Himalaya Yarn

Himalaya yarn comes from Turkey, with ranges suited to very different projects: plush yarns for toys and baby blankets, acrylic for jumpers and hats, cotton with bamboo for summer tops, and glittery effect yarns. The manufacturer groups them into ranges such as Dolphin Baby, Velvet, Everyday, Himagurumi and Deluxe Bamboo, each with its own fibre content, length per ball and recommended needles. Most balls weigh 100 g, the cotton and effect ranges come in 50 g or 25 g balls, and the chunky Super Soft Yarn and Dolphin Big weigh 200 g. When choosing, compare the range and its length per ball first, then the colour.

Plush, acrylic or cotton: which Himalaya yarn range suits your project?

• Plush Dolphin and Velvet: soft, velvety polyester yarn that feels like plush fabric once knitted. Dolphin Baby has 120 m per 100 g and takes 6.5 mm needles, while Dolphin Big has just 80 m per 200 g. They suit soft toys, baby blankets and cushions.
• Acrylic Everyday: an acrylic range with an anti-pilling treatment for jumpers, hats and scarves, with 250 m per 100 g and 5 mm needles. The finer Everyday Bebe, with 330 m per ball, is intended for children's clothing.
• Cotton and bamboo: Deluxe Bamboo blends cotton with bamboo (250 m, 3.5 mm needles), Denim is cotton in 50 g balls, and Home Cotton blends cotton with polyester for 5 mm needles.
• Himagurumi: cotton with acrylic in 50 g balls for crocheting amigurumi: small figures and toys with dense, firm stitches.
• Effect yarns: Konfeti has a glittery thread, Yildiz has sequins, and Bikini is a lightweight polyamide yarn for summer tops and accessories.

How do you convert the yarn requirement in a pattern into balls of Himalaya?

The pattern gives the amount needed in metres rather than grams, so convert that length into balls of your chosen range. A ball of Everyday has 250 m and a ball of Dolphin Baby has 120 m, so you need roughly twice as many balls of plush yarn to get the same length of yarn. If the pattern calls for 1 200 m, five balls of Everyday are enough, but you need ten of Dolphin Baby. Buy balls of the same colour together, as shades from different production batches can vary slightly.

Which knitting needles and crochet hook should you use with Himalaya yarn?

The recommended needle diameter is given for each yarn and varies considerably between ranges. Thin, stretchy Celinda Stretch is knitted on 2.5 – 3 mm needles, Everyday on 5 mm, Velvet on 8 mm, and Dolphin Big on needles almost 13 mm in diameter. With plush yarns, the dense pile makes the stitches difficult to see, so mark your rows with rings or a thread in a different colour. For amigurumi made with Himagurumi, choose a crochet hook slightly smaller than the size on the label so the stuffing does not show through between the stitches.

Find more Turkish yarns on the Alize yarn and Yarn Art yarn pages, or all the brands together in the knitting yarn category.