Lots to Love with Local

Fiber: 50% organic merino, 50% alpaca locally sourced by O-Wool

From: O-Wool

Weight: worsted

Spin: woolen spun, single ply

Natural, dyed, both: dyed, certified organic

What I made: White Shell Mountain Tee by Tressa Weidenaar, main color Fringetree and contrast colors OOAK

Pros: rustic but soft, the merino adds shape and memory to the alpaca, while the alpaca gives strength and reduces pilling to the merino. O-Wool creator Jocelyn Tunney's fantastic use of color shines in the beautiful, rich palette of overdyed jewel tones in this collection. The woolen spun creates very light, airy, comfortable garments.

Cons: minor pilling does occur from the merino, and some makers are divided in their opinions about it. Superwash knitters I talk to consider this yarn "rustic." Natural yarn aficionados find it "almost too soft." But its biggest drawback is that it's no longer produced, and nearly impossible to find; should you stumble on a skein or two (from our site or elsewhere), you've found a gem.

Hot take: IMO, Local is the best yarn O-Wool produced, from among many good yarn lines. It's a wonderful combination of comfortable and rustic, overdyed and artistic. Representative of a great collaboration with local farms and historic spinning and dyeing mills in the Philly area, it's a wonderful tribute to all that goes into a good yarn.