The soft, fluffy fleece of a Merino sheep—known as Merino Wool—protects the sheep from all weather conditions. If you’d like to experience the qualities of this special wool for yourself, try knitting or crocheting garments with Merino Wool! In this blog, we’ll tell you everything about the much-loved Merino Wool. We’ll also inspire you with a wide selection of Merino yarns and free patterns.
This special wool comes from the… merino sheep! The merino sheep is one of the oldest and hardiest sheep breeds. They live mainly in areas where it can get both very hot and very cold, and their special woolen coat allows them to thrive in these conditions. For example, Merino Wool regulates moisture and temperature; when it’s hot, the wool keeps you cool, and when it’s cold, you stay nice and warm! Sounds great, doesn’t it? But Merino Wool has even more benefits—we’ve listed them all for you.
- Merino Wool regulates your body temperature: you won't feel cold in the winter when you're wearing Merino Wool clothing.
- Merino Wool feels soft and doesn't itch, so it's very comfortable!
- Merino Wool regulates moisture and is therefore highly resistant to odors.
- Merino Wool is strong and can take a beating
Tip:
Since wool regulates moisture, you don't really need to wash it. If you hang your Merino Wool garment outside for an afternoon, it'll be nice and fresh again afterward.
Projects Using Merino Wool
Merino Wool is all well and good, but what can you do with it? Well, you can knit or crochet your own clothes! That way, you can experience the benefits of this special wool for yourself. Merino Wool is mainly used for knitting—for example, a warm and comfortable sweater, hat, cardigan, or scarf.
Merino Wool is also ideal for making items for babies. Because Merino Wool regulates temperature and has a smooth texture, you can use it to make soft baby blankets, booties, and clothes. And the best part is that the unique qualities of Merino Wool are incorporated into your knitted creations.
Merino Wool and merino yarns
Fortunately, more and more merino yarns are being released. Yarnplaza.com features many yarns made from 100% Merino Wool or a mix of Merino Wool and another material. Below, we’ve highlighted the most popular merino yarns by brand.
Lana Grossa offers a wide variety of merino yarns that you can use to create beautiful clothing. You can find inspiration in one of Lana Grossa’s many magazines.
- Cool Wool line: All yarns in this line are 100% merino wool and retain their shape:
Cool Wool | Cool Wool Melange | Cool Wool Big | Cool Wool Big Melange.
- Cool Air: consists of a Polyamide mesh base filled with a blended mix of merino and Alpaca wool. This blend makes Cool Air voluminous, light, and soft.
- Ecopuno: A soft yarn with a subtle washed-out look made from cotton, merino and Alpaca wool.
The yarn brand DROPS offers 7 yarns made from 100% Merino Wool or a Mix of Merino Wool and Cotton (Cotton Merino).
View all DROPS merino yarns here.
The Katia yarn brand offers many luxury yarns made from 100% Merino Wool or a luxurious mix of Merino Wool.
- Basic Merino: is a mix of 52% Merino and 48% Acrylic. The yarn is strong, soft, and easy to knit and crochet with.
- Cotton-Merino:a blended yarn made from Cotton and extra-fine Merino Wool. Clothing made from Cotton-Merino is exceptionally light and airy and feels wonderfully soft against your skin. Available in beautiful colors!
- Merino Baby: a super-soft yarn that’s ideal for making baby clothes. The yarn is spun from 100% Merino Wool and has been treated with “superwash,” so it’s machine-washable!
Phildar is a luxury yarn brand that offers fine merino yarns. We've highlighted our three favorites below.
- Phil Merinos 3.5 and Phil Merinos 6: a soft, two-ply yarn made from 100% merino wool, with a warm and comfortable feel. The yarn is superwash-treated, so you can machine wash it at up to 30°.
- Phil Nuage: a soft yarn with a fine warp structure. Made from merino wool and Polyamide, its structure makes it not only extra warm but also very lightweight.
Lang Yarns offers a variety of Merino Wool yarns, and fortunately, new ones are constantly being added. We’d like to share one of the most popular Merino Wool yarns with you, as well as the yarns from Wooladdicts. Wooladdicts is a line from Lang Yarns. Some of the yarns in this line are made with Merino Wool. The yarns are of excellent quality and perfect for comfortable cardigans, sweaters, and accessories such as hats and scarves.
- Lang Yarns Merino 150 and Lang Yarns Merino 120: The yarn has a fine strand and feels supple and super soft to the touch. With Lang Yarns Merino’s extensive color palette, there’s always a color you’ll love. Plus, the yarn is machine washable up to 30 degrees.
- Wooladdicts Fire: Super Chunky twisted yarn made from the softest Merino Wool. It’s wonderfully soft, voluminous, and lightweight!
- Wooladdicts Love: A mix of Merino Wool and Polyamide with a braided texture. Love is the thinnest yarn in the Wooladdicts line and creates the most beautiful lightweight projects.
- Wooladdicts Air: An air-blown merino yarn with a nylon base. This gives Air a beautiful twisted texture and subtle color variations within the yarn.
- Wooladdicts Faith: a luxurious yarn made of Merino Wool and Polyamide, featuring a beautiful textured weave and subtle color variations throughout the strand.
Free Crochet and Knitting Patterns with Merino Wool
You can expand your winter wardrobe—we have many free patterns for projects you can knit or crochet using our popular Merino Wool.
1. Crocheted cardigan made with Katia Merino:
2. Basic Merino Cardigan Crochet Kit
3. Shades of Merino Cotton Striped Scarf
4. Crochet a cool wool cardigan for girls using large hooks:
5. Extra-Fine Merino Baby Blanket Crochet Pattern
6. Shawl in shades of merino cotton
We hope we've inspired you to get started with Merino Wool! Have lots of fun crocheting and knitting—and, ultimately, enjoy wearing your creations!
