Alegria

Alegria is an easy-care blend of ultra-soft superwash Merino wool with durable polyamide. It feels remarkably soft and resilient, making for lovely baby projects as well as socks.

All of Manos del Uruguay yarns are hand dyed. The artisans use big kettles heated by wood-fueled boilers, dyeing in small batches creating wonderful colors. The colors of Manos yarns are bright and wild, full of nuances and variations. No two skeins are the same, each one is unique, a testimony of a particular moment.

Due to the small batch hand-dyed process, there may be differences in colors between skeins. Order enough yarn for your project for a better likelihood that skeins will match. Alternate skeins where needed.

All Manos del Uruguay yarns are mulesing-free.

Our notes

After making a few of our own projects with this yarn, here's what we've found:

Deliciously soft: Alegria is incredibly soft with zero prickle. This is perfect for people who need ultra-soft fiber for next-to-skin pieces, and for baby items.

A bit splitty: We noticed some issues with splitting while doing both long-tail cast-on for knitted swatches, and half double crochet. Once you're off to the races with knitting, though, it's not nearly as splitty. The looser ply can cause some issues with certain crochet stitches though.

Slippery on needles: If you're a tight knitter, this is the sock yarn for you. It slides smoothly on even wooden needles. If you use stainless steel needles and knit on the looser side, though, you might find it more slippery than expected.

Springy and elastic: The elasticity and bounce of this yarn gives it excellent drape and stretch, which makes it perfect for socks and shawls.

On the thinner side of fingering: Err on the side of sizing your needles and hooks down, if you prefer a denser fabric. As always, do a gauge swatch to test, and make sure to wash and block it the way you're planning to wash and block your finished piece.

Fantastic stitch definition: No mater what gauge, stitch, or craft, Alegria consistently impresses with its crisp stitch definition. The finished fabric has a lovely texture and luster to it in any of the colorways.

Color variation: The solids of this yarn base still have some tonality to them, adding interest and variance within the color in a finished piece.

Dye may bleed: We noticed on several pieces in progress that dye came off on our hands while working with the yarn. If you're concerned about dye bleed in finished pieces, we recommend washing yarn before using it, and making a test swatch to wash and block.

Swatch details

All swatches were wet blocked before measuring.

Knit

• Colors: Galaxy Blue, Flow
• Swatcher: August
• Needles: 2.75mm (US 2)
• Stitch: Stockinette with a garter stitch border
• Gauge: 31 stitches and 51 rows per 4" / 10cm

Crochet

• Colors: Lipstick, Swim
• Swatcher: Jackie
• Hook: 3mm
• Stitch: Half double crochet
• Gauge: 25 stitches and 21 rows per 4" / 10cm

Weave

• Colors: Silver, Pindo
• Swatcher: Stephanie
• Sett: 10 ends per inch
  
• Structure: Plain weave
  • Silver: 70 picks per inch
  • Pindo: 62 picks per inch
• Warp: Size 10 crochet cotton

The socks in the product photos were knitted by August out of the Nocciola colorway, from the Pretty Privilege (Ravelry) pattern by Anna Zhuravleva.

Yarn details