Review: Ancient Arts Fibres Big Squeeze

Posted on December 22, 2015 by shoelaceswitcher

I have a soft spot in my heart for bulky weight yarn, and this beauty is officially one of my new favorites.

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The yarn is a brand new bulky weight superwash Merino from Ancient Arts Fibres. Each skein consists of about 130 yards of 2-ply superwash Merino wool, hand dyed in Canada. I was originally planning to make some mittens, but at the last minute switched to a lacey winter hat, instead.

The pattern is Galicia, designed by Trelly Hernández. The lace isn’t charted, which is why I only rated the pattern 4 stars (plus it only comes in one size), but it makes a really lovely hat, and the decreases are nice and neat.

The yarn is squishy with a middle amount of twist (not too much, not too little) and I had no problems with splitting. It performed really well in the lace and holds the shape of the blocked hat nicely. After the holidays, I’ll probably buy myself another skein to make those mittens I had originally planned to mitt, as I bet the yarn would make some delightfully squishy cables. I had a peach-sized ball of yarn left over from this hat. My favorite part about it, surprisingly, is the hot pink color. I am not generally a pink-loving person, but this particular shade coordinates nicely with the accents on my coat.

Plus, it’s so bright and cheery, how can you not love it? All around, I’d give the yarn 5 stars, well worth a try and reasonably priced at $23/skein for some decent quick gift-knitting.

I’m signing off for the holidays, hope all who celebrate have a merry time!

Review: Myra Cowl and Colinton Australia Lace from Louet

Posted on June 28, 2015 by shoelaceswitcher

A few weeks ago, Louet sent me a gorgeous skein of Colinton Australia Lace yarn to knit up the Myra cowl pattern by Trudy Van Stralen for review. The Myra cowl pattern is part of a special collection of patterns to highlight Louet’s new partnership with Colinton Australia yarns.

Colinton Lace and Myra cowl from Louet

As soon as the yarn arrived, I was eager to cast on. The colorway I received, Dove, is a gorgeous, pale pink that looked both delicate and sophistacted. Colinton Lace is a 2-ply laceweight mohair yarn with 225 yards in each 50 g skein. Most mohair yarns I’ve worked with are brushed for a halo or plied with silk or linen, but this yarn is pure kid mohair and it is more sleek than it is fuzzy. I adore the shine and hand of this yarn and think it looks and feels a lot like silk. This means it has a lovely drape and very little elasticity.

Blocking.

I thought the pattern, a simple lace cowl worked flat and then joined on the short ends, was well-suited for the yarn. The stitch pattern is a garter-based lace that easy to work and really opens up nicely with blocking. I did have a few mishaps with dropped stitches during the course of the project, which was due partially to the slipperiness of the yarn, but would have been easy to avoid with a different needle choice (grippy bamboo or carbon fiber would do the trick). I recommend adding a lifeline every few repeats, just in case.

Finished directions.

Seam on the WS.

The pattern is not charted, only written out, but the lace pattern is simple enough that a chart isn’t strictly necessary. I had no problems with the pattern until I reached the finishing instructions, which were a little confusing. The pattern includes a diagram of the three-needle bind off on a separate page, but then switches to a description of kitchener stitch (or grafting) for closing the cowl without fully explaining the three-needle bind off in the finishing section, which threw me off at first. Update: It turns out that I was working from an older version of the pattern! The newer version has a nicer layout that includes a chart and makes it clear that you have the option of finishing with either a 3-needle bind-off or grafting. I decided to go with the three-needle bind off using a needle a couple sizes bigger so the bind off would be loose. When you use this technique, you usually want to begin with the right sides facing each other so that your seam is on the inside or wrong side of the cowl. However, since the garter-stitch lace pattern is fully reversible, the distinction doesn’t matter so much for this cowl.

Verdict: love it!

Pretty lace!

Happy knitter.

Frothy, shiny, and light.

Since I wanted my cowl to be a bit wider and shorter than the one pictured in the pattern, I cast on 45 stitches for 2.5 repeats (instead of 2 repeats as written). This blocked out to about 41″ circumference and 12″ wide, which I’m really happy with. It’s not long enough to double up but it’s the perfect length to wear as a pretty, lightweight accessory. It’s delightfully warm for its lightness and the yarn really shines. The fabric developed a slight halo with wearing and shed a little bit on the dark shirt I wore it with the first day, but not enough to bother me. My Fiasco found it itchy, but he is very sensitive to prickle and has been known to say “I think Merino is kind of scratchy” so that’s how low his tolerance is.

In conclusion, the Myra cowl is a pretty accessory and would make a good beginner lace project due to its simple geometric stitch pattern, and I absolutely love the yarn. I really didn’t think I liked mohair all that much until I tried this yarn, but I would use it for another lace accessory in a heartbeat.

GIVEAWAY: I’d like to ~~give my copy of the Myra cowl pattern away~~ email a copy of the updated Myra cowl pattern to someone who would like it! Leave a comment on this post and let me know what other pattern from the Louet Colinton Collection you would like to make. Share this post on facebook or twitter for an extra entry (leave a comment letting me know you did!) and make sure you leave your e-mail so I can contact you. I’ll draw a winner next Monday, 7/6!

Review: Spinzilla 2015 May Fiber Pack from Louet

Posted on May 29, 2015 by shoelaceswitcher

As you might recall, on Wednesday I mentioned that I came home to a giant box of fiber-y goodies from Louet*. Want to hear more about that? Of course you do!

Thanks, Louet!

Louet is putting together super cool, heavily-discounted fiber bundles to help us all prepare our stashes for Spinzilla, the week-long spinning marathon that happens in October. There will be a different fiber pack each month leading up to the event. The May pack contains $160 worth of yummy fibers to play with, and retails for less than half that price. After sampling some of the fibers included in the pack, I can’t deny that it is an absolute steal.

8 oz Dyed Merino

4 oz Angora/Lambswool

4 oz Eri Silk

16 oz light and medium grey Romney sliver

8 oz soysilk/wool

The fiber pack contains 4 bundles of 2 oz each Dyed Merino Top (in Champagne, Dusty Rose, Lupine Lavender, and Tawny Gold), 4 oz of Angora/Lambswool Top, 100 gr of Eri (a.k.a. Peace) Silk, 8 oz of Light Romney Sliver, 8 oz of Dark Romney Sliver, and 8 oz of SWTC Dyed Karaoke (50% soysilk / 50% wool). I wanted to write my review before May was over so I’ve only had time to dabble in half of these fibers thus far, but here we go.

Eri Silk:

So shiny.

So fine!

Like spun gold.

I practically attacked this lovely bundle of silk as soon as I had it out of the bag. It’s a beautiful, natural champagne/honey color, a nice light tan. It feels incredible. Since it comes from silkworms that spin open-ended cocoons, the silk is not reeled off in one continuous piece. This makes the fiber a bit fluffier and less sleek than typical mulberry silk (and the critters get to live!), but I like this quality as it makes the silk easier to draft and spin.

Review: Spinzilla May Fiber Pack from Louet | Woolen Diversions

Eri Silk sample skein

I spun a small amount (7 g) with short forward draw (worsted) on the fast flyer of my Lendrum wheel (12:1 ratio) and made a 2-ply sample skein with 38.3 yards. If I had spun the entire batch of silk up (4 oz), I would’ve ended up with 618 yards of laceweight yarn (2,481 ypp, 24 wpi). I love this little skein and think that the rest of this silk will make an elegant shawl.

Angora/Lambswool:

Angora halo.

Lovely stuff.

Fluffy!

The next fiber that my fingers couldn’t resist was the 50/50 blend of angora (from bunnies!) and lambswool. This fiber comes undyed in 2 oz bags (2 bags included in fiber pack). As you can imagine, it’s wonderfully fluffy stuff. I tried spinning this worsted but had a bit of trouble (it’s not my favorite drafting style) so I switched to my old standby, spinning from the fold. This allowed me greater control over the short, sleek angora fibers while introducing a nice bit of air into the single.

Review: Spinzilla 2015 May Fiber Pack from Louet | Woolen Diversions

Angora/Lambswool sample skein

I spun a bit up (11 g) on the fast flyer of my Lendrum wheel (12:1 ratio) and made a 2-ply sample skein with 20.7 yards. If I had spun the entire batch of fiber (4 oz), I would’ve ended up with 214 yards of sport/DK weight yarn (856 ypp, 14 wpi). The yarn in this wee skein is thicker and fluffier than the silk but still has a lovely density from the angora and a nice bit of bounce. I imagine any knit fabric will develop an enticing halo over time. The angora and wool fibers were well blended and only a few times did I find myself at the end of my handful of fiber with just bits of angora left loose in my hand.

Carding Dyed Merino Top:

Blending Merino

Rolags!

A nice n-ply

For my last sample skein, I experimented with hand carding the 4 colors of dyed Merino wool top I had received. I carded 4 rolags of each color blend and spun them in the following sequence: champagne alone, champagne/rose, rose alone, rose/lavender, lavender alone, lavender/gold, gold alone, gold/champagne. Since I was spinning from rolags, I used a supported long draw technique to create a woolen-spun single.

Dyed Merino Top sample skein

I switched back to the regular flyer and spun 38 g of wool into a single that I then chain plied (10:1 ratio) into a 3-ply yarn. If I continue spinning all 8 oz of wool in this manner, I will ended up with 455 yards of DK/light worsted weight yarn (910 ypp, 11 wpi). I found the wool top easy to card and spin. I did not notice any compacted areas that can sometimes result from the dyeing process and the colors were consistent throughout the top.

My pretties!

I’ve barely scratched the surface of what can be done with one of these fiber packs. Things I’d still like to try:

blending the Eri silk with the dyed Merino top in rolags
plying one single of silk with one multicolored single spun from the dyed Merino
plying light grey and dark grey Romney singles together for a subtle marled yarn
spinning a bulky singles yarn from the variegated soysilk/wool fiber.

In summary, these fiber packs are an instant stash, and a great way to explore different fiber types in a low-risk way. For instance, I’m not in love with the feel of the soysilk/wool blend (even though I adore the color!) and I’m glad I found that out through the discounted fiber pack before purchasing it on its own for a project. Louet’s fibers are well-prepared, easy to work with, reasonably-priced, and offered in relatively large amounts (usually 8 oz at a time) that allow for experimentation and sampling without sacrificing project yardage, which I really appreciate. I’ve had my eye on some of their more ‘exotic’ fibers for a while (yak, anyone? How about camel/silk?) and the fiber pack they’ve put together for June looks intriguing, too!

Have you experimented with any new fibers lately? What have you been itching to try?

*Disclaimer: This fiber pack was sent to me from Louet for review. All opinions are my own and reflect my true impressions, I only support businesses whose products I truly love!

Blue Sky Alpacas Extra Review & Giveaway

Posted on September 26, 2014 by shoelaceswitcher

As I hinted earlier in the week, today I have an extra special FO to talk about! I’m happy to be part of the Blue Sky Alpacas blog tour for their new yarn, Extra, and its accompanying set of patterns: the Destination Collection.

Photo copyright Blue Sky Alpacas.

Extra is an Aran weight 2-ply yarn with a nice, tight twist. It comes in generous 218 yard skeins and somehow manages to feel both lofty and deliciously dense at the same time, likely due to the fiber blend. It’s composed of 50% baby alpaca/50% Merino wool, which makes it 100% Fiasco-approved.

Only the finest baby alpaca for my fella!

The Destination Pattern Collection was designed specifically to highlight Extra and was “inspired by hometowns, far-away places and everywhere in between”. I chose to knit the Tokyo Tower Bandana designed by Olga Buraya-Kafelian. It’s an interesting cowl/shawlette hybrid, similar to Carina Spencer’s Zuzu’s Petals (which we know I love), but with an entirely different construction.

Photo copyright Blue Sky Alpacas.

I was completely surprised by the layout of the pattern, I had never seen a pattern set up like a fold-out map before. I’ll admit that at first I was dubious (It’s so big! How am I supposed to read anything?!) but by the end of the project I loved how the layout folded up rather conveniently so only certain parts of the pattern were showing, and there’s no denying its visual charm.

Public domain photo.

As the name suggests, the lace on the bandana was meant to emulate the Tokyo Tower (pictured above). Truthfully, the lace detail is a bit minimalist for my taste. I’m much more of an ornate-leaves-and-flowers type of gal and less of a stark-urban-jungle dweller. It does, however, capture the vibe of the real life tower pretty well.

The view from the back.

The cowl begins in the round from the top with a simple garter stitch hem. It then transitions to a plain stockinette section with some increases down either side of the center back. After some time, a garter section is knit and then bound off. The rest of the bandana is then knit flat with decreases on either side forming the long triangle until the final stitch is closed off at the point.

My finished cowl.

I generally dislike following patterns with written-only instructions, I always end up wishing for a chart or for a more efficient use of stitch markers since I hate counting stitches on every row. Despite that, this was an enjoyable knit and fairly flew off my needles because the yarn was amazing to work with! It snagged a bit from time to time on my pointy needles but it was generally sleek, smooth, soft, and delightful to touch. It worked up into an incredibly even fabric that blocked very well.

The cowl, worn.

When I first finished it I was a little bit worried about how long the point seemed, but after a full couple of days of wearing it, it doesn’t seem overly long after all. I found the bandana looks best if the point is angled off to the side, rather than straight down, which is also how I wear my shawls most of the time. I really like this accessory and will get a lot of wear out of it this winter for sure, especially since the yarn is so luscious! I am often quite sensitive to the prickly guard hairs in alpaca, but there are hardly any in this yarn, it’s just all soft, buttery goodness. To hear a bit about Extra from the folks at Blue Sky Alpacas themselves, check out the video they made:

Now, how would you like to win a skein of Extra in the same blue shown above, with your own copy of the Tokyo Tower Bandana pattern, and a cute little Pretty Cheep Project Bag (not pictured)? This is my first time using Rafflecopter but you should be able to

click this link to enter the giveaway

and follow the steps to leave a comment and follow me on Twitter, share a Tweet, or like my blog page on Facebook for additional entries. (If for some reason the link doesn’t work, just leave a comment below and I’ll enter you manually.) The giveaway is open to all (US & International) and ends at 11:59 pm on Thursday, October 2. I will choose and announce the winner next Friday. Thanks for playing along, and thanks so much to the folks at Blue Sky Alpacas for the lovely yarn, pattern, and prize!

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaand last but not last, please check out the rest of the blog tour! A different pattern and color yarn will be highlighted at each stop, with a chance to win prizes at each!

Last week: Cosmos & Cashmere
9/29 – 10/3: Lattes & Llamas (these blog names are killing me with awesomeness)
10/6 – 10/10: Rock + Purl
10/13 – 10/17: HeyJenRenee
10/20 – 10/26: Miso Crafty Knits

Review & Giveaway: Knitter’s Pride Karbonz Interchangeable Needles

Posted on May 22, 2014 by shoelaceswitcher

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Edit: Thanks to all who entered, the giveaway is now closed!

I’ve officially become enamored with a new-to-me knitting tool: Knitter’s Pride Karbonz needles. These needles are made from carbon fiber and have slick nickel-plated brass tips.

Oooooh, shiny.

As you may have noticed over the last few months, I’ve been slowly transitioning from the colorful Knit Picks Harmony needles I’ve used almost exclusively for the last few years to sleek, black KP Karbonz needles. It began when I realized I was mending far too many holes in my socks and needed to tighten my gauge. However, I wanted to knit with size 0 (2.0 mm) DPNs that didn’t feel like bendable, careful-or-they’ll-snap-in-half toothpicks. So I ordered some Karbonz DPNs and loved them.

Current sock in progress. Click for project page.

And I thought — maybe the Harmony’s are NOT the be-all-end-all of knitting needles. I first learned to knit on Susan Bates metal needles but have been fiercely anti-metal since I first discovered Clover Bamboo needles way back in the day. When I found the Knit Picks Harmony wood needles it was love-at-first touch. Between the warmth of the wood and the sharp pointy tips you just don’t get with bamboo, I thought they were great. Sure, I had my share of split needle tips (can we say snags?), and needle bases that separated from their metal casings so that they had to be glued back together (boo), and cords that unscrewed while I knit (that old nightmare) — but they were what I had, and I thought they worked well enough. But when I was sent a Deluxe Interchangeable Needle set to review, I was super excited to give them a try, and I haven’t been disappointed.

Lovely packaging.

The great thing about the Karbonz needles is that they are strong and sturdy, like metal, but warm to the touch and lightweight, like wood or bamboo. THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS, GUYS. The interchangeable set comes with 9 pairs of needles (from US 2.5 – US 10), 4 cords (24″, 32″, 32″, and 40″), 8 end caps, 4 cord keys, and a set of needle size markers so if you remove your needles from your project and store it on its cord, you can remember what size you were using.

Accessories.

I really love the pouch the needles are packaged in, and there’s a handy slot in back to hold more cords. I ESPECIALLY love that the needle size is printed both on the needle tip AND the metal base of the needle, so no more hunting around for a needle gauge to figure out what the heck size you’re using.

Lifeline near stitchmarker indicates where I switched to Karbonz needles on my Stitch Block Cowl.

Since this set has come into my possession, I’ve been swapping out the needles previously being used in my WIPs for these new needle tips. Projects that were bothering my wrist or hands for one reason or another before, suddenly felt fine. Perhaps my hands have been extra-sensitive since my wrist injury or perhaps I just needed a change, I don’t know, but the grippiness of the carbon fiber surface combined with the slipperiness of the needle tips seems to have made my knitting proceed more smoothly. Happily, changing needle tips didn’t change my gauge mid-project. I’ve since used the Karbonz needles to swatch a variety of yarns with multiple sizes and all have felt really great.

Swatches! Top: handspun BFL on size US 7. Bottom: Shibui Knits Linen on size US 4.

I have two minor complaints about the set:

It only comes with 4 cords. I am a knitter-of-many-WIPs, and 4 just isn’t enough for me. However, one can purchase additional cords in sizes ranging from 16″ to 60″ (for less than $3!) as needed.
Needle sizes do not range smaller than US 2.5 or larger than US 10. For many people and projects, this probably isn’t an issue, but I am also a knitter-of-chunky-yarns and have plenty of use for needles on the larger end of the spectrum. Their fixed circulars have a wider range on the smaller end, though, so magic loop sock knitters can get their tiny needle fix that way.

Using a cord as a stitch holder in my Kelp-y Kelpie Shawl. Click for project page.

Overall, I really love the feel of the Karbonz needles and will likely use them for the majority of my knitting. Unlike some others, I haven’t noticed any snagging in the transitions from metal tip to carbon body, or from needle to cord. I love that the size is printed on the needle and that even the thin sock sizes feel strong and unbending, but not too inflexible. While the tips aren’t as pointy as some, they appear to be pointy enough for most purposes and I am happy that they won’t split like wooden needle tips often do. The Deluxe set retails for around $125, which is certainly pricier than wooden sets, but if you can afford it I think the carbon fiber needles have definite advantages. There are also smaller interchangeable sets available priced in the $60 – $65 range. For more information, check out other reviews at Knitter’s Review (older but still interesting), Badfaerie Designs (from the point of view of a steel needle user), and Knit Luck (really detailed!).

NOW FOR THE GIVEAWAY!

If you’d like to win a Karbonz needle prize from the good folks at Stitchcraft Marketing (exact prize to be determined), leave a comment below telling me what type of needle material you prefer and why. Each comment gains you one entry, and if you share this post via Twitter, Facebook, or on your own blog, let me know and you’ll earn extra entries. I’ll choose a winner with a random number generator on Friday, May 30th so you have until 11:59 pm Eastern time the day before to enter. Good luck, and please spread the word! (My apologies but this giveaway is only open to US residents.)

Review & Giveaway: Louet Perendale Fiber

Posted on April 24, 2014 by shoelaceswitcher

Remember the giant box of fiber I received from Louet?

Lots of spinning ahead of me…

Last weekend, I began working through it! I started with some Perendale fiber, since I’d never heard of the breed before. The Perendale is part of their Canterbury Prize Wools group. Here’s the website description about the group:

Working with Wadsworth Heap Ltd, a fiber supplier in New Zealand, each fleece in this line is grown with passion and great care; each is chosen with a critical eye, scoured in a modern scouring plant, and carded with pride on gentle machinery to maintain the fibre’s integrity and give spinners maximum enjoyment.

The fiber is a carded preparation (so it’s roving or sliver, where the fibers are arranged every-which-way, rather than combed top) and ships in generous 8 oz. bags. My bag contained a slip of paper describing its origin:

Apparently, this wool is stylish!

I love that I know where this wool came from and who grew it, even though I accessed it through a major distributor. I really appreciate the respect to the wool’s origins that the Canterbury group shows. Also, you really can’t beat the price. Each half pound bag is only $16. That’s a lot of really well-prepared wool for the price!

Rather handsome devil, no? Copyright Perendale Sheep Society. Click for website.

Perendale sheep are a cross between the Romney and Cheviot breeds, developed in New Zealand. As such, they have longwool roots but fall under the ‘other sheep breeds’ category in the Fleece & Fiber Sourcebook. What I find really fascinating is that I wasn’t super enthusiastic about either Romney or Cheviot when I spun them for my Spinner’s Study, but I really enjoyed spinning the Perendale fiber.

Fluffy!

After a few minutes of attempting to spin this preparation worsted-style (short forward draw), I gave up and decided to practice my woolen-style drafting (long-draw) instead. The prep pretty much begged for woolen spinning, and it did not disappoint.

Action shot!

I don’t usually spin this way on the wheel, but it went really smoothly once I got into a rhythm. (Oddly enough, I tend to spin semi-woolen on my spindles as I often spin combed top from the fold for easier drafting.) Woolen spinning creates lofty, springy, fuzzy yarns with lots of air trapped in the singles.

Fuzzy!

I must have been in an adventurous mood because besides trying out new drafting techniques, I also decided to conduct a twist experiment. Yarns can have either S twist or Z twist depending on the direction in which they were spun. I’ve read that most commercial yarns are spun so that they are plied with S twist and that the action of knitting or crocheting adds or removes twist depending on whether the yarns have S or Z twist. Because my wheel feels better spinning counterclockwise (S twist), I tend to ply my yarns clockwise (because you ply for less time than you spin) producing Z twist yarns when I spin on my wheel. I decided to see if I could really tell the difference between S & Z twist yarns when spinning and knitting.

Skeins 1 & 2

So I took 2 oz of fiber, split it into fourths, and spun 2 singles with S twist and 2 singles with Z twist to create 2 little 2-ply skeins: one plied Z and the other plied S. Then I got really curious and thought ‘I wonder what an opposing yarn ply would feel like?’ and spun some of those, too.

Skeins 3 & 4

Opposing ply yarns are composed of singles that have the opposite direction of twist, plied together one way or the other. So I took 1 S and 1 Z single and plied them together in both the Z direction and S direction. Opposing ply yarns are super bouncy and elastic and I think I really like them, though I’m withholding judgement until after I finish knitting my swatches.

So yes, this is what happens when a scientist gets a new type of fiber to play with. 🙂 Stay tuned for the results and conclusions. In the meantime, LET’S HAVE A GIVEAWAY!

If you’d like to win your very own 1/2 pound bag of Louet Perendale fiber, leave a comment below telling me how you like to spin your yarns (S or Z? Clockwise, counterclockwise, unsure?). Each comment gains you one entry, and if you share this post via Twitter, Facebook, or on your own blog, let me know and you’ll earn extra entries. I’ll choose a winner with a random number generator on Friday, May 2nd so you have until 11:59 pm Eastern time the day before to enter. Good luck, and please spread the word!

Review & Giveaway: Eucalan Wrapture

Posted on April 3, 2014 by shoelaceswitcher

I tend to be somewhat brand-loyal in my purchases (you might have picked that up from my yarn stashing habits). If I liked something that I first tried, I’ll often stick with it and not bother trying similar products by another company unless not totally satisfied… something of an ‘if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it’ mentality, I guess. However, this can be limiting and prevent me from discovering new things that I might like even more than the first one I tried – enter Eucalan no-rinse wool wash.

I have used another wool wash for a few years now and thought it worked well enough, but it always left my hands extremely dry. My skin is very sensitive to soaps and I usually need to moisturize immediately after washing my hands because I hate that dried-out soapy feeling. This gets annoying when handwashing my woolens because my hands are in contact with the soap multiple times throughout the process — soaking, squeezing, laying out to dry. I’m really, really glad I tried Eucalan because my hands didn’t get that dried-out feeling at any point, which I suspect is due to the lanolin content (a great moisturizer and fiber conditioner – you all know how I feel about lanolin!).

I tested my bottle of Eucalan Wrapture by using it to finish my recent skeins of BFL handspun yarn. You only need to use 1 tsp of wool wash for every gallon of water and you can do your washing by hand or in top-loading and front-loading machines. Since this was a small bowl I used just a tiny bit. Each 3.3 oz bottle should last for at least 20 washes. The Wrapture scent is made with jasmine essential oils and has a lovely, lightl floral fragrance. I’m not usually the biggest fan of florals and I’m sensitive to strong or cloying smells so I appreciated how light and fresh this scent was. They make 4 other scents, too: Eucalyptus, Grapefruit, Lavender, and Unscented. Each contains essential oils which have a variety of benefits, including antiseptic properties and repelling moths and fleas. I let my skeins soak for about 20 minutes, then just squeezed out the water, rolled them in a towel, and hung them up to dry.

I ended up with 550 yards of 2-ply, sportweight BFL that are fluffy, bouncy, and lightly-jasmine scented. I’m in love! In addition to the scent and the lanolin content, I like that Eucalan is so eco-friendly. It contains a grand total of 8 ingredients (compared to a competitor’s 13) and is non-toxic, biodegradable, dye-free, PH neutral, phosphate-free, and packaged in recyclable materials made entirely in Canada.

And now for the giveaway!

In short: I really liked Eucalan and will switch to it for its more natural, eco-friendly, and non-drying properties. If you would like a chance to try Eucalan yourself, leave a comment below telling me which scent you might like and why. A winner will be chosen from the comments on Friday, April 11th and Stitchcraft Marketing will hook up up with your prize. We are only able to ship to a winner in the US or Canada for this giveaway. If you share or re-share this post through any social media outlet (facebook, twitter, a link on your own blog, etc.) let me know in the comment, it will earn you 2 additional entries!

(Note: I was provided with this product for review, all opinions and statements are honest and my own.)