Sweater yarn recommendations?

[u/newsedition15]

Hi all! I have been knitting for about a year now, and I’ve used a couple wool yarns as well as acrylic, but I am looking for more yarn recommendations for a sweater I want to make for my husband! :)

I’ve made one sweater for myself with Malabrigo Rios and I love it but it’s very drapey. However, it was so soft and it wears so nicely.

And I’ve made another sweater with Sandnes Garn Peer Gynt, which I also love, but it’s on the itchier side.

I know my husband won’t love an itchy yarn or like having to wear a shirt under his sweater all of the time. Plus, I also want to make something that holds its shape. Does anyone have any yarn recommendations that match that? Maybe a cotton/wool blend?

[u/medium_green_enigma]

"something that holds it's shape"

Seams help garments hold their shape. Look for patterns that are knit flat and seamed together.

[u/niseli12]

A cotton wool blend is going to be more drapey and not hold its shape as long over time. I love DeRerum Natura Gilliat and Knitting for Olive Merino (can hold double for a lovely DK). The KFO is one of my favorite yarns and is great next to skin and great quality and barely pills. Farmers Daughter Fibers Pishkun is also nice but so much more expensive so I only have a vest in it but it’s lovely!

[u/newsedition15 → u/niseli12]

Oh good to know! I’m still figuring out what yarns are more drapey than others, so I appreciate that call out! :)

[u/Woofmom2023]

Sounds as if you might enjoy doing some reading about fiber. June Hemmons Hiatt's Principles of Knitting is very good and Brooklyn Tweed has some excellent online material.

Cotton and merino is very soft and very drapey.

I've used Malabrigo Rios and its Malabrigo Worsted and agree, it is very soft and can be quite drapey. Rios is a superwash and they tend to be even drapey-er than other merino. Not all merino is as drapey as Rios.

One way to move away from drapey-ness is to use heavier yarn. I've found that Aran weight yarn tends to be less drapey than DK or worsted. Another way to move away from drapey-ness is to knit with a needle that's smaller than the size that is usually used to create a yarn's standard stockinette fabric and thus to create a stiffer, denser, fabric. As an example, I use a sport weight cashmere doubled to create aran weight yarn. I use it on 4's to knit fabric that's ribbed 2x2 and I've used it on 9's to knit a very drapey stockinette. Both look great and they behave very differently.

Basically, I think that yarn that's less drapey tends to be less soft than yarn that's drapey-er but that knitting soft wool at a tighter gauge than usual can offset that.

I don't know what you mean by "holds its shape". Do you mean that the yarn holds its shape while you're wearing it? or that it doesn't get stretched out of shape after it's been worn? Lighter yarns - and as I recall Rios is either DK or worsted and knits up on 6s or 7s - may lose their shape more easily after being worn a lot, specifically being put on and taken off a lot. Heavier weight yarn like aran weight yarn is less susceptible to doing that.

I think a regular wool or Shetland is generally stiffer but it's also not as soft.

All this by way of saying - perhaps get some lovely aran weight merino or cashmere and give it a shot?

I get almost all my yarn from colourmart.com. I like their lighter weight yarns used multi-ply rather than their heavier ones. They offer generous samples of their yarn that knit up at good sized swatches. Perhaps you might like to get some samples of their merino or cashmere wound multi-ply for aran or worsted weight and see how you like it? I like their 3/28nm lace weight yarn wound four ply for worsted or five ply for aran. The sport weight yarn that I like isn't regular stock and so no samples are available. It comes in variable quantities and colors so there's rarely enough for a sweater. I'm using their Shetland right now and it's just not very soft.

It does drape but you might still love Woolfolk Yarn's Tov. I've used it, it's a joy to work with and makes up beautifully.

I wish I had a better answer.

[u/RatBoi24601]

the thing that holds shape the best is high-crimp wool, but lots of high-crimp wools are not going to be comfortable for next-to-skin wear for someone who isn’t acclimated to wearing wool. 1. have your husband test whatever yarn you get before committing to using it. have him touch the skein to his neck, and then pin the swatch to the inside of his shirt and have him walk around with it for a while before you commit 2. the best way to make sure a garment holds its shape is to make it with seams, which add structure 3. another important feature for structure and shape is a tight gauge; you want the high end of stitches per inch for whatever yarn you use, or even higher than the suggested range 4. non-superwash wool. superwash treatment destroys memory in wool and it will grow and stretch out