Getting customised yarn for my next knitting project
A trip to the wool factory in Hamburg
Last week I was debating which pattern to knit next and I finally settled on the Manon Cardigan from Moreca Knit. It ticked all my boxes for my next project: it's knitted in moss stitch, a pattern I've never knitted before, it can be dressed up or down and it would give me the opportunity to try a new, more summery yarn. But which yarn to choose? The pattern is knitted in Lamana's Cosma, which I have heard great things about, but none of the colours really caught my eye. My other option was Pascuali's Saffira, a blend of 70% merino and 30% silk, but I thought it might be too warm for a summer top.
Die Wollfabrik / The Wool Factory
Then I remembered Die Wollfabrik in Hamburg. It is a bit out of the way in an old industrial area, so it took me a while to get there and I got a bit lost trying to find it. I had seen pictures before, but this was even better in person. Just being surrounded by so much yarn made the trip worthwhile.
Unlike the cosy yarn shop I usually go to, the Wollfabrik is a warehouse full of yarn. Instead of selling pre-packaged skeins, they have cones of yarn stacked on shelves that reach to the ceiling and are stored in large wooden boxes. They stock all kinds of fibres: merino, cotton, silk, linen, cashmere and even angora. The range of colours is beautiful, too, and I felt like a kid in a candy store. At the back of the shop, a mechanical spinning machine rattles as it spins yarn onto cones.
So how does it work?
As you can see on the pictures, the yarn on the cones is too thin to knit with by hand. When I walked in, one of the staff explained the concept and how it works: You choose the yarn you want, as well as the thickness. Depending on how thick you want your yarn to be, they will add the required number of threads together. This means you can mix and match different types of fibres and colours. All the information about fibre content, weights and the number of strands required for each needle size is labelled on the shelves. Next to the shelves are large gauge swatches so you can see how each yarn will knit at different thicknesses. If you are not sure how many skeins and cones you will need in the end, the staff is very helpful.
Once you have made your decision, they will use their spinning machine to wind your yarn onto a fresh cone. This takes about 6 minutes and then your personalised yarn is ready.
What I bought
After browsing and probably circling the whole shop at least twice, I landed on my final choice. It was a good thing I had a good idea of what I wanted, otherwise I would still be there trying to decide. I ended up with a 100% pima cotton yarn and a 70% merino, 30% silk blend. They blended both yarns in a 50/50 ratio, so my final yarn is 50% cotton, 35% merino and 15% silk. I got 450 grams for just 38€, which felt like a great bargain.
One thing to note is that the strands aren't spun as tightly as traditional yarn. So the strands can split very easily. But I think the price, the opportunity to mix your own yarn, and the quality of the yarn make up for it. I am super excited to try out my customised yarn and share my final thoughts with you, once the cardigan is ready!
Do you have a similar shop in your area? Have you knitted with this type of yarn before?
See you next week and until then: happy knitting!
xx Sophie
