First off, as P. G. Wodehouse would say, Kelbourne Woolens Andorra is the snake’s eyebrows.
Let me elaborate. There are four—no, five—things that made this yarn seem like a good idea. First, Merino wool; softness. Second, Highland wool: sturdiness. Third, mohair: I don’t know exactly why, but it sounds nice. Fourth, 2ply: lofty, and gives colorwork a blended look. Fifth, the colors. (No explanation needed here—pop over to the Kelbourne Woolens website and take a long look.) If I had more knitting friends, doubtless I would have been sagely advised not to do a commission (Soldotna) in yarn I’d never used before; but as I had no Jeeves to give me fair warning, I barreled ahead like Bertie Wooster wearing his red satin cummerbund in place of a waistcoat.
Unlike Bertie’s cummerbund, Andorra really was a good idea.
As a whole, the yarn is quirky—60% Merino, 20% Highland wool, 20% mohair, spun in a lofty 2-ply structure—I don’t think I’ve ever seen an equivalent. I’ve given bullet points on each of these features above, but they’re worth a little more detail. Merino wool, the most well-known of wools, is tremendously soft but not known for its strength or resiliency; that’s where the Highland comes in. Highland sheep are a cross between Merino and Corriedale sheep, producing a wool that is softer than Corriedale but with more bounce, elasticity and ‘tooth’ than Merino. Mohair adds even more strength as well as shine. In this in-depth article for Mason-Dixon Knitting, Jillian Moreno discusses ply structure and why it matters—among other things, 2-ply yarn creates a ‘balanced’ (doesn’t slant on the bias) fabric and creates a soft look in colorwork.
All my hanks were neatly made up (alas, I have no photos) and easy to wind; I think all six hanks that were needed for Soldotna were wound on my ball winder and swift in 30 minutes.
I’ve seen this yarn classified as both a DK weight and a sport weight; in the hank I’d call it a straight-up sport weight. As the pattern calls for DK yarn, I was forced to size up my needles to get gauge; as you can see, the resulting fabric is still cohesive and not at all holey, even before blocking. The 2-ply structure gives the colorwork a blended look. I worked on wood needles and found the knitting experience to be very pleasant; in my opinion, the mohair content makes this yarn a bit too slippery for metal needles.
I alluded to the wonderful Andorra color palette earlier; I was quite surprised with how nicely these four colors (Snow White, Haint Blue, Peacock, and Mushroom) interacted with each other. The yarn is available in a relatively tight selection of colors; but I have a sneaky feeling that they were all chosen very deliberately in order to work well with each other. Even just a quick glance at the color card suggests several combinations that would be well worth trying; really there are only one or two colors in the palette that don’t appeal to me.
Pre-blocking the fabric is really quite neat, overall; the colorwork is a bit scrunchy (which made me a bit nervous) but fairly even. The stockinette has the organic, ever-so-slightly textured look that is to be expected with 2-ply yarn. Again, notice how cohesive the fabric is, even on larger needles than recommended for the yarn (suggest needle size is US 2-4; I used US 6 for the colorwork and US 5 for the solid knitting). I didn’t weigh the finished sweater, but based on the amount of yarn it took up, I’m guessing it weighed less than half a pound, maybe closer to a quarter of a pound, which is next to nothing.
I washed the sweater according to my usual method—soaking the piece in warm water with Kookaburra Delicate wash for about thirty minutes and then squeezing out excess water before blocking. I did swish the piece back and forth in the basin (being careful not to rub or agitate) a couple of times to help the colorwork relax. In the back of the yoke, I’d accidentally increased in the wrong place and then dropped the increased stitch upon discovery about four rows later, which left a hole large enough for my thumb; I was hoping that the swishing would help that spot to even out as well.
The fabric was quite pliable and easy to block. I initially blocked the yoke at a weird angle, and had to unpin and start again; the fabric responded wonderfully, most likely due to the strength of the mohair and the memory of the Highland. Due to being two layers thick as well as stranded, the sweater took several days to dry; as it did, the faintest halo from the mohair began to appear.
Blocked and dried, the fabric is marvelous. The colorwork became pristine (and yes, the hole in the back completely disappeared) and the stockinette now has fabulous smoothness and drape, without losing the quirky energy of 2-ply. The garment looks quite delicate, but I suspect that it will be sturdy and last for quite a while. It’s quite soft, and the fibers have some tooth without being prickly.
I absolutely plan to use this yarn again, for my own designs as well as for personal projects. At $10 for 185 yards, it isn’t the most budget-friendly sport-weight on earth; but neither is the price absurd. It’s the ideal colorwork yarn, particularly for those who find traditional 2-ply wool too scratchy; an Altheda or a Gardengate in Andorra would be stunning (Peacock and Snow White, anyone?). I’d also love to see how it would look in a lace project. Cables or textured stitches sound a bit less exciting, as I suspect the stitch definition wouldn’t pop quite enough; but then again, I like my cables on the brawny side. Whatever it ends up as, Andorra will likely be making appearances on this blog in the future; and I hope this review inspires others to give it a whirl. Well done, Kelbourne Woolens!
I do like the idea of an Altheda.
