Within the past week, I launched the Bases page after finishing the samples made from each type of yarn. Just as I did with the Colorways page, I made individual knit, crocheted, and woven samples of each yarn base in order to show customers how the different yarns look and behave. Now that it's live, I'm excited to tell you more about each of the different yarns Fiber Hound has to offer.

Basenji

Basenji is a lace weight yarn made out of 100% superwash merino. This yarn is a 2-ply yarn which is loosely piled, creating the opportunity for gently draping fabric. Although the fabric it creates appears delicate, it’s actually quite sturdy, and is a perfect choice for shawls, sweaters, or other lacy projects.

Saluki

Saluki is made from 55% superwash BFL and 45% Silk, and is lace weight. BFL stands for Bluefaced Leicester (pronounced Lester), and is a British wool that is remarkably different than Merino. Raw Merino wool is extremely crimpy, while raw BFL is a straight, curly lock. Light reflects better off of straighter wool, therefore when combined with the sheen of silk, Saluki is the shiniest of all the yarns Fiber Hound currently carries. The ply structure is similar to Basenji, having two plies and a luxurious drape. Saluki is great for both extra special projects as well as everyday items, like lace garments and shawls.

Italian Greyhound

Italian Greyhound is a fingering weight singles yarn that is 100% superwash merino. It is gently spun, creating a soft fabric that has fantastic stitch definition. Because it has only one ply, it’s not a good choice for more heavy wearing objects such as socks or sweaters, as it will easily pill. It’s a great yarn for cabled projects, shawls, and hats, where its special characteristics will be most effective.

Dachshund

Dachshund is a tightly 2-ply fingering weight yarn, featuring a sturdy mix of 80% superwash Merino and 20% nylon. It makes an incredible choice for socks, as the nylon content and tighter ply makes the fabric very strong against the aggressive wear of feet. Because this yarn is a 2-ply, there is a lot of texture in the final fabric. This yarn is great for socks, shawls, sweaters, and pretty much everything else!

Borzoi

Borzoi is a very special yarn, featuring 80% superwash BFL and 20% Bamboo. The combination of these two fibers creates a magical yarn, which has a sheen similar to silk. Because bamboo is a plant fiber, it does not absorb the dye in the same way that animal fibers do, and if you look closely, you can see a whitish haze surrounding the yarn. Because bamboo is a renewable resource, it also makes this yarn more eco-friendly. Borzoi has four plies, which makes it great for cables, socks, sweaters, and shawls!

Bluetick Coonhound

Bluetick Coonhound is a uniquely constructed sport weight yarn, created from eight plies that were chain-plied together. To chain ply a yarn, previously plied yarns are then plied together; in this yarn, four 2-ply yarns were plied together to create a super round, springy yarn. It’s made of 100% superwash Merino, and is fantastic for cables, sweaters, and socks.

Afghan Hound

Afghan Hound is a 4-ply yarn that is 50% superwash Merino, and 50% silk, creating a DK weight yarn that creates a very smooshy and luxurious fabric. While this yarn doesn’t have a sheen as bright as Saluki, it will be very obvious you’re working with something special. It’s a great yarn for sweaters, hats, and mittens.

Norwegian Elkhound

Norwegian Elkhound is a 4-ply 100% superwash Merino yarn that is very hard wearing, but still soft and squishy! It’s tough enough to be great for outerwear sweaters, but soft enough that it can be worn against sensitive skin for scarves, mittens and hats. The stitch definition makes it great for patterns with cables and texture!

Making all of the different swatches took a lot of time, but I think all of this effort for the swatches has really paid off. I feel it gives visitors to this website a special look at how the yarns can react in different formats, as well as a better way to see which yarn is the best fit for any project.