Yarn Base FAQ
Most of our bases! L to R: Hattie Floof, Gladys Shawl, Chester Sock, Minnie DK, Tortie Sport, Genny Worsted, Chubby Trevor, Chunky Trevor
We get a lot of questions about the nuances between our bases, so we figured a post outlining the differences with photos would be helpful!
All of our yarns are offered on a myriad of bases and we want you to be able to make the most informed decision about the weight, fiber content, and texture of your yarn. Our current bases are as follows:
Hattie Floof: 50g, 437 yards, 70% mohair/30% silk (lace weight)
Chester Sock: 100g, 437 yards, blend of 75% superwash merino/25% nylon
Gladys Shawl: 100g, 438 yards, single ply blend of 70% superwash merino/30% silk
Tortie Sport: 100g, 287 yards, 80% alpaca/20% silk
Minnie DK: 100g, 246 yards, 100% superwash merino wool
Genny Worsted: 100g, 191 yards, 80% superwash merino/20% alpaca
Chubby Trevor: 115g, 136 yards, 100% superwash merino
Chunky Trevor: 150g, 82 yards, 100% superwash merino, single ply
Summer Fingering: 65% silk/35% linen, 115g skein, approximately 438 yards
Summer DK: 65% silk/35% linen, 115g skein, approximately 246 yards
Summer Worsted: 65% silk/35% linen, 115g skein, approximately 181 yards
Chester Sock: 100g, 437 yards, blend of 75% superwash merino/25% nylon
Gladys Shawl: 100g, 438 yards, single ply blend of 70% superwash merino/30% silk
Tortie Sport: 100g, 287 yards, 80% alpaca/20% silk
Minnie DK: 100g, 246 yards, 100% superwash merino wool
Genny Worsted: 100g, 191 yards, 80% superwash merino/20% alpaca
Chubby Trevor: 115g, 136 yards, 100% superwash merino
Chunky Trevor: 150g, 82 yards, 100% superwash merino, single ply
Summer Fingering: 65% silk/35% linen, 115g skein, approximately 438 yards
Summer DK: 65% silk/35% linen, 115g skein, approximately 246 yards
Summer Worsted: 65% silk/35% linen, 115g skein, approximately 181 yards
Let's go through each of these yarns base by base and talk a little more about their structure, how they're dyed, and what kind of projects you might use them for!
Up first, Hattie Floof!
WHAT: Hattie Floof is a silk and mohair blend, with 437 yards for 50 grams of yarn. It is a single ply lace weight yarn with a very fuzzy halo. Mohair is fiber from Angora goats and is very wispy and fuzzy. The silk adds a sheen and core strength to this yarn that makes it stitchable. This yarn can be difficult to frog (some people recommend putting mohair projects in the freezer to make frogging easier). Hattie Floof is not Superwash and therefore we recommend only handwashing your finished projects.
HOW IT DYES: This yarn dyes up very "painterly" - speckles are not well-defined and bleed, leading to a much more blended visual effect. If you like a stained glass kind of vibe, Hattie Floof does it beautifully. Can be a little bit more muted than other fibers due to its non-Superwash status.
BEST USES/AFFECTS: Great for making an ethereal knit on its own! We've made some of Julie Knits in Paris' Summer Light Tee with one skein of Hattie Floof and a Chester Mini Skein! Held with another yarn, it adds a little bit of thickness but also softness and fluff to the finished fabric (e.g. you could knit a pattern for a sweater that calls for a DK weight yarn with Hattie Floof + Chester Sock). If you want to play with color, a dyed skein of Hattie Floof over a thicker undyed/light colored yarn can create a beautiful almost opalescent look to your finished project, or pairing, for example, a blue thick yarn with a yellow Hattie Floof could give a colorshift illusion!
Next up is our fingering weight yarns - we currently carry three fingering weight yarns, but they do actually vary in thickness. Our fingering weight yarns are Gladys Shawl, Summer Fingering, and Chester Sock.
Left to right: Gladys Shawl, Summer Fingering, Chester Sock
Let's talk Gladys Shawl, first.
WHAT: Gladys Shawl is a Superwash Merino wool and silk blend, with 438 yards for 100 grams of yarn. It is a single ply yarn and what we would categorize as a "light fingering" weight yarn. It is thicker than our Summer Fingering but thinner than our Chester Sock. The silk gives this yarn a beautiful sheen and drape. It has a high twist to help bind the Merino and silk together, which lends it curling a bit on itself. Sometimes noticeable in the skein, not especially when stitched up.
HOW IT DYES: Due to the higher silk content, this yarn takes longer to absorb dyes than its woolier friends, but still does well with speckles. Sometimes more likely to bleed than other yarns on an especially saturated color way, e.g. Emerald.
BEST USES/AFFECTS: The drape and sheen of the silk lend it very well to making beautiful shawls, hence its name! We do also recommend overall making items that will be "low traffic". By that, we mean it's not necessarily the best choice for items that will get a lot of wear/tear, like a sweater. This could also pair nicely with Hattie Floof for an especially warm cowl.
Up next, Chester Sock, our workhorse yarn!
WHAT: Chester Sock is a Superwash Merino wool and nylon blend, with 437 yards for 100 grams of yarn. This is our thickest fingering weight yarn. It is beautifully plush, with a 21 micron merino. Chester Sock has 25% nylon and is a four-ply yarn, giving it the strength for heavy duty use. Chester Sock is our most popular yarn and we consider it our workhorse. This is the same base as our Chester Mini Skein, but those are 87 yards for 20 grams of yarn.
HOW IT DYES: Beautifully - we do all of our test dyes and photos on our Chester Sock yarn. If you're looking for the color ways to look as similar to our yarns as we advertise, this is your best bet.
BEST USES/AFFECTS: As you might guess, Chester Sock is envisioned as the best yarn in our line up for socks, but it also works beautiful for sweaters, scarves, hats, and whatever else you might want to use it for.
We will go over Summer Fingering with the rest of our Summer bases, so next we'll talk our Tortie Sport.
WHAT: Tortie Sport is an alpaca and silk blend. It is a four ply yarn, with 287 yards for 100 grams of yarns. This is an incredibly soft and drapey yarn, and it is non Superwash, since there is no wool in this yarn. It's possible that this yarn could felt if thrown in the washing machine, so as with all non Superwash yarns (and honestly, all yarns in general), we recommend hand washing and laying flat to dry. This yarn is an excellent choice for people who are allergic to wool (which is why we started offering it) because there is no lanolin (...or wool). This yarn also doesn't quite have a halo, but also doesn't... not? It's got a wee bit of fuzz!
HOW IT DYES: Slowly - Another yarn that is much more painterly and slow to absorb dyes. Colors can look more muted or heathered on Tortie Sport, and speckles are less well defined. We wouldn't recommend Gates of Hell on Tortie Sport, for example.
BEST USES/AFFECTS: Tortie Sport is perfect for making baby clothes, tops and tee patterns, shawls, too. If you need something with a lot of drape, this is a great choice. We sometimes call this yarn "floppy". Alpaca and silk don't have memory, so it's not great for items that need to 'spring' back or have structure to them. We'd recommend Tortie Sport for a tank top, but maybe not a full length cardigan.
WHAT: Minnie DK is a four ply 100% Superwash Merino wool, with 246 yards for 100 grams of yarn. Like Chester Sock, it is a fine merino with a 21 micron fiber. It's another yarn we consider a workhouse and makes up our core offerings - in shop, we almost always have at least Chester Sock, Minnie DK, and Genny Worsted ready to buy/ship.
HOW IT DYES: Beautifully - this yarn takes dye quickly, leading to bright colors and defined speckles.
BEST USES/AFFECTS: This is a great all purpose yarn that works for knitters and crocheters, especially if you don't necessarily know what they like to make (hint, hint to all the folks reading this shopping for others!) It works beautifully for hats, scarves, sweaters, and the four ply construction means that it generally holds up well over time. We definitely recommend making a swatch with this yarn if you plan to make a sweater with it, as Superwash DK can stretch quite a bit! Long term wear with fine merino can also show pilling in high traffic spaces (e.g. like under the arm pits in a sweater).
Here's a photo comparing the thickness of Chester Sock, Tortie Sport, and Minnie DK!
Next up, Genny Worsted, to round out our core yarns.
WHAT: Genny Worsted is a fine Superwash Merino wool and alpaca blend, with 191 yards for 100 grams of yarn. This is a two ply yarn that is wonderfully squishy. It has incredible stitch definition and is very warm. In store, Genny Worsted looks to be similar thickness to Minnie DK, but fluffs up A LOT when blocked. If you're someone who throws everything in the washer together, we don't necessarily recommend that for Genny Worsted, as it can shed a lot on its first wash.
HOW IT DYES: Due to the alpaca content, Genny Worsted dyes slower than some of our other yarns and can lend itself to a more painterly effect, but speckles can still be well defined. Beautiful choice for tonals and semi-solid yarns!
BEST USES/AFFECTS: Great for hats, sweaters, cardigans, blankets, mittens - Genny Worsted is one of our core yarns, so we consider it to be a workhouse and good for most projects!
Genny Worsted on the left (it's a knobby two ply) and Minnie DK on the right (smooth four ply). In a lot of instances, they can interchangeable, but if you are doing some fancy stitch work, Genny Worsted shows it off wonderfully!
Next, Chubby Trevor!
WHAT: Chubby Trevor is 100% Superwash Merino yarn, with 136 yards for 115 grams of yarn. It is a three ply yarn, making it a little knobby like Genny Worsted, but the third ply makes it smoother overall. Chubby Trevor is considered a bulky weight, as it is heavier/thicker than Genny Worsted. It is a 20.5 micron merino, making it feel nice against the skin.
HOW IT DYES: It takes dye well, and speckles nicely. Great for pretty much all of our color ways!
BEST USES/AFFECTS: It has a great texture, making it work nicely for cables! Great for hats, chunky sweaters, and mittens.
Genny Worsted on the left, Chubby Trevor on the right.
Chubby Trevor is the much smaller younger sibling to Chunky Trevor - both are bulky weight yarns, but unlike other weights, there's not really any upper limit to what constitutes bulky! You'll have to play with your gauge to see if what we've got is what you need for your pattern (if you have something specific in mind.
Chubby Trevor on the left and Chunky Trevor on the right.
You can see the plies for Chubby Trevor compared to Chunky Trevor's single ply! But let's dive into Chunky Trevor a little more.
WHAT: Chunky Trevor is 100% Fine Superwash Merino wool with 82 yards for 150 grams of yarn. This is the heaviest skein we offer and is a SUPER THICK single ply yarn. It is a 21 micron count merino, incredibly squishy, and is an ideal "gift yarn" to show off a beautiful color (in our opinion). Due to the single ply construction, we recommend avoiding the washing machine for finished items, as it could cause it to pill faster.
HOW IT DYES: Beautifully! Chunky Trevor sucks up dye and looks absolutely beautiful in all of our color ways. It speckles beautiful and really sings in a variegated yarn. We tend to dye more of this in the winter than the summer.
BEST USES/AFFECTS: Perfect for a chunky and quick hat or cowl! If you're looking to make something for a gift knit (and make it fast), this is a great choice. Not great for sweaters, or high use/wear items because again, the single ply construction could speed tendency to pill.
Now let's talk our Summer bases!
We have our Summer bases as a plant-based option that avoids animal (but not bug!) fibers entirely. We have some friends who are allergic to wool, but are still nervous to try alpaca blends, so we wanted something that could be as close to hypoallergenic as we could get. Silk is a protein-based fiber, so we are still able to dye these yarns with the same process we dye our wool blends. We have occasionally been asked if we will dye 100% vegan/100% cotton/100% cellulose yarns - since it would require an entirely different dyeing process, dyes, mordants, space for yarn inventory, we have no plans or current interest in doing so. We hope our Summer base is a happy medium. :)
Summer Fingering, texture.
Left to right: Summer Fingering, DK, Worsted
HOW IT DYES: Since our Summer base is mostly a cellulose fiber (linen is the bulk of the yarn), this takes dyes very slowly and is much more muted than our wool blends. Tonals and semi-solids can be very heathered in comparison. It can sometimes take speckles well, but colors overall can be more blended than wool yarns.
BEST USES/AFFECTS: Due to its inelasticity, we'd definitely knitting or crocheting our Summer Bases with metal hooks/needles! Otherwise you might find it harder to work with. As you might guess from the name, it's a great fiber for summer items - the linen and silk tend to stay cooler than wool in the spring and summer! These are great yarns for wearable items like tees and tank tops. This would be a good yarn substitute in most patterns that require/ask for 100% cotton yarns, too.
And that's a brief overview of all of the yarn bases, we currently offer! If you had additional questions, we will do our best to answer them. Feel free to email us with questions about yarn at hello (at) dyemadyarns.com. We will update this page with more information and yarn bases as we acquire them.