I made a pair for fingerless mitts with the yarn. Worked up great, color is good and they're very warm. Very easy to knit with this yarn.
I’m pretty well addicted to cashmere, silks, qiviut, baby camel and yak, bison, guanaco, vicuña fibers… you get the idea. If it’s under a total average of 16 microns in fiber fineness and has near zero guard hair, it’s my gig.
Anyone who works with super-extra-fine fiber knows that if it gets mixed with a fiber that’s rough, the good stuff loses all its softness in amongst the less pleasant fibers. So I don’t know why I thought that the Mongolian sheep breeds would have rough fiber…. They DON’T! This combination of natural color sheep wool with a small amount of recycled cashmere is HEAVENLY and I ended up ordering some of the undyed 100% wool. It’s not as soft as the low-micron merino that’s more expensive than cashmere… but it’s equivalent in softness to extrafine 19 micron merinos that are my common staple fiber. With the cashmere, it feels just like cashmere. Without the 15% cashmere, it feels like any fine merino (or cormo or Rambouillet).plenty soft enough for socks, gloves, cuffs, even collars for 99% of folx (people without sensory processing problems with wool and without lanolin allergies).
If you can’t afford the cashmere, consider saving up for this mix instead. This was my third participation in the Kickstarter, and I get happier with the options and quality every year… plus it helps a small network of rural herding families carry on the nomadic traditions they’ve had since time immemorial, so it does good stuff for other humans too.
I figured out how to peel apart the layers of cloud this year to allow for smooth drafting while I spin. And that works on the cashmere cloud I buy elsewhere too, but the cloud from U+L is just better. Maybe because it’s smaller batches or maybe because I get to see pictures of the animals and hear about the ups and downs with the project that give neater results and awesome photo stories to show my fiber friends each year. This year, it seemed like the fiber took a little longer by a few weeks, but I didn’t even mind because this year there were naturally dyed fibers and I finally tried the recycled cashmere mix. I wish I had bought more.
Anyway, I’m a total fan of the whole project, and I love the color selection every year. I just don’t love that I can’t afford to buy every color of every fiber available… except that my money goes WAY farther with U+L even on the stuff I buy after the kickstarter ends, so that doesn’t suck.
If there are any other super low-micron down fiber arts fans out there, sign up for the kickstarter - it doesn’t even mean less for anyone else if more of us join the project, it just means that more Mongolian herding families will get better prices for their fiber because it’s better pay selling it to us more directly instead of to huge textile mills and big fashion companies.
the color is vivid and beautiful; the yarn is even and very, very soft. I can't wait to make something with it!
This beanie far exceeded my expectations. Well-made, extremely soft, and much warmer than the beanie it replaced. I immediately bought a second one for a friend going through chemo. I'll probably buy the other two colors and hope for more items (and colors!) in this line.
Thank you, I hope your friend enjoys the gift as well. I'll look in to expanding the colors next season, that's a good idea!
The socks are soft and warm! I was not expecting them to be so comfy! Good quality as well, will definitely buy more in the future.
Thank you Hannah! We're definitely going to be making more in a few months
A very smooth, supple yarn that doesn't tangle easily. Garments wash to a deliciously soft and with incredible warmth. Love it!
Thank you Ana! My mom showed me what you made with the yarn, the cabeling was beautiful!
I love the delicate brown of Brown Melange. It blends well with the Milk Chocolate yak yarn I purchased, and the socks will be beautiful when finished.
Ula + Lia has excellent customer service and my package arrived ahead of schedule. Thanks for bringing this very special yarn to us!
Thank you Crystal! I hope you enjoy the socks!
Lovely yarn, lovely color - I'm so excited to make something out of it.
Thank you JoAnne, have fun knitting it up!
The cashmere fiber is beautifully prepped, color is gorgeous, and it will be a treat to spin. I'm very happy to be a supporter!
Thank you Linda, enjoy the spinning!
Love the soft color and feel of this beautiful yarn.
Thank you Cindy, I hope you enjoy knitting it up!
I *love* the color of this yarn! I haven't started knitting with it yet, but I'll report back with more info when I do. I anticipate that the camel fiber will be everything that I hope it to be, and probably even better.
As expected, Jon wisely put the yarn aside after I purchased it so that it could be packaged with my Kick-starter skeins, thereby saving on shipping costs. The box with ALL the yarns arrived 5 days ago.
Thank you Charlotte, I hope it knits up well for you. The color sets nicely after a hot bath!
I just received the yarn today, & it looks wonderful. I haven't used it yet, & won't be starting a project until I complete a few WIP. But so far, both the color & the yarn are highly satisfactory.
Thank you Alecia, have fun finding the right projects and knitting it up!
I’ve been supporting Ula + Lia since the first kickstarter campaign. You can’t get a comparable quality yarn anywhere else for anywhere near their price, AND it’s ethically sourced! I’ve had the very good fortune to knit with a variety of higher end fibers/yarn brands, and Ula + Lia matches or exceeds the quality of the best of them. Honestly, don’t waste your money on the “bigger brands”, you’ll get more band for your buck and feel better about it here. LOVE IT!
Thank you Rachel, I really appreciate the many years of support and the kind words!
Plum is gorgeous, I look forward to getting more when I can afford it. Have to work up some of the others first.
Thank you Leslie, happy to hear the color lived up to expectations!
ULA+LIA never disappoints, I am always so happy with my purchases. Everything from sheep wool, to baby yak, to baby camel. The colors are always deeply hued and fibers bloom after your project is finished. The fibers become softer and softer as time passes.
Thank you Lori! I hope you enjoy knitting everything up!
Soft, good stitch definition. Better than many I’ve used
Thank you! The bulky is new for us this year so I really appreciate the feedback!
I love this yarn for fingerless mitts. Really keeps you hands warm.
Thank you Carolyn, I hope you get a lot of use and warmth from the mitts!
My wife says that it is "lovely!".
Thank you for the support and letting me know! I hope she enjoys knitting it up!
Baby Camel Wool - Natural Dyed Weld - Fingering