Crochet flared tunic in Alize angora gold batik ombre

Sometimes, you fall in love with the yarn you work with. Sometimes, you develop a love-hate relationship. This was my story with Alize angora gold batik ombre.

I had this yarn cake sitting in my stash for years, from before I switched almost 100% to using all-natural, biodegradable yarns. It’s 80% acrylic, 20% wool fingering/fine sports weight yarn that comes in 150-gram cakes containing 825 meters.

I used color 7295 (eggplant/muted purple) and a 2.5 mm hook. Used this pattern from Pinterest, but my tunic/top came out a lot more flared than in the picture.

[A close-up of the details on the body]

It’s a long gradient yarn, which means that it’s suited for one-item projects worked in a single piece, like top-down tunics or light cardis, shawls, or scarves that show the whole extent of the beautiful slow color shift.

You can start working from the center (in which case you start with the lighter shade) or from the outside, like I did (and then you begin with the darker shade).

Pros:

• Gorgeous gradual color change, nothing like the blobs of color you often get with variegated yarns
• Drapes nicely
• Economical: one cake goes a long way

Cons:

• Mostly acrylic; doesn’t feel very nice on the fingers – especially if you’ve been spoiled by gorgeous yarns like Malabrigo!
• Itchy against the skin; I wouldn’t use it for a scarf or cowl
• Brushed yarn, which means the fibers snag on each other. Almost impossible to frog, so be extra careful when working with it.

Overall, I’m not a fan and probably won’t buy this again.