What they share
Blue Sky Fibers is a Minnesota company that built its name on organic cotton and then added wool and alpaca without losing the plain, natural look that runs through all of it: undyed and softly dyed shades, heathers rather than brights, and ball bands that say hand wash. The exception is Sweater, which was Spud & Chloe's yarn until Blue Sky folded that label into its own range; if an old pattern calls for Spud & Chloe Sweater, this is the same yarn. We match dye lots on every line.
Side by side
| Fiber | Skein | Weight | Gauge | Wash | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Organic Cotton | 100% organic cotton | 100 g, 150 yd | Worsted | 4–5 sts/in on US 7–9 | Hand |
| Printed Organic Cotton | The same, printed multicolor | 100 g, 150 yd | Worsted | 4–5 sts/in on US 7–9 | Hand |
| Organic Cotton Sport | 100% organic cotton, 2-ply | 50 g, 136 yd | Sport | 5–6 sts/in on US 4–6 | Hand |
| Sweater | 55% superwash wool, 45% organic cotton | 100 g, 164 yd | Worsted | 4–5 sts/in on US 7–9 | Machine |
| Woolstok | 100% fine highland wool | 50 g, 123 yd | Worsted | 5–6 sts/in on US 6–8 | Hand |
| Woolstok Light | 100% fine highland wool, single | 50 g, 218 yd | Fingering | 5–7 sts/in on US 3–5 | Hand |
| Woolstok North | 100% fine highland wool, single | 150 g, 107 yd | Super bulky | 2 sts/in on US 13–17 | Hand |
| Metalico | 50% baby alpaca, 50% silk, single, undyed | 50 g, 147 yd | Sport to DK | 5–6 sts/in on US 3–5 | Hand |
| Extra | 55% baby alpaca, 45% fine merino | 150 g, 218 yd | Worsted | 4–5 sts/in on US 7–9 | Hand |
| Suri Merino | 60% baby suri alpaca, 40% fine merino, single | 100 g, 164 yd | Worsted | 5–7 sts/in on US 5–7 | Hand |
| Brushed Suri | 67% baby suri, 22% merino, 11% bamboo, brushed | 50 g, 142 yd | DK, alone or held | 3½–8 sts/in on US 4–11 | Hand |
| Prairie | 53% suri, 47% baby huacaya alpaca, brushed | 50 g, 273 yd | Lace, usually held | Varies | Hand |
The organic cottons
Organic Cotton is the yarn that made the company: a thick, soft, loosely spun worsted cotton in undyed naturals and gentle colors, and the standard for baby blankets, washcloths and the kind of summer throw that gets used. Note the yardage. A 100 g skein holds 150 yards, not the 200 or so a worsted wool does, because cotton is heavy; a baby blanket takes more skeins than the wool number in the blanket guide, so buy by yards. It stretches when wet and does not spring back, so it wants a firm gauge and a flat dry. Printed Organic Cotton is the same yarn with color printed along the strand, so a plain fabric comes out dappled. Organic Cotton Sport is the two-ply lighter sister, 136 yards to 50 g, for baby cardigans, summer tops and anything where the worsted would be too heavy.
Sweater: the Spud & Chloe one
Sweater is superwash wool and organic cotton in roughly equal parts, and it does what neither does alone: the wool gives it bounce and a rib that holds, the cotton keeps it cool and soft, and the superwash treatment lets it go through a cold machine wash and a low tumble. It is the children's-sweater yarn, the yarn for a grown-up's everyday cardigan that will be washed often, and the one line in this range that the baby knits guide would hand over the counter without a care note.
Woolstok, three ways
Woolstok is a fine highland wool in heathered colors — tweedy without flecks — and it is the stitch-definition yarn in the range: cables, textured stitches and colorwork all show crisply, and it is springy to knit. The worsted comes in 50 g balls of 123 yards, so a sweater is ten to fourteen balls rather than five skeins; price it by the project, not the ball.
Woolstok Light is the same wool as a single-ply fingering, 218 yards to 50 g, for colorwork hats and mittens, lightweight sweaters and shawls with structure; it is also a good plain yarn to hold with a mohair, as the holding guide describes. Woolstok North is the super bulky single, 107 yards to a 150 g skein, at 2 stitches to the inch: a hat in an hour, a scarf in an evening. All three share the color card, so a North hat matches a Woolstok sweater.
The alpacas
Metalico is baby alpaca and silk in a single ply, left undyed so the shades are the natural fawns, greys and creams of the fleece with the silk's sheen through them. It is a sport-to-DK yarn for shawls, cowls and light sweaters with drape, and the one to choose when the color should be quiet and the fabric should glow.
Extra is baby alpaca and merino at worsted weight in a 150 g skein of 218 yards, sized for sweaters: the alpaca makes it warm and soft, the merino gives it back the bounce alpaca lacks, and the alpaca guide explains why that blend is the all-rounder. Four or five skeins is a sweater.
Suri Merino is the halo one: suri alpaca, the lustrous long-fibered kind, with merino, spun as a single so the suri's shine and a light fuzz come through. Worsted weight, 164 yards to 100 g, for a cowl or a scarf or a sweater that catches the light.
Brushed Suri and Prairie are the brushed yarns, and they are the alpaca answer to mohair. Prairie is a lace-weight brushed alpaca at 273 yards to 50 g, meant to be held with another yarn for a halo exactly as a mohair-silk would be, and it is what we recommend to anyone who loves the look of mohair and cannot wear it; the mohair guide sets the two side by side. Brushed Suri is heavier, a DK with bamboo for sheen, that can be knit alone on a big needle for a cloud of a scarf or held with a worsted for a haloed sweater.
Which to buy
A baby blanket or washcloths: Organic Cotton. A child's sweater that goes in the machine: Sweater. A cabled or colorwork sweater: Woolstok, or Woolstok Light for a fingering one. A hat tonight: Woolstok North. A drapey shawl in natural shades: Metalico. A warm sweater without the itch: Extra. A halo without mohair: Prairie held with anything. And if a pattern calls for Spud & Chloe Sweater or Blue Sky Alpacas, which was the company's earlier name, the yarn has not changed.
