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Shopping Home > Yarn Home > Vermont Organic Fiber Co. > O-Wool Balance Yarn > Product Review

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 Review by: elizabeth c.     (read elizabeth c.'s other reviews) Dec 16, 2008 
 Rating: 4 out of 5 (4 out of 5)
This really is wonderful yarn. The colors are pretty and earthy, the tweed effect is lovely, and it is completely soft. No itch whatsoever. But the wool does add a lot of extra warmth.

There are some problems, however, they can be dealt with easily if you know about them beforehand. First, and maybe most important, is that the weight listed is deceptive. This is a DK weight yarn. If you buy this thinking you will work up a worsted pattern, you will be disappointed. It's a shame it isn't listed as a DK, because it would work wonderfully in a number of DK patterns and I'd imagine this negatively affects its sales.

Also, the colors are inconsistent, *even within the same dye lot*. I STRONGLY ADVISE alternating rows (using one row from one skein, then one from another) if you do not want an obvious line where you changed skeins. I used a textured pattern, and I only blended the rows in this manner for maybe the last 10 rows or so when switching skeins, and that eliminated the problem, but it flat stockinette it may be more noticible. After using the blending technique, though, the color change was masked completely.

Another thing to account for is that you gauge will change after washing/blocking. You need to block your swatch! The cotton is really prevalent in the way the fabric stretches and expands after washing. The high cotton content would also make this yarn pretty unsuitable for intricate cables, so beware that.

I have heard in other reviews that the yarn is very knotty and contains a lot of plant matter. I think they must have fixed this, because I went through 17 skeins and only had 2 knots, and very few little planty bits.

Overall, I liked this yarn, and I would buy it again. If you understand about the inconsistent coloring, and the weight, and you account for that, it really is a great yarn.
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