Pretty in pink

When it comes to yarns, winter knitting brings super squishiness, heavenly halos and muted colourways

EMU CLASSIC DK

Soft, reliable, easy-to-knit-with and super practical are all words you can attribute to Emu Classic DK, and just what you want to hear when choosing a budget 100% acrylic yarn. The market for acrylics is huge, but we think this new option stands up well and comes with an impressively neat stitch definition. Classic DK creates a surprisingly resolute fabric which still retains plenty of flexibility when knitted using 4mm needles. Babies, teens and adults could all benefit from a Classic DK knit and mums will love that it can be machine washed too, so why not check out its huge 50-shade range?

RRP £1.59 WEIGHT DK

BALL 100g/282m NEEDLE 4mm CONTENT 100% acrylic

CARE Machine wash at 40°C Find this yarn at www.theknittingnetwork. co.uk or by calling 01795 570303

RICO CREATIVE CHIC-UNIQUE

Rico’s new addition, Chic-Unique, is as addictive a variegated yarn as you can get. The yarn combines two threads with di erent colour gradients to create an exciting colour mix. As the colour parts are di erent lengths the shades variations merge with each other at di erent times, creating a true randomness to your projects. We swatched in shade 001 Pastel, but there are eight other impressive variegated shades that blend colours together e ortlessly in a modern tweedy style. Chic-Unique is chunky too, meaning you won’t have to wait too long to try on all that colour-fusing loveliness.

RRP £11.95 WEIGHT Chunky

BALL 200g/310m NEEDLE 6mm CONTENT 75% acrylic, 15% wool, 10% polyamide CARE Machine wash at 30°C For stockists visit www.rico-design.de or you could try www.blacksheepwools.com

BERGÉRE DE FRANCE DUVET

We’re not sure we’ve ever come across a more apt name for a ball of yarn! New Duvet is as soft and squishy as any goose-feather duvent we’ve ever cuddled, and in part that’s due to its rich, flu y thickness. Bergére have also tried to recreate that homespun look with a loose twist which creates a superlight fabric that’s really easy for everyone to wear. Add to this a themed colour combination that has both depth of shade and tonal contrast and you’re looking at a yarn with real luxury appeal. Duvet comes in eight impressionistic shade combinations, from Rosée above to yellow Velouté and dark grey Orage.

RRP £11.10 WEIGHT Super chunky BALL 100g/50m NEEDLE 12mm CONTENT 53% wool, 47% acrylic CARE Machine wash at 30°C For stockists or to buy visit www.bergeredefrance.com

NOVITA NATURAL COLLECTION HYGGE WOOL

Accessory knitters are often searching for that show-stopping natural hat and scarf wool and we think new Novita Hygge Wool might just fit the bill. Substantial yet light and airy, this single-ply, 100% wool yarn is well-suited for soft and stylish accessories, simple knits and throws, as it creates a bouncy resiliant fabric. Super chunky in weight, it knits up into a surprisingly sharp stitch with a featherlight halo when worked on 10mm needles. Every 100g ball of Finnish wool contains 60 metres of yarn, and two balls will easily make a chunky winter hat, which you can wash at 30°C.

RRP £6.90 WEIGHT Super chunky BALL 100g/60m NEEDLE 10mm CONTENT 100% wool CARE Machine wash at 30°C For stockists visit www.novitaknits.com or you could try www.deramores.com

FYBERSPATES CUMULUS

If you’ve shied away from lighter yarns in the past then this option might change your mind. Cumulus is a heavy lace or 3ply weight yarn that’s super soft and has a glistening silk core which delivers strength and softness. It’s incredibly easy to knit with, sliding o the needles e ortlessly. It comes with an unmissible halo of supersoft alpaca and when balled looks like a soft pillowy cloud, hence the name Cumulus! An alternative to mohair, Cumulus’s luxurious combination of materials creates the softest knits that come with a beautiful drape and a delicate haze without being itchy.

RRP £6.29 WEIGHT Lace

BALL 25g/150m NEEDLE 3-5mm CONTENT 74% baby suri alpaca, 26% mulberry silk CARE Hand wash at 30°C For stockists visit www.fyberspates.com or you could try www.woolwarehouse.co.uk

KING COLE HARVEST DK

Did you know that variegated yarns are cake rolled so you can appreciate the many colour changes before buying? King Cole Harvest DK is a shining example of the perfect yarn cake – it’s spaced dyed with an elongated colour repeating stripe which shows o all the shades in each di erent colourway. Adding in alpaca enhances the softness of the blend, leaving it kind and gentle against the skin. Its long, 535m length means it is ideal as a one-cake project yarn for garments as well as accessories and homewares. Harvest comes in eight colourways and a range of accessory and garment patterns.

RRP £6.29 WEIGHT DK

BALL 150g/535m NEEDLE 4mm CONTENT 90% acrylic, 10% alpaca CARE Machine wash gentle at 30°C For stockists visit www.kingcole.com or you could try www.knittingvillage.co.uk