This week I sat down with a new (to me) yarn called King Cole Forest Aran. I have been looking at recycled yarns lately as a way to make my stitching more sustainable so I couldn’t resist giving this recycled yarn a try. Today I’m going to share with you my in-depth King Cole Forest Aran yarn review, you’ll see it worked up in some crochet swatches and I’ll share some free crochet patterns that you can use with this yarn.
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King Cole Forest Aran Yarn Label Information & Other Details:
- Current Number of Colourways Available: 12. Check your local yarn shop here or see it online at LoveCrafts.com
- Yarn Type: Plied
- Fiber Content: 35% Wool, 25% Acrylic, 20% Polyamide, 25% Viscose
- Weight: Aran (4)
- Yarn Ball Weight / Size: 100g / 3.5oz
- Yardage: 239 yd / 218 m
- Suggested Crochet Hook Size: 5mm (H)
- Suggested Knitting Needle Size: 5 mm needle (US 8)
- Gauge: 18 Sts x 25 rows = 4″/10 cm
- Care: Machine wash in warm water (at or below 30C). Do not tumble dry, iron or bleach. Dry Clean any solvent except Trichloroethylene – very delicate.
Check out the video version of this yarn review:
I can’t resist an opportunity to try a new yarn and when I found out that King Cole Forest Aran was a 100% recycled yarn, I couldn’t wait to give it a try. There are currently 12 different colourways of Forest Aran available. All of the colourways in this line have fun forest names like Hartwood Forest, Sherwood Forest, Avondale Forest etc. I tried this yarn in the colours Forest of Dean and Red Brae Wood. Both colourways have tiny flecks in them and the strand also has a bit of heathering to it. The flecks are generally very subtle, with the Forest of Dean colourway having the occasional flecks that are a little bolder. Combined, these characteristics create a fabric that is full of beautiful, subtle colour changes that creates some great visual interest.
I did two different crochet swatches with this yarn – the first was a swatch done in basic crochet stitches and for the second, I decided to break out my tunisian crochet hooks. The first swatch, done in the Forest of Dean (light grey) was done using a 5.5mm hook and I started with single crochet stitches, followed by rows of half double crochet and then double crochet stitches. The fabric it created was a bit airier than I would expect for an aran weight yarn with this size of crochet hook. The yarn strand is a bit thinner than other aran weight yarns I’ve worked with and I would say that this yarn works up more similarly to that of a light worsted or even a DK weight yarn.
The tunisian crochet swatch was done with a 5.5mm tunisian crochet hook. I started with tunisian simple stitch then moved into some knit stitch. Then I started to experiment with alternating rows of knit and purl stitch before finishing the swatch with some rows of the full stitch. The heathering and flecks in the Red Brae Wood creates such a gorgeous fabric that I almost couldn’t stop myself from crocheting with it.
King Cole Forest Aran has great stitch definition and was really enjoyable to work with. This would be great for crochet cable projects like my Ahead of the Curve Throw Pillow. This yarn definitely has that wooly feel to it but it does soften up quite a bit after some time wet-blocking with a wool wash like Eucalan or a no-rinse detergent like Soak (which is my absolute favourite). This is a versatile yarn that would be a great yarn for a variety of home accessories, outer garments and accessory projects. I really loved this yarn and will absolutely be using it again in the future.
Free Crochet Patterns To Use With King Cole Forest Aran Yarn
Looking for some pattern inspiration to use with your King Cole Forest Aran yarn? Check these out:
- Country Winter Wreath
- Brave At Heart Crochet Scarf
- Twisted Shells Crochet Earwarmer
- Crochet Tartan Beanie
- Crochet Tartan Cowl
- Wander Often Crochet Blanket
- Comfy Spring Cardi
Check out the Ravelry website here if you’re looking for knitting patterns for this yarn.
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