I used to use only Turkish yarn before I moved from Ukraine to Europe, and at first I really missed cheap high-quality yarn. Ice Yarns, Alize, YarnArt, Kartopu, Gazzal and others are the ones I remember without even googling them. In Europe, these brands usually cost more.
After moving, I ordered a lot of different yarn brands. Some are manufactured in Europe, but a lot of them still have Turkish origin. If you look at the yarn label, you can see where your yarn is actually made, and you will be surprised how many of them are from Turkey.
So I decided to come back to Turkish yarn and ordered a few packs directly from the manufacturer Ice Yarns, because you can buy straight from them. Other brands are usually distributed through local shops, which makes them more expensive.
I want to mention that when you order from IceYarns, you are buying directly from a Turkish brand based in Turkey. They don’t offer free delivery, and sometimes shipping costs can be as high as your order itself. In some cases, it can even be more because of VAT in your country. But it is still worth it for me because you are ordering directly from the manufacturer. And I also want to say that delivery is super fast. I ordered on Saturday and got my package on Tuesday morning from Turkey to Spain.
I also want to share how checkout works. They calculate VAT and delivery after you enter your address, which I find very convenient because you see the final price before paying. There are no surprise extra charges after the parcel arrives.
Now back to the price. All yarn is sold in packs, so you don’t see the price for a single skein or cake, but for a full pack of 2, 3, 4, 6, or even 8 skeins. And most of them are 100 g skeins, not 50 g like many other brands offer. This is important to remember when calculating the final price.
Here is my example: I ordered 5 different packs of yarn. Four packs had 4 skeins each, and one pack had 3 skeins. In total, it cost me €54.53 for yarn, plus €27.67 for delivery, and €17.27 in taxes. The total was €99.47.
If you divide the total by the number of skeins (19 in total), it comes to about €5.24 per 100 g skein. And if you compare it to 50 g skeins, it is roughly €2.62 per 50 g. I understand this is a rough calculation because different yarns have different prices, but I still think it is totally worth it.
Now finally about the yarn itself. When you first open their website, you see so many different and unusual yarns, colors, textures, fibers, and blends that it can feel a bit overwhelming. Honestly, I got a bit confused too at first, but I made my choice and here it is:
1.
Ice Yarns Linen VisCot (col. Rainbow) <- here is a direct link
Fiber content: 30% linen, 34% cotton, 36% viscose
Yarn type: 3
Light: DK / Light / Worsted
Gauge: 22 stitches and 29 rows on 10 cm x 10 cm (4″ x 4″)
Package content: 4 balls per pack
Weight: 100 g per ball
Length: 270 m per ball
This yarn has a long gradient color effect, and the thread is made from two strands that are twisted together. It also changes thickness in some places, and sometimes it has solid color sections or splashes, which creates an uneven, very interesting texture. It is perfect for summer projects.
I made a few swatches, both knit and crochet, and you can see them in the video examples here. Crochet hook is a 3.5 mm (E/4), needles – 4 mm (US6).
Crochet swatch – 10×10 cm (4×4 in) = 23 sts x 9 rows.
Knitted swatch – 10×10 cm (4×4 in) = 24 sts x 26 rows.
Right now I’m working on a summer top using this yarn, and I will share the final result later.
