Purl Soho’s Newest Yarn: Flax Down
Welcome the latest addition to the Purl Soho Yarn collection, our very special Flax Down (no longer available). Wonderfully soft, supple and cuddly, Flax Down blends baby alpaca, extra fine merino and linen for a yarn full of gentle charm and natural beauty. Rustic and elegant at the same time, Flax Down is just right for both forest walks and crosstown taxis!
One of Flax Down’s unique qualities is its undyed linen, which casts the entire palette in a subdued, tweedy haze. This makes for harmonious transitions in fair isle knitting and other types of colorwork. A rainbow of fluid color or just your favorite one alone, a sumptuous wrap or a cozy sweater, a simple knit or a granny square, in Flax Down it will surely be gorgeous!
We used Flax Down to knit up a cozy, winter version of our beautiful Just Triangles Entrelac Scarf. Read all about this season’s most special scarf right here!
Looking for more inspiration? Explore all of our free knitting patterns and knitting tutorials, buy one of our many knitting kits and yarn bundles, and shop for beautiful yarn. We have over 35 gorgeous natural fiber yarns in 100’s of magnificent colors, designed to bring integrity, beauty, and joy to your next knitting project and only available at Purl Soho!
Other pattern suggestions for the Flax Down?
Hi Beth!
We’re so glad you love the Flax Down! We will most definitely be introducing more patterns for this yarn in the future.
Happy Knitting!
Thomas
just received my Flax Down and could not believe the softness and beauty of the yarn. I am going to pick another color to go with my lichen green and narrow down the cobblestone *New York* scarf for me.
thank you for the incredible quick service and wrapping it so lovely.
thank you Vera from Tustin……………………jo
Question: What is the price of the Flax Down yarn? And how much do I need for a scarf? Ruth
Hi Ruth,
You can find all the information you need on price and yardage here. Depending on the project, a flax down scarf can range anywhere from 2-6 skeins. Most of our flax down scarf projects takes 4-5 skeins. Best of luck to you!
-Adam
lovely yarn that knitted up into a fairly dense, slightly drape-y fabric. it is prone to pilling a bit, but well worth it given what a beautiful sweater it turned into 🙂
Do you still have the fiber information and care instructions for your flax down yarn? I lost my tags but have several skeins left and I like to let people know what they are wearing and how to wash their goods when I do projects for others. Thanks in advance!
Hi Christie!
Thank you for your question. Flax Down contains 43% baby alpaca, 42% extra fine merino, and 15% linen. For the care instructions, we recommend hand washing Flax Down items in cold water and laying flat to dry.
I hope this helps!
All the best,
Margaret
Do you still make flax down? The page doesn’t seem to work. Is there a substitute for it?
Hi Bettina,
Thanks for reaching out. I’m so sorry to say that we’ve discontinued Flax Down! While we loved this yarn, not everybody else felt the same way, so we’ve had to make the sad decision to stop producing it. We hope you can understand!
I would be happy to recommend other yarns in place of Flax Down though! Flax Down was a DK weight yarn, so you’ll want to use another yarn of the same weight, in order to achieve the correct gauge. The best match would be Cashmere Merino Bloom, which is a very soft and fluffy yarn. Another great option would be Morning. Morning is a blend of cotton and yak, so it has a very different feel to it compared to Flax Down, but it’s a wonderful yarn too! Finally, Knitting Yarn would also be a great substitute. This is our very newest yarn addition, and it’s the perfect “all-around” yarn: simple, durable, and extremely versatile!
All the best,
Lili
Can you tell me if the Knitting Yarn is a scratchy yarn. I would like to take a top
Thank you
Hi Marsha,
Thanks for reaching out. Knitting Yarn is not scratchy at all, since it’s made from 100% merino wool! Merino fibers are so fine that they bend to the touch, rather than sticking up and scratching. Most people who are sensitive to normal wool do not have the same reaction to merino wool. Hope this helps!
All the best,
Lili
Where can I find (and purchase) the Flax Down yarn? I would like to use it for your Botanical Yoke Pullover. The Cashmerino Bloom is lovely but would be too warm for me. Looking forward to your kind reply!
Hi Verica,
Thanks for writing in, but I’m afraid that Flax Down has been discontinued! Since you’re looking for a less-warm option, then I’d recommend Morning instead. Morning is a blend of mostly cotton and some yak fiber, so it’s much cooler than mainly animal fiber yarns like Flax Down and Cashmere Merino Bloom.
As always, we recommend knitting a gauge swatch before casting on your project, especially when you are substituting yarns. You may need to size up or down your needles in order to get the correct gauge!
All the best,
Lili