Plymouth Yarn

The Plymouth ranges and what they suit

Plymouth Yarn has been distributing yarn since 1964 and the collection here spans workhorse blends, pure alpaca, superwash merino and cotton. The Encore family is the backbone. It is a wool and acrylic blend, which is a deliberately practical combination: enough wool for warmth and stitch memory, enough acrylic to survive a washing machine and keep the price sensible. It comes in a full ladder of weights, so you can knit the same design in DK for a child, Worsted for an adult and Mega for a blanket without leaving the range or relearning how the yarn behaves.

Choosing by fibre

• Encore Worsted, DK, Chunky and Mega — everyday jumpers, hats, children's knits and afghans. Machine washable and available in a very wide shade range.
• Encore Colorspun and Encore Tweed — the same base with colour movement or flecks, for interest without colourwork.
• Baby Alpaca Grande, Worsted and Brush — soft, warm and heavy-draping. Superb for shawls, scarves and relaxed cardigans; less good for fitted garments, which will grow.
• DK Merino Superwash and Worsted Merino Superwash — springy, washable wool that holds ribbing and blocks crisply.
• Galway Worsted — a plain wool with good stitch definition for cables and traditional ganseys.
• Fantasy Naturale — a mercerised cotton for homeware and summer knits.
• Happy Feet 100 — 4 ply sock yarn with nylon for durability.
• Dream DK, Gina, Viento, Coffee Beenz and Hot Cakes — the softer blends and self-patterning cakes.

Weights, tension and quantities

Plymouth uses American weight names, so worsted sits between UK DK and aran, and chunky corresponds to UK chunky. Do not assume an American worsted will drop straight into a British aran pattern — knit the tension square. On quantities, an adult jumper in worsted typically needs somewhere in the region of 1,000 to 1,500 metres depending on size and length, and a full-size afghan considerably more, which is where Encore Mega earns its place. Buy by metreage and keep to one dye lot, particularly with the hand-dyed Baby Alpaca Grande, where lot variation is visible.

Alpaca versus wool, in practice

The difference is worth understanding before you commit to a garment. Alpaca has almost no crimp, so it does not spring back. That gives it beautiful liquid drape in a shawl and makes it warmer than wool of the same weight, but a fitted alpaca sweater will lengthen over a season of wear. Knit alpaca at a firmer tension than you would wool, choose shorter body lengths, and avoid deep ribbing that needs to hold. Wool and the Encore blends do the opposite — they recover, hold shape and are the safer choice for anything close-fitting.

Care

The Encore blends and the superwash merinos are machine washable on a cool wool cycle; dry them flat rather than tumbling. Baby alpaca and Galway Worsted are better hand-washed in lukewarm water with a wool detergent, squeezed rather than wrung, rolled in a towel and dried flat. Alpaca in particular should never be hung wet. Store finished garments folded, with the heavier alpaca pieces at the bottom of the pile.

Plymouth Yarn questions

Where can I buy Plymouth Yarn? The range is stocked here at LoveCrafts and ships internationally, including to Australia.

What is Encore made of? It is a wool and acrylic blend, which is why it is both warm and machine washable.

What UK weight is worsted? Between DK and aran. Always knit a tension square before substituting into a UK pattern.

Is Baby Alpaca Grande suitable for jumpers? Yes, in relaxed shapes. It drapes heavily, so fitted garments tend to lengthen with wear.

Which Plymouth yarn is best for socks? Happy Feet 100, a 4 ply with nylon content for hard-wearing heels and toes.