Handloomed Yak Beanie

I bought a skein to see if it would be suitable for a larger project. While I adore cashmere, I don’t like the way it frequently pills and was hoping to find something almost as soft that would wear better (bonus if it’s more affordable!). I pre-washed the skein according to the instructions to get rid of the spinning oils, and the yarn plumped up nicely. So far I’ve only swatched with it, but the fabric has a lovely hand and does really feel like it would wear well. The natural warm gray color is beautiful and would go with pretty much everything. I think I’ve found my cashmere replacement!

I do love the feel of yak fiber! This has such a nice twist, it will be wonderful to work with! the mulberry purple is so deep and rich - it's destined to be a tee of some form. I haven't knit it yet, but it will be hitting the needles soon!

I made 2 swatches.one with US 4 wood needles and the other with US 2.5 metal needles. The yarn was easy on my hands to knit because it was not slippery on the needles. It is a relaxing yarn to knit with. The swatch using the larger needle filled in the space between stitches when washed, and the swatch on the smaller needles still had a nice feel and drape.
The platinum gray color is amazing and I have a pattern picked out for this yarn. I don't mind washing the spinning oil out, because the price is very reasonable for a luxury yarn. The yarn shipped when promised and there were no issues with the delivery or packaging.
I hope there will continue to be yak yarn available and would like to expand my color choices next time.

This yarn is soft and squishy. The color is the most incredible purple I've ever soon.

It's so so soft! I have two projects planned with the yarn - one solid gray shawl and one striped shawl with the platinum gray and the purple. Mmmmm! The yarn was an early birthday present and thank you from another fiber artist who visited for 4.5 days. Aren't I lucky?