Are you familiar with the advertisement that proclaims, “Because you’re worth it.”
Listen to me, dammit. We ARE worth it!
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As you probably know, yarn comes in all shapes and sizes and colors and price points. It can be super cheapo to pee-your-pants-looking-at-the-price-tag expensive. I generally purchase in the middle with an occasional cheap synthetic yarn for a specific purpose. Sometimes I go all out and buy something really nice.
This article is about a recent splurge.
There is a huge difference in the way an expensive yarn knits. The stitch definition is so much better, and the way a luxurious yarn feels in your hand is a sensation difficult to top. The more real fiber in the yarn, the richer the tactile experience of handling it becomes.
So I decided I was worth this extravagance, and ordered some product I’ve been wanting to try.
I’ve been looking at the Wool and the Gang website and product line for a LONG time. Really long time. Since they launched in 2013 actually.
Here’s what their website says about the founders:
Designers Aurelie Popper and Jade Harwood met while studying Textile Design at Central Saint Martins in London. After school they gained experience together at Alexander McQueen and Balmain in Paris. That’s when they were discovered by former model, world traveller and yarn lover Elisabeth Sabrier. Together they founded Wool and the Gang.
With Lisa Rodwell (previously at MOO, Yahoo and eBay) as CEO, fashion industry rebels, Aurelie and Jade, are leading The Gang, changing the way fashion is created and consumed. Our Gang is ever growing across the world — delivering fashion in a sustainable way.
First of all, I like this company because it’s all women running the show. I am always down to support my fellow female creative entrepreneurs. Secondly, I love that they address the dark side of fashion (fast fashion) and present an alternative, an actual solution. Knit it yourself, or purchase ready made from their network of makers who are paid sustainable wages. The hand knitters they employ are mostly in Peru, so their daily wages are not what we need to earn in The States or in Britain, but at least this is not sweatshop labor. This is quite brave in the current climate of textile production. Because it isn’t easy.
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Your experience with WATG begins when you first receive your shipment. They print unique labels to go on the shipping container. They address you by first name on the branding label. How cool is that? It’s obvious somebody put that on carefully by hand.
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Once the box is open, your feast begins. Look at that gorgeous, plump fiber. YUMMY!!! I also invested in a set of their Rosewood knitting needles. I wanted to try them out. Honestly, I just wanted to own my own set! They are uniquely branded, and I wanted to be part of the insider’s club who knits with them.
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I personally like straight knitting needles. A lot of knitters will only knit on circular needles, and that includes their flat knitting. I will do that if it’s a long CO that won’t comfortably fit on straight needles, but if it fits, I like straight needles. I do have a preference for wood when it comes to straight needles.
There’s just something magical about knitting real fiber on real wood. It’s like a direct connection to hand crafters 100s of years ago. When knitting this way, we are utilizing the same materials and techniques people have used for centuries.
I think it’s really cool that such a fashion forward, modern brand can create a direct connection to centuries old technique.
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Ordering yarn online is HARD. Why? You don’t really know what you’re getting until you open the box. Unless you already know the product in real life, it’s very hard to know what it’s going to be like when you order from a website. It’s an exercise in faith to order yarn like this online. I had never handled the product in real life.
I had a hard time choosing my colors. I knew I wanted the Crazy Sexy Wool, because that’s their signature product. But selecting color from a little bitty color square is a challenge. I knew I wanted colors that would play well together so I could mix them if I wanted.
I opted for a neutral and a vivid pigmented wool. The grey is Tweed Grey and the blue is Sherpa Blue. Both are absolutely gorgeous!!! No picture can really do justice to how lovely the colorways are in real life. That blue is DIVINE! I don’t know how they are getting that kind of pigment into the wool, but it’s amazing.
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My first step with new product is to swatch. ALWAYS. I don’t understand why people dislike this step so much. How can you understand your fiber if you don’t have this initial introduction? Seriously.
I knit the same stitch pattern for every new yarn. I will vary the CO depending on the weight of yarn I’m knitting. For this premium bulky yarn, I cast on 12 or 14 stitches.
Here’s how I typically knit my swatches:
- 6 or 8 rows in Garter Stitch
- 8 or 10 rows of Stockinette bordered in Garter Stitch
- 8 or 10 rows of Seed Stitch
- 8 or 10 rows of 2×2 ribbing
- Final BO using the standard PSSO method
This way I can see how the yarn is going to handle in most basic applications. I can see what the stitch patterns are really going to look like. Then I like to attach a tag that says what the fiber is and what needle I used to make the swatch. That way I have a reference library to go back to when trying to decide on something. This is in a perfect world, and since I’m not perfect, I don’t do this every time. But it is ideal.
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I knitted this swatch on a 12MM needle which is a size 17US needle. I really think for my purposes, a 19US would be better. It would have more drape, and in a scarf, I like some drape. It definitely needs blocking to even out the edges, but WOW, Look at the pop of that Seed Stitch and of ribbing.
This is yarn well suited to a simple stitch. It looks so good, you just don’t have to do much of anything to create a stunning FO (finished object). I wouldn’t go so far as to say it’s the perfect super beginner yarn, because it has no twist whatsoever in the fiber. So, you have to be super careful about how you insert the needle or you will split the yarn and it will lack this crisp look. But, if you have a few projects under your belt, and you’re ready to experiment with a higher quality yarn, this is a great way to go.
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Here’s the same swatch in the Tweed Grey. You can see the properties of the yarn in the tail of the sample. Even though it’s wool, it’s very much like alpaca. Actually, it’s almost like fur. I can’t wait to try a hat and make a pom pom with this product.
This may be a neutral color, but the FO made from this is still going to be a standout piece. I made a cowl from it to see how it would knit. Just my basic, no frills cowl. You’ll have to wait to see it. I knit it on the 15US circulars I already had on hand, and what a thick fabric! It’s really too thick, but I think it’s going to be super warm in the dead of winter, so I’m leaving it as is! Will follow up on that in a later report.
My final impression is definitely two thumbs up!
For 6 balls of yarn, a set of Rosewood needles and shipping, this package cost a cool $163 US. Yeah, it’s an investment. It’s also a way to vote YES to a company taking on the Fast Fashion movement. Saying yes to fair wages for people and humane treatment of the animals that provide the fiber. Doing the right thing is typically not the easy thing. Or the least expensive route.
Every time we make a purchase, we vote with our dollars. I look forward to the next Vote of YES I can make for a Wool and the Gang product. The Happy Daze Beanie Kit is on sale this week, and I believe I hear it calling my name.
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Patty McGuire is a knitter who designs beginner knitting patterns. Video tutorials and online classes are currently in the works. She resides in the resort city of Virginia Beach where she has a small container garden and knits for her much loved Golden Retriever, Willie. She photographs and writes all the content on this blog (including this byline which seems weird because I’m writing about myself in 3rd person, but people like this sort of thing so I’m including it.)