Explore our Mohair Selection at No Frills Knitting

Welcome to Post No.6 in the No Frills Knitting Yarn Showcase where we're looking at our Mohair Options.

This is it! The final instalment in The No Frills Knitting Yarn Showcase blog series. We’ve spent the last month rounding up almost all the yarns we have in store at No Frills Knitting and breaking them down for you section by section. We’ve covered a lot so far: DK, 4-ply and sport weight, aran and chunky, sock weight, vegan friendly and now it’s the mohair’s time to shine!

Swatching helps you choose the right yarn for your knitting project

Choosing a yarn for your knitting project is a big decision - bigger for some more so than others - but it’s a decision to make all the same! Pretty much all the yarns we sell in the Real Life Shop are available to buy online, it can be hard to know exactly what the yarns are like unless you are already familiar with that particular brand or fibre. 

It’s all about the swatch

You’re probably bored of me banging on about swatches now that we’re 6 blog posts deep, but for those of you who are new here, and for those of you who are not, I’m here to tell you to never neglect to swatch. 

I know it’s boring; you hate it and you’re just so flippin’ excited about your new knitting project that you just want to start knitting like right NOW, but taking that extra time to knit up a little square is SO beneficial that I guarantee it won’t be long until you’re converted, like properly.

There is so much more to swatching than ensuring your gauge is correct, although to be honest, that for me is reason enough! In the small amount of time it takes to knit up a swatch you will receive a wealth of information about your yarn. Of course, you can check that your stitch counts match that required for your knitting pattern, but you’ll also see how the knitted fabric behaves and how it feels to touch. From here you can make a far better assessment as to whether that yarn is the right one. Do you need a yarn with a beautiful drape, or are you looking for a stiffer, dense fabric, for instance? If you’re knitting something with a striking stitch pattern, you’ll want a yarn that makes those details pop, so it’s important to make sure your yarn will deliver before you commit. 

A No Frills Yarn Showcase

In the Real Life No Frills Knitting shop, we have swatches or samples of almost every yarn we sell in the shop. However, as we touched upon in the intro, if you’re shopping with us online, it’s not quite as easy to see what the yarn you’re looking at knits up. Until now.

We’ve been sharing the No Frills Knitting Yarn Showcase with you over the past 6 weeks, sharing as much information with you as possible so that it’s almost like you’re standing in front of the yarn itself…almost. It’s been a joy to walk you through our collection thus far and what a delight it is to be ending where we are - the majestic mohair. 

Mohair At No Frills Knitting

Oh Mohair. What a beauty. Produced from the hair of the Angora goat, mohair is a beautiful and luxurious yarn and an extremely popular choice amongst the knitter community. It’s incredibly soft and its fluffy texture makes it a delight to knit with. Whilst you can absolutely knit with it alone single-stranded or double, it is often used held together with other yarns to produce a cosy fabric with a gentle ‘halo’. 

We’re proud of our mohair collection at No Frills Knitting. In fact, we love it so much that we have our extensive colour range displayed pride of place on our back wall so it’s the first thing you see when you enter.

We have 3 different brands of mohair available here at No Frills Knitting - let me walk you through our options:

Sandnes Garn Tynn Silk Mohair

Just like its 4-ply counterpart, Sunday, the Sandnes Garn Tynn Silk has a cult-like following. Perfect for all your PetiteKnit projects, this is a mohair which is soft, dainty and incredibly versatile. 

Knitting For Olive Soft Silk Mohair

Well, the Knitting For Olive Soft Silk Mohair does exactly what it says on the tin, doesn’t it? Soft - check; silky - double check; mohair-y - you’ve hit the jackpot! The gorgeous tones of the Knitting For Olive range can bring your knitwear to a whole new level. Soften out a slightly scratchy yarn, or add depth to a flatter colour. Knit up on its own, it’s the lightest and airiest fabric there is. 

Kremke Silky Kid

I’m going to say it; mohair doesn’t get much better than this. The Kremke Silky Kid is the perfect yarn for holding with a 4ply to create the loveliest, most luxurious sweater you can imagine. It’s super fuzzy, super fluffy and will turn any old yarn into the most premium hand knit money can buy. 

What options do I have when knitting with Mohair?

As I mentioned you have several ways in which to knit using a mohair that will create a wonderfully soft hand knit that's lighter than a cloud.

Depending on what you might like to knit, you have the option of knitting with a single strand which creates a very light and delicate fabric that lends itself well to elegant shawls, or you can knit with it held double for the most luxurious handknitted jumper/cardigan you will wear in your life. Knitting patterns such as PetiteKnit's Novice Sweater, or Cardigan (Mohair Edition) and Sunday Sweater, or Cardigan (Mohair Edition) are all beautiful options for a double stranded knit. 

However, you'll find that mohair is most commonly held with another yarn. A stunning example being this Stockholm Slipover Mini that we have knit up in Sandnes Garn Sunday and Kremke Silky Kid for the shop. 

As demonstrated, a hugely popular partner to mohair is the trusty 4-ply, however, you can also hold it with fatter weight yarns for some equally dreamy fabrics like this King Cole Merino Blend/Sandnes Garn Tynn Silk swatch you can see here. The addition of the mohair fluff to the DK strand creates a yarn which behaves more like an aran weight. 

So what yarn should I pair my mohair with?

We would recommend trying out any of these classic 4-ply merino/mohair combinations...

They're classic pairings for a reason okay? They just work, and they work really flippin' well at that. The Sandnes Garn Sunday/Tynn Silk Mohair combo is a fan favourite and extremely popular amongst the PetiteKnit archives, but the Knitting For Olive Merino/Soft Silk Mohair is the finest substitute and available in a stunning colour palette of KFO's signature, sophisticated and understated vibe (although they have been knocking out some absolute STUNNERS of late - I'm looking at you, Pink Daisies, in particular). 

Finally, for those of you who want to treat themselves to the hand knits above all over hand knits; the Kremke Eco Cashmere/Silky Kid has got your name written all over it. It's a bit of an investment, but it'll repay you in spades. Spades of the softest knitted fabric you ever did see, or touch, or even dare to dream...