Yarn Review | Aire Valley DK

 If you follow me on Instagram you may have seen that I have a new design out in this month's Crochet Now (Issue 22).

My design is on the front cover again which is just too exciting but another reason for my delight is that I have been able to use one of my favourite commercial yarns in the design - West Yorkshire Spinner's Aire Valley DK. Having knit, crocheted and designed with this yarn I thought I might take some time to review it on my blog.

About the yarn
Aire Valley DK is a 75% 25% wool/nylon blend from the West Yorkshire Spinners (WYS). It comes in 100g balls approximately 230m in length with a £5 price point.

The yarn feels crisp and almost rustic before it is washed but after a good soak and block, it feels much softer.

Knitting
I love knitting with this yarn! I have made a not-so-secret knitted Christmas present for my Mum in the Passion Fruit Cooler  (811) colourway.

Using stocking stitch the yarn creates a beautiful smooth, regular fabric. In garter stitch, the yarn creates tactile, plump of rows bubble-like stitches.

Given the nylon content, this yarn would make really lovely boot socks, but it would also work well for hats, mittens, cowls and scarves.

Crochet
The reason I like using this yarn in crochet is the structure and texture you can create using the right combination of stitches. Before my published design, I used this yarn for a double-length cowl, again for my Mum, and found the yarn really satisfying work with. Each stitch you make holds its shape and you hear a satisfying crispy-woolly sound as you pull-up the yarn through the loops on your hook.

When you submit a design to a magazine, you work up a swatch and recommend the yarn you would use. Your suggested yarn is not always accepted when you are commissioned so you can imagine how delighted I was when I found out that I could use my preferred yarn for my Popping Bobble Cowl in this month's Crochet Now. I particularly chose this yarn because I knew I could use it to create a background fabric that would hold my pops of colour - bobble stitches - in place. Another yarn may have been softer but wouldn't have allowed pops of colour to stand out proudly.

I think this yarn would also work well for crochet bags, mittens, hats and leg warmers. I think it would also be brilliant for blankets and throws that need to be scooped up and put in the wash machine.

Overall
This isn't a sponsored post - these are all my own views - but I really do like this yarn. If you only like working with and wearing merino yarn, then this isn't for you, but if you're looking for a well-priced, hard-wearing commercial DK yarn then I think it is an excellent option. The nylon content makes it an even more versatile yarn and because it comes from WYS you can be guaranteed of the quality.


I can't believe it's December next week, I better get cracking with my Christmas making...I hope you have a great weekend x