Big Is Better With Wool Couture + Free Scarf Pattern

Epic Extreme image courtesy of Wool Couture

Chunky yarns are very on-trend this winter as they're quick to knit up, perfect for beginners and extra warm and cosy.

Wool Couture, a company based in Barnsley, South Yorkshire, is on course to turn over a million pounds from its specialisation in yarns larger than the average aran. Its largest product, Epic Extreme, is designed for whopping great 30, 40 or even 50mm needles - or you could always ditch the sticks and take a YouTube tutorial on arm knitting.

For newbies to giant knitting it's safer to start off a little smaller than the extreme. I was keen to see if big can really be better and Wool Couture sent me two balls of their Fatt Yarn to review - one in indigo denim and the other in stone wash denim (see photo below).

Fatt Yarn 

Whist Wool Couture's wool comes from South Africa or South America it's good to hear that it's dyed and spun in Yorkshire. Amy Law from the company says "Fatt Yarn was developed as out customers wanted a chunkier version of our best seller Cheeky Chunky. So we make it twice the size of our Cheeky Chunky!"

As yet the company is lacking in patterns although Law says their designers are working on whipping some up. To test Fatt Yarn I decided to wind back the years and pretend I was a beginner, knitting a simple striped scarf in garter stitch for a Christmas present. Here's the pattern:

Fatt Yarn Christmas Scarf

Requires 10mm needles - circular or straight.

With the indigo yarn cast on 18 stitches.

Knit two rows.

Change to stonewashed yarn (don't cut the the indigo yarn) and knit another two rows.

Continue in this pattern of changing colour after every two rows, ensuring you twist the two yarns when you begin a new colour to maintain a neat edge.

When you're near the end of balls finish with two rows of the indigo yarn and then cast off loosely.

Sew in the two ends.

And here's the finished creation!

The scarf is going to my friend's husband. It looks great, is superbly warm and soft and only took a few hours to knit in front of the TV.  I did find that Fatt Yarn split a little but that's something to watch out for when making stitches with your size 10mms.

Fatt Yarn is 100% merino and costs £14.99 per ball plus P&P. In my opinion it's great for quick, fun projects - whether you are a knitting newbie or an experienced knitter.