Yarns to Love
Yarn Detective: Sweet Jane
New yarn! New yarn! There’s a new yarn in MDK town!
It’s British and it poses as a plain Jane, but is likely the cleverest woman in the room.
Jane is a combination of Falkland and Masham wools.
Falkland isn’t a breed. It’s a group of islands south of Argentina. Merino, Corriedale, Polwarth, Romney, and other breeds have lived and bred on the islands since the mid 1800s, with no other sheep introduced after the late 1800s.
The Falkland fiber is next-to-skin soft. I consider it a medium type of wool (like Corriedale), with a step or two toward fine (like Merino) in its softness.
Island life has its perks. The sheep are raised 100% organically in a closed system, which keeps the fiber predictable and bright white with zero chemical additives.
Masham is a longer and hardier British wool. It gives strength, smoothness, and a bit of drape. Together they make a soft yarn that is more durable than the Falkland by itself.
Something else that Masham brings is color. Masham sheep are bred in a variety of colors. The one the MDK Yarn Team chose is taupe, which is a blustery color between grey and brown.
Jane is blended with 75% bright white Falkland and 25% taupe Masham. I carded that mix together so you can see the difference Masham makes when it is next to 100% white Falkland.
That drop of taupe brings an amazing depth and interest to the Jane color palette. It pushes the colors warmer. Without the Masham, the Aubergine of these samples would be more of a Crayola box purple. With it, it becomes a perfectly ripe plum, which is a more complex color.
Can you tell I’m a fan?
The structure of the yarn is simple and that’s part of its perfection. It’s a worsted spun, smooth, and lightly plied 2-ply. The worsted spin makes it durable; the ply twist helps to keep it light while adding a buoyancy and squish to knitting.
It has good stitch definition. It isn’t pill-forward. And it isn’t a yarn that is too heavy, which means it’s a delight for all of those fall sweaters in your queue.
This yarn is fabulously versatile and plays well with all types of knitting. It may be the Goldilocks yarn of the fall and winter: not too much of any one thing but just right for everything.
In stockinette, the 2-ply structure gives knitting some visual interest. The stitch definition is there, but the stitches and rows aren’t as exactingly lined up as with a 3-ply yarn.
There’s a little texture on the surface of the fabric and that makes a stockinette sweater look much more exciting.
The Masham in the fiber blend contributes to the smoothness of the look when knitted in lace. The 2-ply structure helps the lace stay open and allows the look to be cohesive. Sometimes with a 3-ply yarn, a lace pattern can look like a collection of separate YOs and decreases rather than an all-over pattern.
Cables in Jane look full and juicy. The cables are clearly there, but there is a bit of appealing softness to them. This is due to the soft nature of the twist. I couldn’t stop squeezing and poking this swatch. There is loft in the cables, making them pop without dragging them (or your sweater) down.
Fair Isle knitting is traditionally done with a 2-ply yarn. It softens the transition between colors, which helps them blend. Jane has this quality.
The sample is a simple slip stitch, but I just love the look. Even though there is a high contrast between the colors, when they change it isn’t abrupt. The taupe undertone of the colors also helps them to flow from one to the other.
Jane is on the top of my list for my fall and winter knitting.
I’m dreaming of sweaters, of chunky knits using it doubled, of paring it with hand-dyed hand-spun for a Pressed Flowers vest. And along with the chameleon-like quality of how Jane knits, I’m dreaming of her earthy-edged colors.
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Wow… what a FABulous full working description of this yarn and all its many talents and strong attributes! Bravo Jillian & MDK for your achievements!
(Insert adamant & emphatic applause here)
Those cables are dreamy.
I absolutely LOVE that striped swatch w the raised slip stitch rib. What an interesting detail for a blanket, dish cloth, etc. I’m sure its super easy to memorize, I’m going to look for that technique. Also, thank you for your expert knowledge on Jane’s
fabric creation “personality”!! Lovely.
I love the slipstitch swatch, too! It would be a great pattern to use in blanket squares for Refugees Worldwide. Maybe Jillian would share it with us!
Hi Gitte,
The pattern is from Barbara Walker’s Second Treasury of Knitting Patterns, it’s called Ridge Check Pattern.
Me, too!!! What is the name of the stitch?
I second that. Those are colors I would not have thought to use together.
Thanks for another fabulous article.
Jillian, I always love your articles, but this was one of my favorites. Thanks so much for all the information!
Gosh, I have soooo much yarn, I have been trying not to buy any more. Or much. This review of Jane is too compelling though! Maybe it’s time to learn to cable.
Thanks for another super Yarn Detective letter. I find these so helpful and interesting!
My sentiments exactly!
I just took a two day class on wool washing, combing, carding and spinning. I love seeing the two swatches of combed wool side by side – it’s reminding me how much fun I had, and it beautifully illustrates how the masham adds that amazing depth and interest.
Another useful review! You always have such interesting information for me as an end user. I have a few skeins of Jane I am waiting to play with, but this may spur me on!
Thank you Jillian! I’ve been waiting for your review as I hadn’t heard if Jane was next to skin soft. I’m one with sensitive skin. I’m itching (pun intended) to knit the Pressed Flowers sweater.
I’ve been wondering about the itch or hopefully no itch with Jane. Merino is great and so is Rambouillet, but alpaca has me scratching and digging at my neck. Thoughts?
There’s no alpaca in Jane! We find it soft enough to wear next to the skin. Wool sensitivity is so subjective, though, so I’d recommend starting with a small project to test it for yourself.
I liked the wool combs in your blending picture. What make were they?
I am eager to try Jane in a Pressed Flower Cowl. Debating which color combination. Also trying not to buy yarn, but Jane looks so appealing! Thank you for the Ridged Check Pattern!
Ooooo! At my advanced chronological superiority, I’ve finally discovered the joy of swatching! I recently made swatches testing a stitch pattern that I was intending for a washcloth. I was so taken with its appearance I got several different yarns out of my stash to swatch them while trying a variation with it of my own. Ta Daaa! I found the yarn and stitch pattern variety that makes the very fabric I wanted! I am on my way to creating a sweater I am really going to wear and I can’t wait!
I tell this story to illustrate that I have discovered yarns I wouldn’t have given a second look at for making garments that I never would have thought of making. Looking at Jillian’s swatches with Jane I can now see with a better educated eye the value and possibilities of that scrumptious yarn. I understand Jillian’s description and suggestions for the yarn and the ideas she sees for the different stitch patterns.
Yay for me! Yay for Jillian! Yay for MDK for conceiving the wool blend that this yarn is comprised of! I KNOW I will use this terrific yarn for something. I no longer have fuzzy (no pun intended – well, maybe a little one!) concepts of a plan for the yarn but neither am I wedded to the original idea the yarn and project I am purchasing it for in the first place! THANK YOU to the Fiber Guardian Angels who led me to this epiphany before it was too late!
Old dogs can learn new tricks and so can old ladies! What a gift it is to learn!!!
On one hand, your article makes me feel smart because I had figured this out on my own. But on the other hand, it makes me feel dumb because I never could have explained it as you have!
Now I feel even dumber because I thought I was posting on Kate Atherley’s article on grating!!