A few months ago I was approached by the company Marriner Yarns to see if I would like to review some of their products.  They weren’t a brand that I was familiar with so I said sure – if you’d like to pop over a sample for me I’ll have a look at it.

I was expecting maybe one or two balls of yarn – what I wasn’t expecting was a huge parcel full of cotton, double knit, chunky, super chunky and variegated yarn! Just look at this lot…

For this post I did a little research into Marriner Yarns and was surprised to discover that they are one of Britain’s oldest suppliers of knitting yarns and accessories (dating back to 1784). I love the fact that they use British Wool in their wool range and I fell in love reading about their own special flock which they are currently growing; you can read more about that on their blog – those little lambs are just darling!

As well as wool blends they are also big suppliers of different acrylic yarns. Now I know acrylic yarn isn’t everyone’s favourite but I use a lot for my design work, I like it and think there is a definite place for it – and I certainly don’t think it means, as a rule, that just because it’s acrylic that it’s lacking in quality. They are some beautiful acrylic yarns out there which is usually available in an array of different colours. If you are just learning crochet for instance using acrylic yarns can actually be a really cost-effective way to get started and find your favourites.

If you are looking for a large range of different yarn types and weights then Marriner Yarns definitely have the variety – and at prices that won’t break the bank. And they have some very pretty colourways like this Heritage Double Knit…

And I also like the hues of the Empress Chunky…

What a lot of stuff to play with! Being a crochet blogger certainly comes with it’s perks!

As I work a lot with cotton I decided to give some of that a try first. I love cotton for amigurumi though it’s also great for garments (as the natural fibres mean it’s breathable) or for house decor items.

The cotton I selected from my package was mercerised, which means that the cotton fibre has been treated in a way to make it stronger, it reduces fabric shrinkage (which you obviously want for garments) and the process gives the yarn a silky shiny lustre – which I quite like for ami’s.

Marriners 100% mercerised cotton range is classed as a double knit (8ply) comes in 9 different colours: Berry,  Cream, Oatmeal, Violet, White, Azure, Cyclamen, Asparagus and Poppy and it’s suitable to be used with any DK pattern.  

So let’s check out the yarn’s vital statistics we: 

• Weight:  Double Knit (3)
• Blend: 100% Mercerised Cotton
• Yarn Ball Weight: 50g
• Yarn Ball Length: 201m
• Wash instructions: Machine Wash / Wool Wash 30°C
• Price: £2.95 (at the time of this post)

I actually had a little amigurumi project in mind that I wanted to work out so I chose the Violet and the Cyclamen which I planned to mix with some of the White. Incidentally the recommended hook and needle size for this yarn is 3.25mm – 4mm (US size D/3 – G) but I chose my trusty favourite 3mm (C/2) for a tighter amigurumi stitch.

I was very pleased with the vibrancy of the colours and I really like the hues of the purples. When crocheting the mercerised-ness of the cotton (I’m claiming that as a word!) allows the yarn to slide through your fingers which means I also found it very easy on the hands to work with.

I can’t comment on any of the other yarn I received yet, as I’ve not had time to play with them, but I will say that the Marriner cotton is comparable to other mercerised cottons I’ve used and good value for money.  I’d use it again for another project – though I’d love to see more colours made available! 

So do you want to see a little sneaky peek of the pattern I came up with? 

He’s not quite ready to meet you quite yet but pop back tomorrow for the FREE pattern release of Rascal the Raccoon!

Many thanks to Marriner Yarns for supplying the yarn so I could make this pattern for you.

Until next time folks! Happy hooking and keep calm and crochet on my friends xx