I was really excited to try out the new superwash yarn from Brown Sheep, Stratosphere. In fact, this yarn was sent to me near the end of the summer, and I am a bit overdue in posting my review (oops!). That's not the yarn's fault, however; I happened to bite off more than I could chew in my pattern choice, the Color Block Cowl from Purl Soho.
It's not that the pattern was difficult to knit, but it was fussy. Each stitch pattern used the technique of knitting into the row before, which is actually quite easy to do - but again, fussy. Especially when you are working from all 3 skeins. Also, I don't know if it was just my newness to the technique or if this is typical of patterns like this, but I found that the fabric edges were a little messy looking when working with more than 1 color.
As a result, there were some days and even weeks where I just didn't feel like picking it up to work on, which made me feel a but guilty, because I loved the yarn and I knew I would love the end result....I just didn't enjoy the process of getting from point A to point B!
Let's talk more about the yarn. Stratosphere is inspired by the Nebraska sky with its cloud-like softness and loft as well as its interesting color palette of bright solids and soft kettle-dyed color ways. It's a superwash DK weight spun with a soft, fine grade U.S. washable wool, and if washability and durability is your concern, this is the yarn for you!
And you don't have to sacrifice softness, either: while I know the softness is subjective, I was impressed with how my finished project softened up after washing. There's no hint of "prickle factor" when I loop it snugly around my neck. As you can see, the finished cowl is easy to wear and really pretty. I think the yarn is going to hold up really well and I doubt it will pill, even years from now.
Stratosphere checks off a lot of boxes for me: Made in the USA, good quality, easy care, great color palette....I would definitely reach for this yarn again, both for myself or for a gift project.
Click here to find your nearest Brown Sheep retailer; click here to view yarn details on the Brown Sheep website.
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It's not that the pattern was difficult to knit, but it was fussy. Each stitch pattern used the technique of knitting into the row before, which is actually quite easy to do - but again, fussy. Especially when you are working from all 3 skeins. Also, I don't know if it was just my newness to the technique or if this is typical of patterns like this, but I found that the fabric edges were a little messy looking when working with more than 1 color.
As a result, there were some days and even weeks where I just didn't feel like picking it up to work on, which made me feel a but guilty, because I loved the yarn and I knew I would love the end result....I just didn't enjoy the process of getting from point A to point B!
Let's talk more about the yarn. Stratosphere is inspired by the Nebraska sky with its cloud-like softness and loft as well as its interesting color palette of bright solids and soft kettle-dyed color ways. It's a superwash DK weight spun with a soft, fine grade U.S. washable wool, and if washability and durability is your concern, this is the yarn for you!
And you don't have to sacrifice softness, either: while I know the softness is subjective, I was impressed with how my finished project softened up after washing. There's no hint of "prickle factor" when I loop it snugly around my neck. As you can see, the finished cowl is easy to wear and really pretty. I think the yarn is going to hold up really well and I doubt it will pill, even years from now.
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How have I, a knitter from Nebraska (!), not yet seen this yarn???
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