NOTE: These yarns have been DISCONTINUED by the manufacturer. I am leaving it up for those who might have a way of getting their hands on it or who might want to pester Premier to bring it back.
I am a HUGE fan of the show Downton Abbey. You can imagine my excitement when I realized that Premier Yarns has come out with a line of Downton Abbey yarns. Trying them all out became a must for me since it combined two of my favorite things, crochet and Downton. I’d never really experimented with new yarns before, so this was a perfect way to get out of my comfort zone.
Line Basics
There are four lines within the overarching Downton Abbey yarns line. They’re named for the characters that each was inspired by. The four characters they picked were Mary, Matthew, Sybil, and Branson (Tom). I joked with my husband (also a Downton fan) that they didn’t do an Edith line because it would be too scratchy. 🙂
In this, my first post, I will cover the first couple of yarns, Lady Mary and Matthew (pun intended).
Lady Mary Yarn
Yarn Basics
- Washing instructions: Hand wash, lay flat to dry
- Comes in 8 colors (Cobalt Twinkle, Crimson Night, Coral Shine [discontinued], Dahlia Shimmer, Ice Crystal, Lily Ice, Silver Frost, Sapphire Sparkle)
- #3 category yarn
- Content: 95% acrylic, 5%Â glitter
- Weight: 3 oz (85 g)
- Length: 290Â yd (265 m)
- Outside pull skein (unwinds from outside in)
Yarn Review
This was the first yarn I tried out. Like Mary, the yarn is lady-like and elegant, the latter due to the metallic thread running through it. The color of the metallic thread varies by color. I thought the thread might make the yarn really scratchy as you use it, but it doesn’t. It’s not soft, but it’s not as scratchy as others I’ve used. It was really easy to work with and I made a long, semi-narrow scarf out of one skein with just a basic half-double crochet stitch. The finished product was somewhat scratchy. If you want a softer product you could maybe hold a strand of this yarn with another yarn. Random thought: It’d be neat if the Mary and Matthew yarns worked well together. I’m not sure about that, though. You’ll see when I talk about the Matthew yarn below.
I decided to try the purple (Dahlia Shimmer) color first and I think it’s really pretty. Later I bought all of the colors to make scarves to sell and they all look nice. I did notice when I was picking the yarns out that the Sapphire Sparkle didn’t quite live up to its name. It isn’t blue but more of a sea green. Still pretty, but not what comes to my mind when I imagine sapphires. As I was unpacking the yarn I was drawn to the Sapphire Sparkle and Coral Shine colors. I think those two and Lily Ice or Silver Frost would make a really neat project together.
Matthew Yarn
Line has been discontinued
Yarn Basics
- Washing instructions: Hand wash cold, lay flat to dry
- Comes in 8 colors (Dusky Mauve, Mulled Grape, Birch White, Stone Blue, Herb Green, Harvest Gold, Walnut Brown, Cinder Brown)
- #4 category yarn
- Content: 75% acrylic, 21% wool, 4% viscose
- Weight: 3.5 oz (100 g)
- Length: 230Â yd (210 m)
- Center pull skein
Yarn Review
Sorry if Matthew’s your favorite character, because I couldn’t find much to say about this yarn. I’d never tried a tweed-style yarn before, so the look of the yarn was a new experience to me. It’s because of the tweed look that I’m not sure if it could go well with the Mary yarn. That would be an interesting mix.
I though this yarn was very soft. It reminded me a lot of Red Heart’s Super Saver yarn in look and texture, but it’s much softer.
To try out the yarn I decided to make a cowl from the pattern on Premier Yarns’ website that was written for this yarn. When I started it I realized the pattern was off from the picture, so I just started winging it. The yarn is really easy to work with.
On a whim I decided to actually try the Matthew and Mary yarns together instead of just talking about it and it didn’t look too bad.
Stay tuned for Part Two of the review, in which I cover the Lady Sybil and Branson yarns!
Have you tried the Downton Abbey yarns? Do you want to? Let me know in the comments!
Disclaimer: I am in no way claiming ownership to the Downton Abbey name or the character’s names. I am not in any way affiliated with them or with Premier Yarns.
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4 thoughts on “Yarn Review: Downton Abbey Yarns Part One”
Today, I bought three skeins of Downtown Abbey yarn. They were on clearance, so I just had to! I bought Lady Sybil in Mulled Grape, Lady Mary in Lily Ice, and Branson in Vapor Grey. I thought that the Matthew yarn’s tweed flecks seemed a little bit flimsy, so I passed on it. I’m really excited to get started on some projects using this yarn!
Yarn on sale certainly is hard to resist. Have fun trying them out!
Where can i buy this yarn
Unfortunately these yarns are discontinued so you’d only be able to get them from a second-hand source like eBay. Hopefully they bring them back eventually!
-Margaret