I think this may be my favorite yarn from Knit Picks!
I recently picked up Woodland, a merino alpaca blend, to knit my Haraboji cardigan.
It’s everything I wanted – super soft and luxurious to the touch, with excellent drape and structure.
Here’s a quick review of Knit Picks’ Woodland yarn!
Woodland
Woodland is available in two formats: classic and tweed.
Both are composed of merino and alpaca, but tweed also has the viscose reps to create subtle flecks of color.
The yarn is a great balance of everything I like about classic knitwear – rustic, but refined at the same time.
The fabric it produces is cozy enough for relaxing on the couch with a book but also durable enough to sit around a campfire or wear on a long chilly hike.
Woodland knit in various stitches: seed stitch, 2×2 ribbing and multiple cables
Merino + Alpaca: A Lovely Combination
I originally found this yarn because I was looking for a dupe of Rauma Mitu.
Rauma is a Norwegian yarn brand primarily known for their hearty Finullgarn, a rustic Norwegian wool meant for stranded color work.
They launched Mitu relatively recently, a softer yarn still designed for stranded color work but cozier due to the added alpaca.
Rauma Mitu is pretty hard to get a hold of in the US and at $13.60 for a 50g ball, also a little out of budget.
So I was really happy to find Woodland!
I’d still like to try Rauma Mitu someday, but in the meantime I’m really pleased with Woodland.
Actually, I think it’s a better fit for my Haraboji cardigan project.
Woodland is a blend of 80% merino / 20% alpaca, and gently spun with a loose twist.
It has a distinctive crimp in the hank – that’s how loosely spun it is.
And it’s soooo soft – squeezing the hank feels like clutching a teddy bear plushie.
The airy 2-ply is also quite practical.
It’ll allow warm air to get trapped in the fibers, creating a warm garment with a lot of thermal efficiency.
I can see this being so cozy for NYC’s brutal winters!
Alpaca adds great drape, but also has a tendency to stretch out of shape over time.
Since it doesn’t have the memory of wool, you typically see alpaca mixed with wool in a yarn skein, for better balance.
The lower alpaca content in Woodland compared to Mitu (20% vs 50%) works in my favor. It should create slightly more structured garments that can better resist stretching out over time.
Woodland is also much more luxurious.
The wool component is merino wool and I can confirm it’s super soft to the touch. I keep rubbing my fingers over the gauge swatch, ha.
Rauma Mitu is Norwegian wool, which is more rustic and rough. It usually can’t be worn next-to-skin.
What I really like is that Woodland has structure and softness but minimal halo. I know holding a strand of mohair is all the rage these days, but personally I don’t love the crazy cloud fuzz that it can generate
Knitting with Woodland
Knit Picks classifies Woodland as an Aran / Heavy Worsted weight on Knit Picks’ site.
The recommended knitting gauge is 16-19 stitches per 4 cm on 4.5 – 5.5mm needles (US 7-9).
I decided to knit this on 3.5mm needles (US 4).
I used smaller needles and love the result: still great drape, but with a bit more density and structure. I was envisioning a thicker cardigan with a slightly more ‘jacket’ vibe rather than a drape-y cardigan.
I think the Aran weight designation is because the yarn is so loosely plied.
It can compress down to create denser fabric if you size down on needles, or can also work on larger needles if left open to bloom.
In particular, I really like how this yarn looks knit in seed stitch!
It has such smooth softness and a subtle glow or shine when the bumps reflect light. The feel of the fabric is also really lovely – bumpy and textured but super soft.
Colors
Woodland is available in 14 colors in their classic line and another 14 options in the Tweed line.
I went with Bare, the undyed, natural yarn. It’s a creamy off-white, and a popular choice for cabled sweaters.
I also love their Bare Tweed version – essentially the same undyed, creamy white but with subtle black tweed flecks for added interest.
had to go with classic off-white for my first cabled sweater!
Best Projects for Knit Picks Woodland
I’d especially recommend Woodland for cabled projects and textured stitch patterns!
I’ve heard that typically you want a 3-ply yarn for cables, but I think it’s the high merino content that makes Woodland stand out in texture work.
My cables ‘pop’ right out of the fabric.
Value
Finally, Woodland (like all of Knit Picks’ yarns) is really good value.
It retails for $14.49 for a 100g hank, so it’s nearly half the price of Rauma Mitu!
Cabled projects always ‘eat up’ lots of yarn, so for a project the size of the Haraboji cardigan, the cost savings really added up.
Using Woodland, I could keep the project cost to $98 (vs $172 if I had went with Rauma Mitu).
I did have to buy a ball winder to cake these.
Read more: My Favorite Yarns from Knit Picks, Reviewed
still searching for the right buttons!
I went with this classic Stanwood winder after hearing everyone’s rave reviews and can confirm it’s durable and works great!
It’s made from steel parts, well-designed and can handle large quantities of yarn without getting stuck. I wrote a more in-depth review here, where I compared it against a cheaper dupe that looks identical.
Overall, highly recommend using Knit Picks Woodland!
The softness, luxurious fibers and great price point make it a yarn I’d love to use again.
Let me know if you have any favorites from Knit Picks!
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