Yarn Hollow's Benthos: A Review

Here's the second Yarn Hollow review this week, this one of Benthos (A superwash wool and seacell blend.  Seacell is a fiber that is made from seaweed.).  This one is from Heather, who you definitely know from the store if you visit us in person.  When Yarn Hollow sent us yarn to review, she snagged this one right away.  In full disclosure, I did take the tag off the yarn so she wasn't aware of what exactly what fiber combo she was knitting, but I'm pretty sure she did know what company this was from.  Not that it would taint her review, but most of our test knitters have no idea what company the yarn they are knitting came from.  The pattern she used was Hermione's Everyday Socks and the color she received was Mythic Shield.

Presentation:

The skein wound up very nicely...no breaks or thin spots.  It looks really pretty in cake form.  It wound easily, and the yarn slides out of the cake nicely.  The yarn is a little slippery, so I think that helps.

 

Texture:

This yarn feels awesome when knitting.  I think there must be some tencel or seacell in there, because it is shine-y, and very smooth.  I didn't have any problems with splitting, even though the yarn looks like it is loosely plied. This yarn seems a bit thicker than an average fingering weight yarn.  It has lots of "body".  I didn't have to knit the bottoms of my socks as tightly as I normally do!

I didn't have any problems in the knitting of the yarn, even after I would rip back some stitches, the yarn didn't seem to fuzz, and the plies stayed twisted.

Knitted Fabric:

When I knitted the leg of the first sock, it made a striping pattern.  This looks really cool.  After the heel flap and the gusset, the pattern was doing more of a swirled pattern.  The purple and orange sections tended to fall together, and the green and yellow fell together.  These two combos kind of chased each other around the sock.  It is different from the leg portion, but also very cool.  I was surprised how good these colors look together. 

The knitted fabric feel fabulous!  It feels very strong, but also very soft.  It is slightly shiney/silky looking, but not too much, if you know what I mean.  These socks are very warm.  I would think of them as a winter sock, for sure. 

I washed and agitated the socks, not in a manner that I would normally treat a handknit.  The socks got a bit fuzzier, but not too much.  I think that if you properly washed the socks, there would be minimal fuzzing.

I wore the socks around the house a couple of times, and I didn't notice any bagging or sagging.  The ribbing is still pulling in like crazy. 

I think that this yarn, in this color, would be best for a simple pattern.  I knitted the Hermione sock pattern, which has a simple texture pattern, and I think that it looks really good.  I would not do a cable or lace pattern, it would be too obscured.  If this yarn comes in a solid, I think it would be awesome for lace.  The sheen would make a simple lace pattern look ultra-fancy.

 

Misc:

I really enjoyed knitting this sock.  My one complaint about knitting with it, is that the yarn is very very warm, and sometimes made my hands sweat.  I would not want to knit it outside in the summer.  I like the sheen of the yarn, and that it isn't too shiney.  (I like wooly yarns!)

I would probably save this yarn for making special socks.  It is too good for most of my family members.  I could VERY much see using this yarn for a nice hat or pair of gloves, though! 

I didn't have any bleeding of any kind...not during knitting or washing.  The yarn doesn't smell funny either. 

I would totally buy this yarn if I saw it in the store, but I would probably either knit a fancy accessory with it, or keep it until I wanted to make socks for someone special.

Comments

[Natalie]

I WANT this YARN.... hopefully some will be left on Saturday for your Celebration!! It's just Loverly...

[Brandi]

I love that colorway and the pattern yummy socks.

[Leslie]

Can you say "I'm going to make a set" - I just ordered Galaxy in Benthos and Bitty - couldn't hold out till the last of the line is shown lol But, my mind is seeing, socks, hat, scarf and mitts in this lovely colorway in the different types of Yarn Hollow yarn.

[Mun Yee]

Thanks for the great review! I would never in a million years would have guessed that yarn and socks are the same colorway. Can't wait to get my hands on some of hte yarn and try out the pattern too. I'm going to try to hold out 'til this weekend and get the anniversary set at the same time as I have to pay for shipping.

[Elizabeth]

I love the pattern (already downloaded it!) and will have to drop by the store for that yarn! Beautiful job!