Hi everyone and welcome to my blog! Today, I have the honor of reviewing Blacker Yarns' Cornish Garden Sport yarn. It is a celebratory yarn for their 14th birthday! Blacker Yarns is a yarn company based in Cornwall, UK. They carry pure, sustainable breed-specific yarns made from 100% natural fibers produced from their mill, The Natural Fibre Company. In their Youtube video, Sue Blacker explains how yarn is processed and what makes them different from other mills. As she narrates, viewers are granted a sneak peak of the Natural Fibre Company mill. Check out their process below.
What does Blacker Yarns carry regularly?
They have a huge variety of yarns that are made from wool, alpaca, mohair, and linen. Some of their yarns are sourced from rare, endangered breeds of sheep. You can find more of their products on their website. For now, let's get a closer look at their limited edition birthday yarn!*
Cornish Garden Sport Yarn Review
Yarn Stats:
Blacker Yarns Cornish Garden Sport
4-ply Woolen-Spun, 100% Pure New Wool
40% natural white and fawn English merino
17% fawn and grey Shetland
26% Blue-faced Leicester
17% pale noils (recycled from worsted combing processes)
100g, 232 yds (212 m)
Suggested needle size: 4mm US 6 (8 UK)
Appearance: I received two mini skeins from Blacker Yarns, gold and natural for review. I love how they packaged their yarn as if it were a gift. :) Let me just say that the gold is a show stopper. It is a deep, rich, beautiful color. I absolutely love it! The natural grey is a earthy, warm grey color. I usually lean towards cool grey, but this one is rather beautiful. While observing the beautiful colors, I noticed the texture right away. There are subtle natural-colored flecks throughout the yarn. It seems to be just the right amount of noils blended throughout each yarn. In a unique way, it adds a bit of charm and character to the yarn. I believe the slight texture would be a bonus for large projects, wherein one color may make up the majority of the project—e.g., a sweater or cardigan. Overall, there's nothing boring about this yarn.
Feel: Cornish Garden Sport feels light, airy and rustic. It has a pleasant earthy feel to it. Due to the merino, Shetland and BFL content, this woolen yarn has a lovely handle. It would be great for projects worn close to skin. I could imagine using this for mittens, fingerless gloves, or a nice autumn or winter sweater. Due to the roundness of the yarn, it would make beautiful, pronounced cables when knitted. Elastic, structurally sound, and strong are words I would use to describe this yarn.
Use: Blacker Yarns had generously sent enough yarn for sufficient samples. I was able to knit and crochet samples and still have some yarn left over. Let's take a closer look at my Cornish Garden Sport samples.
Knitting
I decided to use my Addi Turbo circulars size US 7 (4.5 mm). Because the yarn is rustic and slightly grabby, this pair was a match made in heaven. The yarn just glides along these needles. I enjoyed every second of knitting with this yarn! It was pleasurable enough for me to want to knit another swatch. The stockinette swatch with garter borders showcases the character of the yarn. I believe the slight unevenness gives an otherwise flat fabric a little more depth. Can you see some of the flecks in it?
The Fair Isle sample is just as lovely. The slightly uneven character does show a bit more in this swatch. If you aren't a fan of the natural look, then that is something to consider. For this one, I knitted part of the motif for the Festoon Mittens found in Tanis Gray's Gradient Knits book. Side note: I love the look of these mittens and plan to make myself a pair one day! The swatch turned out great. This yarn is well suited for Fair Isle knitting. Here is the swatch below:
Crocheting
For this sample, I decided to use my Knitter's Pride Dreamz crochet hook size US I/9 (5.5 mm). Using the wooden hook meant much slower crocheting than my usual speed. When crocheting with this yarn, I decided to go up a hook size for comfort and a looser fabric. I also believe a metal or smooth, non-wooden hook is best for pairing with this yarn. Although, the process was a bit slower due to the hook chosen, the swatch itself turned out fantastic. While crocheting produces a thicker fabric than knitting, I would still consider this to be 'next to skin' soft. The woolen spun nature of the yarn is a great asset. The swatch is rather lightweight, it has some drape, and the yarn shows off the double crochet stitches exceptionally well. In these stitches, you can also see the depth and character of the gold colorway. In my opinion, a crocheted garment would be very practical with this yarn.
Overall: This yarn has my vote. In my opinion, it would be a great yarn for sweaters, cardigans, mitts, fingerless gloves and even home decor. My top 3 favorite things about Cornish Garden Sport yarn is its character, unique fiber blend, and its potential use. The swatches all looked different after blocking. The true rustic, organic and natural look of this yarn comes forward. Check out this yarn in a variety of colors, and also other yarns at their website: www.blackeryarns.co.uk
Thank you for checking out this review. Leave your comments below!
*This is my honest review. I have no affiliations with this yarn company and have not received any compensation for this review.