The world is full of colorwork yoke sweaters, but what yarn should you choose?

The invasion of the Icelandic sweater started a few years ago. All of a sudden everyone was knitting Riddari. And why not? It is a stylish colorwork yoke sweater that works for anyone. It is also a good option if you are a beginner with colorwork, since there are no long floats and the chart repeat is short too. With the help of the Icelandic yoke craze, also other colorwork yoke sweaters started to appeal to larger audience of knitters. Many designers started to design stunning colorwork yoke sweaters, like Jennifer Steingass and Jenna Kostet/Ihtireikkoknits, just to name a few. 

Lettlopi has been one of the best selling yarns for Icelandic sweaters, but there are also other great options. Did you know that the most traditional Icelandic sweaters are actually knit in Plötulopi? Plötulopi is an unspun Icelandic wool that is somewhat fragile, since it’s unspun. However the knitted sweater is light and airy and rather soft. I knitted the Ryðrauð / Rusty cardigan a few years ago and it’s one of my most worn knitted garments. Try knitting Plötulopi using two or even three strands. Help the yarn from the “cake” with your hand, or wind up the yarn by hand into a ball. Of all the Icelandic wools that I’ve tried, Plötulopi itches the least (please note, that itching is subjective).

Then there is Alafosslopi, the big sister of Lettlopi, which is great for really thick outdoor garments. You can try to substitute Alafosslopi with Fritidsgarn from Sandnes, if you want a softer garment. Fritidsgarn is not quite as thick as Alafoss, but it might still work. I suggest you knit a swatch and try it out. If you don’t like knitting a swatch, I suggest you read this. After all, you don’t want to knit a sweater size swatch, right? 

A fun yarn to consider is Filcolana Peruvian Highland Wool. With 60 colors to choose from this is really an ideal yarn for those colorwork yokes. This bouncy yarn works great for cables as well. But seriously, why not put a colorwork yoke and some cables into the same sweater? 

In the picture colors 203, 804, 975 & 100.

I think there are way too many options to choose from in what comes to great yarn for a colorwork sweater. One of my personal favorites is Gilliatt from De Rerum Natura. I am planning to knit a sweater for my mom for Christmas. I just can’t seem to be able to make up my mind about the colors. Too many great ones. At the moment my top 3 choices are Figue, Cyprus and Ciel. I'll probably end up with something completely different, like Confiture de Rose. 

Then there is also Kos and Smart. A colorwork sweater from Kos will be the softest ever, just look at this Riddari swatch that Tiina knitted. I think she already carried these yarns home and the sweater is flying off her needles. There are lots of lovely muted colors in Kos in case you want a delicate colorwork sweater. The colors in Tiina’s swatch are 6870, 2543, 1021 and 8521.

Sandnes Garn Smart is a true workhorse yarn that is durable and just improves with wear. You can also wash smart in the washing machine, but remember that wool doesn’t need to be washed too frequently, airing is fine. The knitted sweater barely shows any pilling over time and it just gets softer with wear. Smart comes in 40 colors, you really should be able to find some lovely combinations. 

Last but not least, our very own Tukuwool DK. I don’t think this yarn needs any adjectives! I am knitting my second sweater from Tukuwool DK and am almost living in the first one I knitted. I also have yarn for a third sweater. There is a fourth colorwork sweater on my todo -list. I'd love to knit this Pagan sky sweater. Again, my issue here is deciding on the colors. I think Haave and Valo would work, or why not Tyyni and Valo. Jenna Kostet/ihtiriekkoknits has a lot of designs that are suited for Tukuwool DK, like this Suolaulu Talvi that Emmi made. See the picture at the top. These are the colors Kajo and Repo that I suggested and I think this turned out stunning. It suits Emmi fantastically. 

I think I’m gonna head over to the Gilliatt shelf and finally choose the colors. Happy knitting! - Enikö

Take a look at these other yarn recommendations for sweater weather, there are plenty available! ;)