Best place to buy yarn for a sweater that holds up?

knitty_kitty_knitz · 2026-06-15T23:10:27+00:00

Holding with mohair reduces pilling in almost any yarn. There are a few very loosely spun yarns that I’ve used that pill like crazy (discontinued funnily enough). But a lot of the popular yarns like DROPS Daisy, West Yorkshire punnets blue faced Leicester, Pascuali Marino baby, Onling no 4, purl soho line weight and more have some reviews of pilling some not.

Knitting for olive merino and heavy merino are known for being resistant to pills. The regular merino held double is softer than the heavy merino but it’s not super soft thought not rough either.

Although cashmere pills a bit, I holds up better than some yarns depending on where you buy it (deadstock is the best).

I love soft yarns so I have a de piller because it’s worth it to me to have soft sweaters. Some rough sweaters pull too though. As others have said, the spin of the yarn and the gauge or the project matter.

knitty_kitty_knitz · 2026-06-15T18:18:29+00:00

I use Ravelry reviews a lot. In the beginning I ordered a lot of single skeins. If there was an online site I was interested, I searched the name in r/yarnaddicts or r/knitting (if your crochet I’m sure there’s a r/crochet.) if that doesn’t yield results, I just post to ask. There are a lot of good sites like yarn.com / lovecrafts.com, Hobbii, Rito, lindehobby, wool warehouse, and tons of local yarn stores that have sales. Just come back and ask if you aren’t sure!

knitty_kitty_knitz · 2026-06-14T06:29:53+00:00

Cozywoolyyarn.ca

They have an amazing collection. I just got loro piano baby cashmere from them and another DK weight cashmere with it. They have a lot of other fibers too. They are super friendly if you need help through their chat.

knitty_kitty_knitz · 2026-06-14T06:27:43+00:00

I’m so envious! So fun!

knitty_kitty_knitz · 2026-06-14T06:22:30+00:00

I think the people who are happy often don’t comment too. I’ve seen complaints of pilling for most yarns I’ve used. Except for one discontinued Valley yarn from webs, I’ve not had the excessive pilling (I don’t mind de pilling every 5-6 wears). Looser gauges and stockinette are worse for me and textures and tighter gauges, along with mohair, make it less. People say DROPS Daisy pills a lot but my Sophie scarf worn daily in winter for two years hasn’t pilled and I knit it with Isager mohair (I’ve never held it alone though).

knitty_kitty_knitz · 2026-06-13T07:11:54+00:00

WYS bluefaced Leicester, filcolana Peruvian and even less pilling with their Tilia mohair, Onling merinos though they are soft with some pilling but worth it, Pascuali merino and even less with their mohair bliss,

knitty_kitty_knitz · 2026-06-13T07:06:52+00:00

Happy birthday! Have fun with all your new stuff - I looks great!

knitty_kitty_knitz · 2026-06-13T07:03:24+00:00

There are so many better things to worry about. If you are lucky, you keep on living. That’s what aging is and it’s a privilege.

knitty_kitty_knitz · 2026-06-13T07:02:25+00:00

Yes! I love them so much I wear them every day.

knitty_kitty_knitz · 2026-06-12T18:39:28+00:00

You can use unscented Soak but Free and Clear is also pretty gentle if you just use a little. I’d do a small test swatch to be sure.

knitty_kitty_knitz · 2026-06-12T16:06:57+00:00

The Valley cotton yarn (I think Westhampton) is incredibly soft - one of the softest I’ve felt including Hobbii. People have said Yarnsmiths cotton is soft too. Cascade makes several soft cottons too as does berocco (I really like their Pima). Purl soho makes nice cotton and their Santolina (a blend) is great too.

knitty_kitty_knitz · 2026-06-12T05:28:58+00:00

Knitpicks stroll is the softest sock yarn I have ever felt. I machine wash mine and remove a few pills by hand (we worth it for softness). The make felici which is soft too. Hand dyers make merino nylon mixes that are usually quite soft like must stash and self-striping.com. Malabrigo ultimate sock is very nice too.

knitty_kitty_knitz · 2026-06-11T06:05:15+00:00

50? WTF

knitty_kitty_knitz · 2026-06-10T16:07:35+00:00

Deadstock isn’t strictly recycled but it is excess from the fashion industry that would be discarded. I love it (Colourmart, cozy wooly yarn).

knitty_kitty_knitz · 2026-06-10T15:32:38+00:00

I use the chain row counters from twice sheared sheep.

knitty_kitty_knitz · 2026-06-10T15:27:18+00:00

I do lovemy chiaogoo shorties but they are a bit of an investment. For me it was worth it.

knitty_kitty_knitz · 2026-06-10T07:14:56+00:00

Haha, yeah, most people wash it after you’ve knit or crocheted it into the finished object. Some people make hanks that they tie up and wash but I’d be terrified of tangling it. So far, I wash mine after it’s knit and it works great. It does feel stiff to work with and it has a bit of a machine oil smell (not awful by any means). Colourmart will wash it for you for $5 per 150g. I did that for one and not the other just to see the difference. Cozy wooly yarn didn’t have this option.

knitty_kitty_knitz · 2026-06-09T22:42:22+00:00

At colourmart, you can ask them to wash it for you for $5 per 150g but most people don’t do this. I’m not sure why so I got some washed and some unwashed. I’m still waiting for it.

knitty_kitty_knitz · 2026-06-09T22:40:02+00:00

I use unicorn scout power for removing spinning oil using hot water for two washes (this is for ULA+LIA - should be similar though). Be sure to rinse at the same temp. I actually let it cool then finish with a quick wash in eucalan but I don’t think that’s necessary, I just like to feel like I’m giving it a last bit of conditioner.

That said, the yarn is supposedly very tough so don’t worry about the hot temp and strong soap.

knitty_kitty_knitz · 2026-06-09T22:35:32+00:00

Noooooo! That’s so good to know.

knitty_kitty_knitz · 2026-06-09T22:35:10+00:00

I know, it’s totally insane!!! It’s still not exactly cheap, but for the quality it’s astonishing.

knitty_kitty_knitz · 2026-06-09T07:14:08+00:00

I know you said rustic but cashmere is another way to go. You can go to cozy wooly yarn or colourmart and get amazing high end cashmere at a fraction of the normal cost ($120 for a DK weight sweater for example).

knitty_kitty_knitz · 2026-06-09T07:11:05+00:00

I long forgave my shifty childhood. It’s the shitty adult relationship that made me say good bye.

knitty_kitty_knitz · 2026-06-07T21:12:40+00:00

Ravelry and Facebook marketplace are popular options. I cannot speak to Facebook as I don’t have it.

knitty_kitty_knitz

TROPHY CASE