Crochet vest and Malabrigo Sock yarn review

I’ve worked on this open vest for a long time; months, in fact. Was it worth it? Absolutely. I got a lovely versatile item for layering and got to crochet with Sock, another delightful offering by Malabrigo.

First, the technical side: I used almost 200 grams (two hanks) of Malabrigo Sock in the colorway Arco Iris, and a 2.5mm hook. I’m terrible at following or explaining patterns, but I drew from this bolero diagram, omitting the sleeves and making it longer.

Now, about this joy of a yarn. Malabrigo Sock is a lovely, sturdy, plied fingering weight, 100% merino yarn. It doesn’t offer the cloudy softness of single-ply yarns by Malabrigo, but it’s a lot more resistant to felting thanks to its plied structure.

Don’t get me wrong, though – it’s still a very soft yarn, both in the hank and when it works up. And it has a fantastic drape. Like all Malabrigo yarns, it comes in a stunning color palette. It’s smooth and frogs easily if you need to correct a mistake. It’s very even (none of the thick and thin patches you’ll sometimes encounter in single-plies).

It’s superwash, so any items made with it would be machine washable. There are mixed opinions about superwash yarns in general, because of environmental issues and the way it alters yarn structure, but I personally loved working with it and look forward to wearing my vest.

Finally, this is a great example of why I love lace and fingering weight yarns so much: you get great value for your money. Each hank of Malabrigo Sock has 440 yards (just over 400 meters) of yarn. Two hanks, and you have a vest or a nice shawl. 3-4 hanks could probably make a sweater if you don’t need an extra large size. And your item won’t come out super bulky.

I have more Malabrigo yarns in my stash, and can’t wait to try them all. Stay tuned and check out my other Malabrigo yarn reviews: Silkpaca, Worsted, Rios, Mora.

Happy hooking in 2024!