 4 inches with size 8 needles
- Yardage: about 198 yards per 100 gram skein
- Color Availability: 20 solids
- Color Used in Swatch: Sky (2300)
Knitting:
O-Wool's Classic really is a classic, giving you exactly what you'd expect from a good-quality merino yarn. It has a great feel, produces beautiful stitches and performs beautifully.
The fabric produced by the yarn is soft but firm, but it isn't scratchy. It would be great for a project with cables given the great stitch definition.
After blocking the rows of stitches are perfectly lined up and the dreaded stockinette curl is gone.
Uses for O-Wool Classic:
This yarn would be a wonderful choice for anything heavy that you want to knit out of wool. I would absolutely love a sweater made from this yarn, but it would also make a great hat and scarf set (which would be much more economical given the price of about $12 a skein).
If money were no object, this yarn would make a great throw to snuggle under in front of the fire in the deep of winter. I didn't try it, but I'll bet it would felt beautifully as well.
Care of O-Wool Classic:
If you aren't trying to get it to felt, O-Wool Classic should be dealt with in the same way you would any other wool: wash in cool water with as little agitation and wringing as possible.
Use a towel to roll excess water off the project and lie flat to dry.
Bottom Line:
O-Wool Classic is an absolutely beautiful yarn that would be perfect for any project where you need a hardworking but pretty yarn or where you want to show off a great cable or textured stitch pattern.
It would be just as appropriate for heirloom-quality knitting as it would be for your next Saturday sweater.
