What tweed yarn is
A tweed yarn is a mostly solid-colored yarn with small knots of contrasting fiber — neps — spun into it, so a grey has flecks of rust and gold, a green has flecks of blue. The neps are part of the yarn, not a surface effect: they do not wash out or pull free. The word comes from the woven cloth, and Donegal, in the far northwest of Ireland, is the county whose mills made the cloth and still spin the yarn. "Donegal tweed" on a yarn label means the style; on Studio Donegal's labels it also means the place.
Soft Donegal and Darnie
Studio Donegal spins in Kilcar, County Donegal, and we stock two of its yarns.
| Soft Donegal | Darnie | |
|---|---|---|
| Fiber | 100% merino | 100% lambswool |
| Skein | 100 g, 210 yd | 100 g, 448 yd |
| Weight | Aran to worsted | Fingering (4 ply) |
| Gauge | 20 sts / 10 cm on US 6–8 | 24 sts / 10 cm on US 1–3 |
| Care | Hand wash, dry flat | Hand wash, dry flat |
Soft Donegal is the sweater yarn: merino, so it is soft enough for a crew neck, with the classic flecks on a heathered base. It knits at the lighter end of aran — 20 stitches to 10 cm — and a plain pullover in it is the garment most people picture when they hear "Donegal". Cables show well; the neps sit in the valleys and the cables read clearly over them.
Darnie is the fine one: a 4-ply lambswool at 24 stitches to 10 cm, crisper in the hand than the merino and the better yarn for stranded colorwork, a light cardigan or a tweedy shawl. Lambswool softens noticeably after its first wash. Both are hand wash.
Other tweeds we stock
The Fibre Co Arranmore Light is a DK tweed of wool, cashmere and silk, spun in Donegal, with the softest hand of the group. Juniper Moon Saxony is a cashmere-merino tweed from Italy, for a small luxurious accessory. Noro Madara is a single-ply wool, silk and alpaca with tweedy flecks and Noro's color sense, for a textured sweater. Brown Sheep's Lamb's Pride lines are not tweeds, but their mohair halo and heathered colors sit well next to one.
What to knit in tweed
Tweed wants a stitch pattern simple enough that the flecks are the texture: stockinette, garter, seed stitch, cables. Lace loses its definition under the neps and fine colorwork gets muddy, except with a fine, firm tweed like Darnie where the flecks are small. Classic uses are the Aran sweater, a plain raglan pullover, a vest, a fisherman's hat and a wide scarf. Tweed also hides uneven tension and a few stray stitches better than any smooth yarn.
How it behaves
Expect a little shedding in the first wash as loose nep fiber lets go, and a slight bloom that fills in the fabric. Block to measurements and the surface evens out. Both Studio Donegal yarns are untreated wool, so they felt — a feature for a tweed bag, a hazard for a sweater in a hot machine.
If the pattern says Tahki Donegal Tweed
Soft Donegal knits to the same gauge range and is the natural substitute, softer than the old Tahki. Arranmore Light is the choice for a pattern written at DK. The substitution guide has the check to run, and the calculator on each yarn page turns the pattern's yardage into skeins.