Pendle DK is our luscious, squishy, cosy pure superwash extrafine merino. There are a lot of adjectives I could use for this yarn but they all basically come back to it being SQUISHY AF.
We've had Pendle DK for many years, and it's always been quite a soft and sturdy yarn but not all *that* soft (weirdly) compared to say Brimham DK for example (which uses the same merino). However, new for 2021 it has had an upgrade. It's still extrafine merino (that's defined by the micron count of the fibre) but it is just... better. It's honestly just so ridiculously soft and squishy; I feel like it's exactly how this yarn should be - there's nothing I would change about it now. It has a matt look to it, as if it's almost fluffy but not quite; but it's definitely not shiny like a lot of our other yarns.
As always, I dye Pendle DK in batches large enough to be able to get sweater quantities; and you can find it HERE on the website.
Here are the stats:
100% superwash extrafine merino
100g
200m/218yds
3.5 - 4.5mm (US 4-7) needles
12 WPI
Machine washable on a gentle cycle
Lay flat to dry
(although we recommend handwashing all handknits/crochet if possible)
I've made two swatches to start with (I was limited as I had a big RSI flare-up); one knitting and one crochet. They should give you a starting point though.
Here's the crochet one. It's done on a 4mm hook, and is gently blocked but not super-stretched. I'm pretty crap at blocking squares for some reason so it isn't actually straight, but I like to provide realistic information and this is my reality. 🙈
This comes in at 15.5 stitches and 14.5 rows in UK half treble over 10 x 10cm.
The knitted swatch was done on 4mm needles and gently blocked (it definitely would have stretched more if I wanted). It has come out at 18.5 stitches and 25 rows to 10 x 10cm square of stocking stitch.
So the thing about both of these is that the fabric they've created is a gorgeous dense texture. I definitely could have blocked them harder but didn't actually want to, as I think the defining feature of this yarn is that it can create this lovely thick, cosy fabric. I say that, it's not super-thick, it's just noticeable compared to things like Titus DK (which is merino/silk so much more drapey). I would have no hesitation at all in using this yarn for garments (well, I have done, but I now want to make more) as well as things like hats, cowls, etc etc.
If you'd like some pattern and project inspo we have a blog post for exactly that HERE. It's designed as an off-Rav alternative to their yarn pages so it is a living page which gets updated.
