(First in an intermittent series of why we love our yarns...)
So we know most of our customers are familiar with our two most popular yarns, Yowza and Yummy 2-Ply, so we thought we'd start with something that maybe not everyone has tried, and that's Tarte.
Fiber Content
Tarte is made from 75% superwash Merino wool, 15% nylon, and 10% Tencel. We like dyeing superwash wool yarns as they take color brilliantly and easily. Nylon gives the yarn strength and durability, and Tencel (a man-made rayon fiber derived from wood) gives it strength and shine.
Construction
Tarte has a 4-ply construction, making the resulting yarn very round with excellent stitch definition.
Together, both the fiber content and the construction of Tarte mean that it is a yarn that wears very well, resisting abrasion and pilling and retaining a new appearance for a long time. It has no halo and creates very smooth fabrics.
Yardage
We put Tarte up into generous 500-yard skeins, making it a great choice for single-skein shawlettes. And there's far less worry that you'll run out of yarn while making socks from Tarte!
Colors
We dye Tarte in our full range of monochromatic colors as well as Babettes and Wild Irises. Tarte takes color similarly to other superwash yarns, but the Tencel content can mute the colors. Because Tencel is not a protein fiber, it does not take up the acid dyes we use for the protein fibers that we dye most of the time. Babs enjoys dyeing Tarte for exactly the reason that the fiber content slightly changes the appearance of the yarn from other 100% wool and silk yarns.
Projects
Helen and Veronica have both made several successful projects from Tarte.
From Veronica....
My Kalajoki socks (modified to add extra stitches, and knit in Smurf and Turf) are almost two years old, get regular wear, and look brand new.
These are another pair of plain socks knit from a Wild Iris. They're brand new but I'm looking forward to wearing them all winter!
I loved knitting Romi Hill's FuchsiaNouveau-Petite in Tarte (Old Gold). The stitch definition and sheen really made this shawlette a gorgeous finished project, and it held the blocking well.
From Helen...
My favorite things about Tarte are the sheen and drape. I'm not a fan of silk, so I love that we have a shiny base without any silk in it! Tarte also has more yardage per skein than most of our other fingering weight bases (500 yards as opposed to the more common 400 yards) which means you can make slightly larger projects with just one skein.
Probably my favorite Tarte project so far is my Elektra in a Wild Iris colorway (I had to omit the final repeat of the border, but the shawl is still a wonderful size!)
Jennifer has done some beautiful weaving in Tarte, creating a two-color diamond pattern on this scarf.
Maybe it's time to try Tarte for your next project! You can see lots more Tarte projects and get inspired on Ravelry. Made anything you love from Tarte? Feel free to share in the comments.
