Yarn Review – Charlemont by Valley Yarns
This post may contain affiliate links. This means I may earn a small commission if you make a purchase from these links, at no additional cost to yourself.
Do you like trying new yarns with natural fibre blends? Charlemont by Valley Yarns is a Merino Silk blend yarn available from Lovecrafts. Read on to find out more and decide if this should make its way into your virtual shopping basket!
Why Charlemont by Valley Yarns?
Honestly – I needed to add something to my basket to make free shipping, and Charlemont fit a few of the things I look for on paper when deciding on a new yarn, so I took a punt and decided to get it for this Merino Silk blend yarn review.
Charlemont is not a yarn I had previously looked at although I had at the time tried and purchased different yarns from those available by Valley Yarns on Lovecrafts. I do like trying new yarns though and I can’t use 4ply gradient cakes from Crochet UK, solely, forever, so I am on the look out for alternative yarns that I can add to my list of no brainer buys.
As a fan of natural fibres, I have a mini mission to find some that are or can be considered affordable and when I was scrolling through I found Charlemont in the sale section and had to have it cos I can’t always afford Merino Silk blend yarns.
Valley Yarns Charlemont yarn review
Charlemont by Valley Yarns is a 60% Superwash Merino 20% Mulberry Silk & 20% Polyamide blend yarn. This is classified as a 2 weight or fine/fingering/4ply yarn and is available in 19 shades from Lovecrafts. It comes in 100g hanks/braids and contains approximately 401m or 439 yds per hank.
I think most people would just call this a Merino Silk blend and skip the polyamide, although it is almost a third of the fibre contents, there are just too many words.
The colours available in the range for this merino silk blend yarn lean towards the darker end of most colours and there are only a few varieties, a couple of pinks, purples, blues, teals, a mustard, your standard neutrals a green and a red. Just enough choice to hit most points for a single colour project but not really enough, even for me who doesn’t usually make things with multiple skeins or colours.
Things that stand out
Colours
I got 2 skeins in Lilac and while I don’t normally like pale purples or lilac shades, this was one I could get behind. On its arrival these skeins of Charlemont by Valley Yarns did not disappoint. Although a pale lilac that runs to silver or white in the right lighting, this is a soft, light and bright colour all at the same time.
How does it feel?
On the hank it feels soft and when you are working with it it does not disappoint. I do think if you are prone to overly wet or dry palms then this could present a problem. There is a really fine halo to this merino blend yarn that is barely noticeable but definitely there. My hands run to dry and it felt a little tacky, so I moisturised and over did it. A quick wipe down and I was good to go, but i just wanted to highlight that.
What’s it like to work with?
Lovely. Easily 5 stars. Easy to wind, and work with, and as my current project grows it feels light, soft, silky AND like it’s going to be warm. I originally purchased Charlemont by Valley Yarns to make a single colour version of one of my shawl designs for the In the Mood Project.
I decided on the triangle version and am almost all the way through the first hank, and love how it looks and can’t wait to wear it. As you can see from the pics, this works well with simple or texture stitches.
I have frogged a little as I failed to read my own pattern, lol, but I am pleased to report it pulled back easily, did not shed or knot and you can’t tell that I pulled it back originally at all.
Care
The band says hand wash and normally I would just put things in on the handwash cycle on my machine on a low temperature short wash and then pin out to block. For this, at least for the first time, I will likely follow the instructions or even steam it with my hand steamer to see how it goes.
Price
Now buckle up this is totally a treat yarn for me. Priced at £15.49 per hank, as I generally make shawls that are 1000-1200m this is equal to £46.47 per shawl. With my usual choice of yarn a shawl generally costs me around £20 in materials to make not including shipping. Full disclosure, I did not buy this at full price.
I took advantage of a sale on Lovecrafts and purchased this at £11.62 a braid and HOPED I could complete my project in 2 braids. My hopes were quickly dashed and I am currently trying to convince myself to buy the 3rd braid that I know I will need to complete my project. Also Lovecrafts don’t have a spot or way to request a specific lot number so I will be playing the dye lot lottery with this also.
Yay or Nay for Valley Yarns Charlemont
I like the yarn but this is 100% a special gift in the sale only purchase for me. Do I think Charlemont by Valley Yarns is worth the price – I don’t have a whole lot of other experience with Merino Silk blend yarns to compare it with at the time of writing. Also, the colour choices are limited so you either like them or you don’t, which for me makes the price harder to justify for Charlemont by Valley Yarns.
Would I get it again – yes, on sale.
What would I use it for? Gifts for people I REALLY like or treats for myself.
Projects you could try with Valley Yarns Charlemont
Shawl designs I think would work really well in this yarn and not break the bank
– either of the In The Mood Project Shawls as they are easy to adapt and could be made using 2 hanks
– Trinity and Granny Merge Semi
Garments
I would love to see this as the Hawthorne Sweater, for my size and the original fit I would need 9 – 10 hanks – I made a medium for myself if I remember correctly.
I hope you enjoyed this Charlemont by Valley Yarns yarn review. Let me know if you try it, and what your thoughts are.
Don’t forget to pop into the Modern Crochet Lounge Community and suggest another yarn or small business that I might fall in love with.
Don’t forget to let me know what you think/share your projects.
Bye for now,
B x