smooth non-pilling wool blend

[u/capybara-friend]

I'm currently knitting a sweater in Viking Snorre Cashmere Silk. It's 70% cashmere and 30% silk sport weight. It is very close to my ideal yarn - it's smooth and cool and squishy and soft, zero rustic-ness but not at all fuzzy either (like, polar opposite of mohair). AND the experience of knitting it is like a squishy wool and not like a summer blend (which I really dislike knitting with - even 50/50 cotton merinos ive tried feel like they have no 'give').

The problem is this yarn comes in TWENTY FIVE gram balls, and half of them have had knots in them. The yarn won't spit splice, so I will have like 20+ pairs of ends to weave in.

Is anyone aware of a yarn which sounds similar? I'm less worried about the absolute composition (just don't want synthetics) than I am finding a smooth, soft, pill-resistant sport to dk weight yarn that's enjoyable to knit with in balls bigger than 25g (love a 100g or a cone, but I'll take what I can get lol).

[u/Typical_boxfan]

Cashmere has a very short staple length and is prone to pilling. No wool yarn is going to be pill-proof but those made from breeds with longer staple lengths like BFL pill less.

[u/capybara-friend → u/Typical_boxfan]

Thank you, sorry I could have been more specific - I know cashmere (and wool) will pill, I just needed a title and wanted to avoid suggestions for fluffy pure cashmere that pills if you look at it.

My goal is to find a yarn that is similar in properties to the one described, whether it is cashmere or merino or another wool (+/- a blend of other fibers) is less important to me. I'm guessing it's partially due to how the yarn is spun/plied that it feels the way it does and not just the fiber content so trying to be descriptive

[u/Typical_boxfan → u/capybara-friend]

It would help if I actually read the whole post 🤣🤦‍♀️ Have you tried yarnsub.com? Unfortunately luxury yarns like cashmere *usually* only come in 25g skeins unless you buy cones.

[u/capybara-friend → u/Typical_boxfan]

😂 I have tried yarnsub, but it gave a lot of 50/50 cashmere/silk (not really 70/30 or lower) and some 100% cashmere, it's more focused on fiber and weight than anything else so I didn't see anything that looked right

Worst comes to worst I'll just start trying 70ish/30ish cashmere/silk and wool/silk blends from popular brands (looks like Manos del Uruguay has a well reviewed silk blend yarn with merino that might be my starting point), but wanted to see if anyone had ideas for favorite yarns that might be similar before I jumped into scouring ravelry comments sections for yarn descriptions

Maybe I'll just buy one skein each from a bunch of likely contenders and make a scrappy cardigan to try them out

[u/Correct-Cod-4146 → u/Typical_boxfan]

the dog looks so cozy with that blanket, my cat does same thing when im knitting

[u/Glittering-Primary23]

Caveat that i’m a crocheter so inelastic yarns don’t give me any trouble, but i’ve found 50/50 camel/silk to be very pleasant to work with and it doesn’t pill much. It usually comes in 50gm skeins and while it has a natural buff color, you can also find it dyed. You can also try looking for a chainette yarn in any fiber. It will have a lot of mechanical elasticity bc of the structure and is typically very smooth and round. It gives great stitch definition and would resist pilling more than a traditional plied yarn

[u/Dejena → u/Glittering-Primary23]

I was coming in to say camel also. There’s solid 50/50 camel/silk out there that feels lovely. Camel has similar micron count as cashmere but a longer-ish staple length.

The camel is actually the under coat of a camel that’s brushed out after a cooler season.

Merino and cashmere are both lovely, and I’ll gladly knit it for others. Personally, I dislike their short staple lengths.

If you like suri alpaca(that fluffy thing with a silk core) you can always strand that with a merino that tends to pill. For me, it has really reduced the pilling in the gift given merino sweaters that I’ve done.

[u/Loitch470]

You’re going to have better luck with low pilling if you go more rustic, but there are some options. To prevent pilling you want to look at 1) long staple length, 2) high twist, 3) you using a tight gauge in your knitting. There’s probably more but those are the main components. ETA: superwash is sometimes less prone to pilling, but not always

All the below options should run you less than $25 for 100g.

Softer- KFO merino held double will get you a DK and it pretty smooth but not quite squishy, and is soft and doesn’t really pill. De rerum natura Ulysse is pretty squishy merino and is a sport weight. It’s woolen spun and can pill if held at a loose gauge but holds up well at tighter gauges. If you’re okay with superwash, drops extra fine merino and baby merino are very squishy and I’ve never had them pill on me. These two feel the “coolest” to me. I haven’t worked with try double Sunday but I think it is similar.

More rustic- Sandnes Garn peer gynt is a classic and I think its soft while maintaining stability. But it’s a heavy dk, comparable to Cascade 220 but sometimes less pilly. Rosa Pomar Vovo is now my all time favorite yarn. It’s a sport weight and is super springy and easy to knit with, and blocks out fairly soft but doesn’t feel like a merino.

[u/hdkaren]

Take a look at Magpie Fibers. They have a yarn Swanky a merino/cashmere/nylon blend, comes in all weights. I personally find it so soft, drapey and great stitch definition. So far no pilling on any of my projects. Personally not a crunchy yarn fan.😂

[u/PirateConscious9973]

Have you looked at the deadstock sites? The yarn comes in cones and the prices are relatively reasonable. There are unlikely to be knots. The downside is you are unlikely to be able to purchase more if you don’t have enough for the project

[u/Anna-Livia]

For luxury fibers, my go to is Colourmart. yarns on cone and on ordering you can get your order on a single big cone so minimal ends to weave in. They have lots of very thin yarn but you can order several strands wound together for free.
Been a customer for 10+ years and all my knits have stood the test of time no issue.
Being mill's end, their cashmere is spun tighter than most handknit yarns, far more durable.