Yarn Review: Morehouse Farm's 2-Ply Sport

Morehouse Farm, located near Red Hook, New York, is an idyllic spot for sheep. Rolling pastures, shady woods, a cozy barn and a devoted shepherd have worked together for more than 40 years to produce some of the finest Merino wool grown in the US.

I did some pattern editing for Morehouse Farm a couple of years ago, and wrote a profile of the farm several months ago for Farm & Fiber Knits. But I had never actually knit with Morehouse Merino yarn. I stopped by their booth at The Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival last month a bought a couple of skeins. The yarn I selected to review for you is Morehouse Farm 2-Ply Sport.

FYI: I purchased this yarn. The links are not affiliate links. I receive no compensation for this review, nor will I receive a commission if you make a purchase.

First, the Specifications

This yarn is suitable for use in patterns calling for sport or DK weight yarn.

Let's Take a Closer Look

There is nothing fancy about this yarn—it is simply very high-quality wool, gently processed and spun into a 2-ply with a moderate amount of twist. The yarn is reasonably strong. I can break it with my hands, but it takes some effort.

This yarn is lofty, light, soft and smooth. It comes in hanks, which you'll need to wind into balls before use. (Morehouse Farm does offer to wind your skeins into balls for an additional charge, but I enjoy winding yarn by hand.) The yarn is evenly and consistently spun, with no slubs or thin spots. I encountered no knots in either of the skeins I sampled.

I was delighted to find no vegetable matter (little bits of straw or dried plants) in the yarn. Morehouse Farm does not coat their sheep¹, and they do not carbonize² their wool. Whenever I knit with a farm yarn, I'm prepared to pick out little bits of hay as I go but no picking was necessary with this yarn. The mill that washed this wool before spinning did an excellent job.

Let's Look at a Swatch

I knit 2-Ply Sport on size 5 (3.75mm) needles. My gauge is slightly tighter than recommended—23 sts and 36 rows = 4" in Stockinette Stitch, 23 sts and 46 rows = 4" in Garter Stitch.

This yarn was effortless to knit. There was no splitting, no coiling, just smooth sailing for every stitch.

I hand-washed my swatch and laid it flat to dry. There was no change in my gauge or the dimensions of my swatch with washing. The yarn did bloom a bit, making the stitches look plump and lush.

The fabric is feels substantial and resilient, while still being very soft and drapey. This would make a luxuriously comfortable sweater. There is good stitch definition, in spite of the slight fiber halo.

This is wool that wants to be treated like cashmere. Those soft merino fibers are likely to pill, and I wouldn’t expect this yarn to hold up to sustained hard wear. But for an indoor sweater, this is just about perfect. Just like my cashmere, with occasional use of my Gleener and hand washing twice a year, a sweater made with Morehouse 2-Ply Sport would look beautiful for years.

What You Can't See

Merino sheep are prized for their fine, soft wool with a clearly defined crimp. But all Merinos are not created equal. Merino wool can range from 11.5 microns to 25 microns³.

When Margrit Lohrer and Albrecht Pilcher founded Morehouse Farm, they set out to grow the finest Merino wool in the country. In 1987, they imported 2 rams from Australia—the first Superfine Merinos in the US. They regularly subject their fleece to independent testing, and selectively breed their flock for wool quality. Morehouse Farm Merino wool ranges from 16–17 microns. No matter how sensitive you are, this is wool you can comfortably wear next to your skin.

The Colors

Morehouse Farm yarns come in a range of five undyed natural colors, along with over 100 solid, variegated, and hand-painted colorways.

While shopping the Morehouse Farm booth, I was immediately drawn to a variegated skein in shades of red, orange, and brown evocatively named Bonfire. I knew I wanted to try this yarn in stranded colorwork, and I found the perfect complement in a pale apricot solid color called Chamois.

The Bottom Line

Knitting with Morehouse Farm 2-Ply Sport is like wearing a beautifully made overcoat. It never shouts, but whispers luxury and comfort. You can feel the quality in every stitch. I'd love to knit a simple pullover with this yarn in a color like navy blue which would become a wardrobe staple. Soft, warm, and classic, I'd reach for that sweater at least twice a week all winter long. Something I'd wear so often, and with such pleasure, is definitely worth the splurge.

The Woven Hat

For me, putting a new yarn through its paces often involves making a hat. This was no exception. The Woven Hat pattern is now available to download on Ravelry. The pattern is written for 4 sizes: Child, Adult S, Adult M, and Adult L. Paid subscribers have already been sent an email with a code to download the pattern for free. For everyone else, I'm happy to give you a 25% discount on the pattern with coupon code WovenHat25. Or just click the button below to have the coupon automatically applied.

As always, thank you for making space for me in your inbox each week. If you've enjoyed reading this yarn review, I'd appreciate your sharing it with friends who might be interested.

Is there a yarn you're curious about that you'd like me to review? Leave a comment to let me know. I'll see if I can get my hands on a skein or two and take it for a ride.

1. Shepherds with a focus on growing wool for hand-spinners sometimes cover the fleece with a sheep coat to keep the wool clean as it grows. Over the course of the year, the coats are changed to progressively larger sizes to accommodate the growing fleece.

2. Carbonization removes vegetable matter by immersing the wool in an acid bath that dissolves the plant matter, supposedly without harming the wool fibers.

3. Microns are a measurement of the diameter of each individual fiber. The fewer microns, the finer the fiber and the softer it will feel against your skin. For comparison, human hair averages of 50–75 microns.