West Yorkshire Spinners Aire Valley DK Yarn of the Month July 15

Hello, how are you all?  This month's yarn is West Yorkshire Spinners Aire Valley DK.

Fibre: 75% mixed British wool 25% Nylon
Grown: Great Britain
Spun: Keighley, West Yorkshire GB
Dyed: Keighley, West Yorkshire GB

The yarn comes in 100g balls and there is 230 metres / 252 yards to a ball.  As you can see there is a great selection of colours available.  

Below are two swatches I knit using this yarn, a stocking stitch swatch and a basket weave swatch. If you want a closer look at how the Aire Valley DK looks in a lacy pattern I wrote about my Tin Can Knits Vivid squares here.  These two swatches were both knit using 4mm needles. 

WYS Aire Valley DK Unblocked

WYS Aire Valley DK Unblocked

The yarn is smooth and easy to work with and the added nylon makes this a hard wearing yarn.  Below are the after blocking photographs (I didn't pin these out to block but I did pin my Vivid Squares).  The stocking stitch swatch has evened out and lays much better and the swatches feel soft enough to wear next to the skin.

WYS Aire Valley DK Blocked

WYS Aire Valley DK Blocked

My blocked Vivid Squares

The WYS Aire Valley range has the added bonus of being machine washable. It is perfect for children's and adult's garments alike (including the Scollay cardigan) and for knitting and crochet projects around the home.  It also works brilliantly for socks!  

Joeli from Joeli's Kitchen recently published a new design Toasty Explorer Socks which are made using a DK yarn.  The pattern comes in five sizes ranging from toddler to large adult.  Joeli is currently knitting herself a pair using West Yorkshire Spinners Aire Valley in the Rainbow shade and using white for the cuff, heel and toe.

Toasty Explorer Socks by Joeli's Kitchen.
Image used with kind permission from Joeli's Kitchen.

West Yorkshire Spinners have a pattern book Quintessential DK to compliment the yarn. The book contains twelve patterns including designs for men, women and children.  Each design has several options included.  I really want to make this jumper from the book.......

Quintessential DK Image courtesy of WYS 

Quintessential DK Image courtesy of WYS

 ..... and I think this is really cute hat and top in the Rainbow shade! 

If you are looking for a multi purpose British yarn which is great value for money (£4.75 a ball for the solid shades and £4.95 for the multi coloured shades) then you can't beat WYS Aire Valley DK. 

Have you made anything with this wool?  I would love to hear from you if you have!  

p.s. we are due to receive more Aire Valley in the next few days so if we are out of stock in a shade you want keep checking back.