Novita Nalle is my current favorite sock yarn. It is a bit rustic, machine washable, light DK weight yarn. It is quite tightly spun and has a beautiful stitch definition and thus it’s a nice yarn for cables and colorwork. Despite the fact that the wool is superwash the fabric knitted with Nalle holds its shape well.
Funny fact: Nalle means teddy bear in Finnish (as the label might also suggest).
Basic info
- Fiber content: superwash wool (75%), nylon (25%)
- Weight: light DK
- Meterage: 284 yards (260 meters) / 100 g
- Gauge: I like to knit my socks with 28 sts / 4″ (10 cm), the recommended gauge (for everything else but socks) by the manufacturer is 22 sts / 4″ (10 cm)
- Colors: solid and self-striping options
Where you can buy Nalle
Here in Finland Nalle yarn is widely available on almost every grocery store. Outside of Finland Nalle is available at least on Lovecrafts. They ship worldwide from US and UK.
What I would use it for
As said Nalle is one of my favourite sock yarns at the moment. It knits up quite fast but the sock is still thin enough to be worn in shoes. It is also very durable. My husband for instance wears socks made of Nalle in his work boots all the time and one pair lasts for years.
I have used Nalle for mittens as well as hats and currently, I’m planning to make a sweater for my husband from it. However, to be completely honest it is not the softest wool and next to my forehead it feels itchy, not unbearably itchy but a little bit.
A lot of free patterns for Nalle you can find from Lovecrafts.com and from the manufacturer’s website.
Substitutes for Novita Nalle
On Ravelry and Yarnsub Nalle is listed as DK weight yarn but it is thinner than most DK weight yarns. My sock knitting gauge 28 sts / 4″ (10 cm), for instance, would be super dense for most DK weight yarns so I would use sport weight sock yarn to substitute Nalle on socks.
Some example substitutes:
- Regia 6 ply (available on Etsy, Lovecrafts and Amazon)
- Opal 6 ply (available on Etsy)
- Tukuwool sock (available on Titityy)
About the manufacturer
Novita is a Finnish family-owned business established in 1928 and according to themselves they are the largest manufacturer of yarns in the Nordic countries.
Novita aims to produce its yarn with as little impact on the earth as possible and commits being a socially responsible business as well. They invest in renewable energy sources and purchase our raw materials, such as wool, from nearby regions and for instance their factory in Finland is carbon neutral.
Read more about their actions related to sustainability on their website.
One Response
Thank you you have answered my questions about Novita……I will be interested in placing an order to knit some socks