Yarn Review...

Sirdar No1

A bit of technical information first - 
Name - Sirdar No1
Yarn weight - Double Knitting
Colourways - 18 colours, both brights and muted colours
Weight of ball - 100g
Length on one ball - 230m / 251 yds
Compostition - 50% acrylic, 50% nylon 
Tension - 22sts and 28 rows on 4mm needles give 10cmx10cm
Machine Washable - wool cycle, cool tumble or dry flat

I really like the ball bands of this yarn, it has a small cutout which serves as the "o" in No1.  It gives it a clean, modern look.  It looks particularly good with the bright colours:
​

Now that the technical details are out of the way, let get on with what's really important!  I really enjoyed knitting with this yarn. It really is wonderfully soft as it flows through your fingers. The yarn is quite plump, it's not a yarn that looses its volume as you're working it. As a result of that, stitches come out nice and even (the above swatch hasn't yet been blocked).  The knitted fabric it gives is a very tactile, squishy fabric with really nice drape. I imagine a baby blanket made with it would mould to baby really well, to give that cocooning effect which looks so enjoyable. I think it would also be very good for children's garments, because of its softness and the fact it's machine washable. If I had to give a criticism, it's that the yarn can open up a bit as you cast on, however for me this is true of 90% of yarns, something in the way I twist the yarns I guess!  Once the cast on stitches are done there is no problem with the rest of the knitting. In conclusion, this may well be my new go-to yarn for children's clothing and accessories as I really enjoy the softness as I'm knitting it, and I do love a plump fabric!

We have 7 patterns specifically for Sirdar No1 in store, but seeing as it has normal DK tension, you could easily substitute any DK pattern you like to good effect.

The swatch and the yarns are in the shop, ready to meet you!

Jen
~x~