Behind the Swatches: Exploring Ewetopia’s Milled Yarns

A new article of mine went live today on the Farm & Fiber Knits website, and it was such a pleasure to work on.

Over the past few weeks I’ve been spending time swatching several yarn bases from Ewetopia’s mill in Wisconsin. There’s something deeply satisfying about slowing down and letting the yarn reveal itself through simple knitting — winding the skein, casting on a small swatch, and watching the fabric take shape row by row.

Each base had its own personality. Some felt bouncy and structured on the needles, while others created a softer, drapier fabric. It’s always fascinating to see how the fiber blend and spin style influence the final fabric.

If you’d like to read the full yarn tasting and see the swatches, you can find the article here:

Read the article on Farm & Fiber Knits

I’m so grateful to Farm & Fiber Knits and the team at Ewetopia for the opportunity to explore these beautiful yarns.

Behind the Scenes

When I swatch farm yarns, I’m always paying attention to a few things that help me understand how the yarn will behave in a finished garment…

Fiber blend

Different wool breeds behave differently. I always start by noticing how the fiber composition affects softness, elasticity, and structure.

Spin style

Woolen and worsted spun yarns create very different fabrics. The spin influences loft, drape, and stitch definition.

Elasticity

Does the fabric bounce back? Some yarns create a springy, structured fabric while others knit up softer and drapier.

Texture

Small-batch yarns often have subtle thick-and-thin spots or tiny neps that give the fabric personality.

Fabric feel

Once the swatch is finished, I always spend time simply handling the fabric to see how it wants to move and behave.

I explored these ideas while swatching several yarn bases from Ewetopia’s mill in my latest article for Farm & Fiber Knits.

You can read the full yarn tasting, here, on their website.