Yarn Review: Purl Soho Till
Highland wool may seem like a "basic". Less expensive than merino, but soft enough to be comfortable against the skin for most, it's easy to find highland wool knitting yarn. But my friends at Purl Soho often excel when it comes to making elevated basics. This new yarn is no exception.
Till is a 4-ply, aran-to-bulky weight version of Purl Soho's sport-weight, 2-ply Good Wool. I was thrilled to get my hands on a couple of skeins so I could take you along on a test drive.
FYI: This yarn was gifted to me by Purl Soho with no obligation to use or review the yarn. The links are not affiliate links. I receive no compensation for this review (other than from paid subscribers🩷), nor will I receive a commission if you make a purchase. I have an ongoing business relationship with Purl Soho tech editing many of their patterns, and I have done some designing for them.
First, the Specifications
This yarn is suitable for use in patterns calling for heavy worsted, aran, or bulky-weight yarns.
Let's Take a Closer Look
Till is a round, lofty, classic 4-ply yarn. The individual plies are lightly twisted, which keeps the yarn soft and light. These strands are plied together with a moderate twist, creating a yarn with a strong, stable structure. I cannot break the yarn with my hands.
Till is evenly and consistently spun, with no slubs, thin spots, or knots in the two balls I sampled.
Let's Look at a Swatch
My stockinette stitch swatch was knit on size US 9 (5.5 mm) needles. My gauge is 16.5 sts and 22 rows = 4" (10 cm). This is on the tighter end of the gauge range recommended on the yarn label.
This yarn is right at the edge of my comfort zone when it comes to gauge. My sweet spot is a needle size between US 5 (3.75 mm) and US 7 (4.5 mm). Anything bigger than a US 9 (5.5 mm) feels awkward to me. But I love knitting with Till. It was soft and comfortable in my hands, with no splitting or untwisting of the plies. I could easily knit this yarn with my eyes closed.
The stitch definition is crisp and even. I've handled this swatch quite a bit, and it shows no signs of pilling or getting fuzzy. The fabric is cohesive and resilient. For me, it easily qualifies for next-to-the-skin wear.
Till is a terrific choice for quick-knitting hats and mittens. It would also make a great everyday pullover, or a cozy shawl-collared cardigan you reach for before the house warms up in the morning.
Let's Get Fancy!
I don't often work with yarns of this thickness, and I was curious about how a fancy stitch pattern would look at this gauge.
I worked the Gull Check pattern from Barbara Walker's A Treasury of Knitting Patterns. Each 7-stitch repeat of the pattern is 1½" wide, so this stitch makes a bold, graphic two-color pattern which I imagine would look fabulous on a cowl. The yarn has enough elasticity to cope well with stitches pulled over several rows, and the fabric has a wonderful three-dimensional quality.
The Colors
Till is offered in 37 gently heathered solid colors. The heathered effect is created by dying the fiber before it is spun, then blending closely related shades together before spinning. It creates rich, interesting colors that are more sophisticated than flat solids dyed in the skein.
What You Can't See
You've probably knit with highland wool before. It is a workhorse fiber which is readily available in handknitting yarn. Many popular yarns, such as Cascade 220 and Knit Picks Wool of the Andes, are made with highland wool. Sometimes called Peruvian highland or Andean highland, highland wool comes from herds raised in the Andes mountains of Peru. The sheep are a cross of Merino and Corriedale whose adaptation to life in a cold, dry climate has produced wool which is soft, warm, and sturdy.
Till is spun in Peru and is Oeko-Tex certified to be free of harmful chemicals.
But Wait, Where's the Hat?
I did knit a hat with Till (and it's gorgeous), but I turned around and sold the design. I'll be sure to let you know when it's published.
The Bottom Line
Purl Soho's Till is an elevated basic yarn. Soft and durable, you'll enjoy using this yarn for hats, mittens, sweaters, and blankets. At a heavy worsted-weight gauge, your project will work up fast and trouble free in this high-quality wool.
If you enjoy thoughtful, introspective novels, I'd like to introduce you to Julian Barnes. I recently listened to his book The Only Story, originally published in 2018. It's a heartbreaker.
Our narrator, Paul, first meets his lover, Susan, when they are thrown together as mixed-doubles tennis partners. He is 19; she is 48, with a husband and two daughters older than Paul.
You know from the start this relationship will send ripples of hurt far beyond the two lovers. But Paul, in his youthful exuberance and optimism, does not know. Or chooses not to see.
Everyone has their love story. Everyone. It may have been a fiasco, it may have fizzled out, it may never even have got going, it may have been all in the mind, that doesn't make it any less real. Sometimes, it makes it more real. Sometimes, you see a couple, and they seem bored witless with one another, and you can't imagine them having anything in common, or why they're still living together. But it's not just habit or complacency or convention or anything like that. It's because once, they had their love story. Everyone does. It's the only story.
― Julian Barnes, The Only Story
I first encountered Barnes when I read his 2011 Booker Prize winning The Sense of an Ending. Both books share the sense of looking back on life with sadness, regret, and compassion. Barnes gently illuminates our tendency to edit our memories, so they better support the story we want to tell about who we are.
The Only Story is a beautifully written exploration of the nature of love, with a haunting, elegiac tone.
Book titles are liked to Bookshop.org, a non-profit that support independent bookstores. These are affiliate links. If you make a purchase using these links, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.
As ever, I appreciate your time and attention. Knitting and books occupy a large part of my brain, and I love sharing that passion with you.
Continue the conversation – What size yarn do you gravitate toward? Fingering, sport, DK, worsted, chunky? Why? What needle sizes are you most comfortable with? I'd love to hear about it in the comments.
Nice review Sandi! I don't do much knitting with heavy weight yarns now, but they were a big part of my early knitting years. I probably should come up with a project to use Till for as I know knitting with heavy weight yarns and big knitting needles is good exercise for my hands. Looking forward to seeing your hat pattern! I think your stitch pattern could be pretty on a throw pillow, too! :-)
On your elegiac reading, I am reminded of the current love affair I am watching between my 18 month old young stud of a tuxedo kitty - (too cool for his own good!) and a wonderful spay long haired calico female of many years that comes by to sit on the outside window sill. These two love each other through the window pane and sing love messages when absent.
Beautiful stitch pattern and a great review as always. Thank you Sandi. I have used some highland wool and have read the label but never knew the sheep were a merino+corriedale hybrid! I am able to wear sweaters knit from Knit Picks wool of the Andes and Palette over one layer of clothing, not right next to skin. Knit Picks palette remarkably softens in washing and wearing.
Speaking of yarn weights, fingering is my favorite weight for sweaters.