This is the first in a new series I’m starting on my blog called “Swatch Talk”! What’s it all about? From time to time I will highlight a yarn, whether it’s new to me or an old favorite, and talk about what inspired me to pick the yarn, pictures and thoughts about my swatching process with it and what projects I think would work well for it (based on my swatching experiments). I hope you’ll find this series helpful and learn not only about some different yarns but how I decide to pair up particular yarns with particular projects!
The first yarn I’m featuring in this series is Tykk Line by Sandnes Garn. I first noticed this yarn when visiting my local yarn shop Mother of Purl a month or so ago (visiting yarn shops is often how I discover ‘new to me’ yarns). Sandnes Garn is a Norwegian company and their US distributor is Mother Knitter.
Here are the basic stats about this yarn:
- Considered a chunky-weight yarn (so somewhere between a heavy-worsted and a bulky)
- Fiber content: 53% cotton, 33% viscose and 14% linen (i.e, no wool)
- Yardage: 66 yds = 50 grams
First Impressions
I’m always intrigued to find a heavier-weight yarn that is also warm-weather-friendly because they can be hard to come by (Tykk Line is cotton/viscose/linen). Immediately I liked the feel of Tykk Line – it was way softer than typical 100% linen (you can definitely feel the cotton) and also felt like something that would feel comfortable to wear in multiple seasons. I also loved the color palette – Sandnes Garn always has a gorgeous, extensive color palette in natural, earthy shades that I love. I had purchased a skein of “Rose Sand” colorway to swatch with (I just love this color).
Tykk Line’s color palette is a bit more limited compared to other yarns by this brand, but I think there is still something for everyone (and there are some surprising pops of color in this line that I haven’t seen in their other lines):
Now let’s get to the swatches!
So the first swatch I did was a flat one (so working back and forth) and I did it on a US 10 needle:
It felt like a US 10 would be as high as I would go (at least at my tension) – the fabric it created was a little loose but not too bad. After blocking, my stitch gauge was 13.5 sts = 4″. In terms of the stitch definition, I didn’t love how my stitches look a tad irregular but I wasn’t surprised – cotton/linen is less forgiving than wool yarns. So any stitch inconsistencies will be more visible in a cotton/linen yarn than in a wool yarn.
In my second swatch I decided to go down a needle size to a US 9 and do this one in the round:
My first reaction was, wow-what a difference in stitch definition! By working in the round and only working knit stitches (no purls), my stitches look so much more even. I already know that my purl stitches tend to be looser than my knit stitches, so it makes sense that my flat swatch’s stitches don’t look as uniform as my in the round swatch. Plus combined with going down a needle size I think really provided a much neater fabric. After blocking, my stitch gauge was 14 sts = 4″.
My overall thoughts…
Here is a round-up of my overall thoughts on this yarn and the swatches it created:
- I think this is a great option to consider when knitting a bulky-weight garment or accessory that you want to be able to wear in almost all seasons (or if you have a wool allergy).
- I especially like the fabric when worked in the round (so all knit stitches) and for me, a US 9 needle created a perfect not-too-loose and not-too-tight fabric.
- The only downside is that there isn’t much yardage in each skein (only 66 yds). But that is common in linen/cotton yarns at this weight. It just means that when you knit a garment out of it, you’ll need quite a number of skeins (for example, a sweater may need 10+ skeins).
Project Ideas for This Yarn
So what projects of mine would work well for this yarn? Here are some suggestions!
Raincheck Vest
Gauge-wise this would be spot-on. Based on my swatches, I’d guess I would be on a US 9 to get pattern gauge when knitting flat. This yarn would also work well because, similar to the 100% linen yarn I used in the photo above, the edges won’t curl that much thanks to the linen content. So the raw edges in this piece work well for this yarn.
Ice Breaker Tee
The gauge of this tee is a bit looser than my swatches (and what I would comfortably want to knit at with this yarn), but I think it would look beautiful in this top. So I would suggest using this yarn, but knitting a different size to accomodate a gauge of 14 sts = 4″ (instead of 11.5 sts = 4″). I have instructions on how to do this on my Ice Breaker Tips page.
Capo Top
Gauge-wise this would also be spot-on. Based on my swatch, I would use a US 9 to get the pattern gauge of 14 sts = 4″. And with this cotton/linen blend, it would provide such nice drape and make this perfect for warmer weather.
Zester Cowl
If you would like to try this yarn in a smaller project, then my Zester Cowl might be perfect for it. Although I use a sport-weight yarn for this project, on my Zester Tips page I include cast-on numbers if you want to use a different weight. I suggest following the bulky-weight cast-on and needle size I list on this page – you would only need 3 skeins of Tykk Line for this!
I hope this first Swatch Talk post was interesting and informative! If you would like to consider Tykk Line by Sandnes Garn in your next project, check with your local yarn shop to see if they carry this yarn! If not, the Mother Knitter website lists yarn shops that do carry it, so you can find a shop closest to you.