There are a lot of great merino wools out there, but if you're looking for a soft, squishy singles with great stitch definition, beautiful colors and a pretty good price, you need to meet Preciosa from Knit Picks.

Precisoa was one of the company's Special Reserve yarns back in 2012, and it sold out very quickly, so the company decided to bring it back. And we should all be glad they did.

About the Yarn

• Content: 100 percent merino wool

• Yarn weight: medium/worsted
• Gauge: Ball band says 4.25-5 stitches per inch on size US 7-9 needles; I got 4.5 stitches and 6.5 rows per inch using size 7 US knitting needles (after washing)
• Yardage: 273 yards per 100 gram hank
• Color availability: as of this writing, Preciosa was available in 16 tonal shades
• Color used in swatch: Captain
• Care instructions: hand wash

Marvelous Merino

Merino is the most common sheep breed in the world, and the most commonly found when you find wool yarn labeled as something other than "wool."

Clara Parkes says in her Knitter's Book of Wool that it is "an extremely soft, fine fiber" that also has high tensile strength, but because of its short staple length, it can be more susceptible to piling than other yarns, so bear that in mind when choosing a project.

Knitting with Preciosa

My first reaction to this yarn was that it's a very pretty singles yarn that maybe looks a little heavier than it is. The colors are well-saturated (and didn't run at all when I washed my swatch) and while the darker color did kind of hang together in my swatch, I wouldn't call it pooling and I wouldn't say it's a problem.

This yarn is super soft, squishy and lovely to work with. I expected to have some splitting because it's a singles, but I sailed through my swatch on bamboo needles perfectly.

The stitches are perfectly even and my gauge changed only slightly after washing (18 stitches per 4 inches instead of 18.5 before blocking).

The purls in my Seed Stitch edging popped out nicely.

Ideas for Using Preciosa

My first thought when knitting with this yarn was that it would be perfect for something like a Honey Cowl (and I may yet make some "honey mitts" out of my remaining yarn). I think slip stitches or something with a little bit of texture would be great with this yarn.

It's so soft and lovely you'll want to wear it on your body, so a cowl, mitts or even a hat would be great options. If you want to buy more than a single hank, a shawl or a sweater in this yarn would be lovely, too.

Bottom Line

As of this writing, Preciosa retails for $11.99 a hank, which is reasonable for such a luscious yarn. And with 273 yards in a hank, you can make a small project with a single skein that you're sure to be happy with for yourself or as a gift for a worthy friend.

Disclosure: Review samples were provided by the manufacturer. For more information, please see our Ethics Policy.