Introducing Purl Soho’s Gentle Giant!
Say hello to Purl Soho’s newest yarn… A big, cuddly pile of merino wool, it’s Gentle Giant! As generous a yarn as we could dream up, Gentle Giant is for anyone with a soft spot for cozy and an eye for beauty.
We created Gentle Giant in a dozen Heather colors, plus our classic Heirloom White. Evocative of windblown moors and hilltop fields, our palette draws from nature’s rustic beauty with colors like Winter Bark and Silver Berry, Purple Lupine and Pink Sky.
A loosely spun single ply of pure merino, Gentle Giant knits up at a great, big 1 1/2 stitches to the inch. It’s the perfect go-to yarn for quick-but-gorgeous knits: warm winter blankets, sumptuous hats and scarves, and high-drama cowls.
Wondering where to begin? We started with our stunning Beautyberry Blanket, a super fun knit and a wonderful way to get acquainted with the newest member of the Purl Soho Yarn family. Pick up the free pattern here, and be sure also to browse our entire collection of Gentle Giant, this season’s big inspiration!
this is gorgeous – but it would be a $400 blanket…yikes! perhaps you should add some smaller projects….
Hello Suerita!
Thanks for your kind words about our newest yarn addition! We will definitely bring in some new smaller projects in the upcoming weeks! Stay tuned! -Alyson
I would love to make this for my son and his girlfriend — love the pattern, yarn and the colors, but $418??? Yikes. Too much for me…..any other yarn you can suggest to get the price down?
Hello Chris!
We understand your plea! While this yarn is a hair thinner than our Gentle Giant, you would definitely be able to make this blanket with Cascade Magnum. You can find that yarn here: https://www.purlsoho.com/magnum.html It has almost 3 times the quantity in each skein. I hope this helps and thanks so much for your interest in our pattern! -Alyson
Hi I love the beauty berry blanket, I am wondering if you would deliver the yarn to Ireland
Hi Carol!
Great News… We DO ship to Ireland. For information about shipping, please click here! Thanks for writing in and please let us know if you have any questions!
Laura
could you use this wool to make beanies?
Thank you!
Hello Sarah!
Absolutely! I’m considering knitting one up this weekend! Stay tuned for more patterns with our lovely new yarn soon! -Alyson
MY Goodness there is a GOD!!
Hi, This wool looks sooo delicious. How many skeins would I need for a cowl, or to put it another way, how long is the yarn in a skein. I am assuming that you ship to NZ too. Kindest regards, keep on keeping on making beautiful creations, Catherine
Hello Catherine!
We do ship globally! Each skein of our Gentle Giant is 48 yards or about 44 meters. As long as you don’t knit it too densely, you should be able to get a simple once-a-round cowl out of two skeins. For an infinity scarf, I would get 4 skeins. I hope this helps and thanks for your kind words about our designs! -Alyson
Wondering how much of Gentle Giant to purchase for a once-around cowl in a simple stitch?
Hello Elizabeth!
What a lovely idea! Since each skein has 48 yards, you would able to get away with two as long as you don’t knit it too tightly. I would recommend doing some gauge swatches to measure out the size of the finished project you would like!
Happy knitting! -Alyson
too beautiful… I just want some in a bowl as art 😉
Thanks for the kind words, Janet! We love it too! -Alyson
Love your new yarn. Colors are awesome.
I would LOVE to see a hat pattern for this. A slouchy hat? A hat with a big pom pom? Please, please come up with a pattern soon so I’ll have an excuse to buy this gorgeous yarn!
Hello Keri!
Stay tuned! Thanks for your request and your interest in our newest addition to our yarn family! Happy knitting! -Alyson
How many balls for a cowl?
Hello Marie!
If you would like to make a simple cowl that only goes around your neck once, two should be sufficient, as long as you don’t knit too densely! For a twice around cowl, I would get 4 to be safe. Happy knitting! -Alyson
I LOVE this yarn! Maybe I am overlooking it, but I don’t see where it tells how much is in a skein. Thanks!
Hello Cherri!
Each skein has 48 yards and is $22.00. You can find it here: https://www.purlsoho.com/purl-soho-goods/purl-soho-yarn/gentle-giant.html
We’re so glad you like it! -Alyson
Would this be an alternative for your Eleventh Hour Scarf pattern?
Hello Laura!
Absolutely! This would be lovely with that pattern. Good eye! -Alyson
I’m thinking a scarf with tassels on the ends. Either all one colour, or random thin stripes of a second colour, picked up in the tassels…
Hello Caroline!
That would be beautiful! We can’t wait to see what everyone thinks up with our newest yarn! Thanks for sharing your ideas! -Alyson
I never seem to be able to download the free pattern. I wanted to download the Tunesian crochet style shawl, but I could not becauce the computer said I had already done it. ButI did not. I also like to download the blueberry blanket What to do?
Second question; Are you based in the US? To order yarn , could it be done in Europe?
I love your projects and hope te get started someday 🙂
Best wishes Marie-Jose
Hello Marie-Jose!
Are you trying to download the PDFs of the patterns? They are also posted on the website directly, so you don’t have to download if you don’t want to. All it would take is for you to click the “Print” button on the top right hand side so that you can then be prompted to download the PDF. Please don’t hesitate to write again if you are still having issues!
As for shipping to Europe–absolutely yes! We ship worldwide! Happy shopping and knitting! -Alyson
This yarn is so beautiful! Can you comment on how it compares to your Super Soft Merino? (Love the Super Soft Merino, too!)
Hello Hope!
Gentle Giant maintains the soft and squishy 100% merino wool that Super Soft Merino Wool has, but it is quite a bit thicker! Before starting a project, make sure you check the gauge and figure out which would be best! Give it a shot and let us know what you think! -Alyson
This is just beautiful. I would like to use this for the Double Seed Stitch Blanket. How much would I need for the Queen size. Would I still need to double the yarn?
Hello Ann!
We didn’t double the yarn for the double seed stitch blanket! If you would like to use this yarn for that pattern, I would suggest doing a gauge swatch so that you can estimate the size of the finished blanket by multiplying by the stitches per inch you are able to create. Gentle Giant is significantly wider than Super Soft Merino, so I wouldn’t want you to end up with a very different sized blanket than you expected!
Best of luck and happy knitting! -Alyson
Love Gentle Giant and I’m currently knitting the Eleventh Hour Scarf. I have one skein left over because this wasn’t going to be the original project. Are there any one skein projects with GG? Maybe a hat? I’m a beginner too so be “gentle” 🙂
Hi Kaci,
I am so glad that Gentle Giant is working well for you! Our Giant Twisted Rib Hat uses 2 colors of Gentle Giant. With one additional skein in a coordinating color, you could make a lovely hat to match your new scarf!
Happy knitting!
Cassy
Hi What needle size is used for the hat. Does it take one skein or two. Thank you. Its beautiful
Hi Beverly,
Thanks for writing in! Can you let us know what hat you are referring to? I’d be happy to help you with our specs once we have that information!
Best,
Cassy
What are the care instructions for Gentle Giant? Since your suggested use is the Beautyberry (baby) blanket, can the finished blanket be washed?
Hi Kathleen,
Thanks for writing in! We recommend hand washing and laying flat to dry. You could also dry clean the finished blanket!
Best,
Cassy
I just finished the Chloe Kim Olympic snowboarding hat! This yarn was perfect!! So soft and beautiful! Nothing like it. I would send you a picture, but cannot. It would be good for your business!
Hello, I am knitting the mountain capelet in the gentle giant wool. Do you have any hints to stop the yarn twisting while I’m knitting?
Hi Julie,
Thanks for writing in! Although it’s not uncommon for a single ply yarn like Gentle Giant to twist back on itself, it can certainly be irritating while you’re trying to knit with it! If you’re working with a center pull ball or cake, I would recommend trying to take the yarn from the opposite of where you are currently – for instance, if you are currently pulling your yarn from the inside of the ball, try pulling it from the outside instead, or vice versa. This might help somewhat, but to a certain degree, this is just the nature of single ply yarns! It’s also helpful to take less yarn off the ball at time so there isn’t as much slack yarn to twist back on itself.
I hope that helps, and happy knitting!
Julianna
Hi
I love this yarn . I am considering making a chunky sweater for cold evening up North. Do you think it would work?
How many skeins do you think approx I would need for a size 10 simple pullover.
Hi Yarmila,
Thanks for reaching out! How much yarn you’ll need will depend on the pattern and your gauge. I’d suggest you take a look at the schematics and yardage for our Gentle Cardigan to get a rough estimate of how much yarn you would need (I’m thinking it will be between 10-12 skeins).
I hope this helps, and please let me know if you have any other questions!
Happy Knitting!
Kelsey