Yarn provided by Fairmount Fibers. Opinions are my own. See site policies.
For this month’s review and giveaway, we’re taking a look at two new yarns from Manos del Uruguay that can best be described as sisters. Why sisters? Marla and Sami are two different yarns spun from the same fiber at the same weight, and their color palettes are designed to coordinate with each other.
For the purposes of this review, I swatched Marla in Nube (light blues, greys and whites) and Sami in Natural side by side in knitting and crochet. Comparing the two yarns, the primary difference is that Sami is dyed after plying, while Marla is made from 2 strands of lighter-weight yarn that have been dyed separately and then plied together.
Marla creates a naturally marled fabric when knit, with a unique color distribution. The Marla pictured is a yarn that used less contrasting colors, but other yarns from this line have a more high-contrast tweed look when knit, according to the website.
Sami, on the other hand, features nice hand-dyed colors that are designed to coordinate with Marla’s unique palette. I selected Natural for this review as the variation in the Nube colorway reminded me of the sky and the Natural, of course, of clouds.
THE YARN: Manos del Uruguay Sami & Marla
Where to find: Sami / Marla (additional stockists are listed on the pages linked)
Colorways pictured: Natural / Nube
Skein details: twisted hank / 273 yds/250 m / 100g // 100% Superwash Merino Wool
Knitting needles: US 4-6 / 3.5-4mm // 20-23 stitches = 4 inches (10 cm)
Crochet hook: US E / 3.5 mm // approx. 20 sc = 4 inches (10 cm) Crochet hook sizes not listed on label. This is what I swatched based on the needle size listed.
Cons: Depending on where I was in the skein, I feel like the Sami was just a little bit thinner than the Marla, but…
Pros: …they knit up together beautifully. So much so I even knit a third swatch using intarsia colorwork to see how this yarn would behave with the technique. Why? I already have a design idea that these gorgeous, contemporary colors would work well for.
Pattern Ideas: Besides the one that’s in the imagination/swatch phase, this yarn is begging to become a set of cute accessories or a sweater. I love it when yarn companies make complimentary lines of yarn like these – it makes for awesome design possibilities with color.
The Giveaway
Enter to win a skein of each yarn in each color pictured (2 skeins total). Giveaway is open to U.S. only. Enter in the box provided below or here.
If you’re a yarn or yarn industry company that might be a good fit for this series, please email me at heidi -at- handsoccupied -dot- com.
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