Michelle Furls Wander Acrylic Yarn | Review
I’ve been wondering for a while if Furls were going to release a new yarn line, perhaps as an update to their previously successful Whims Merino. So when I heard that they would be releasing a new product in February ’21 called Furls Wander, I was beyond excited to get my hands on some!
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If you’ve been eagerly awaiting this announcement as much as I have, I’m sure you’re dying to know ALL about the yarn itself, and whether it’s worthy of taking up valuable space in your stash… so read on, intrepid explorer, and discover all the secrets of the brand new Furls Wander yarn!
All the ‘squishy’ details…
First thing’s first… let’s talk about the yarn itself. This 100% acrylic offering from Furls is listed as a Medium Worsted weight, category 4 yarn. It comes in 100g skeins of 120 yards, with an ‘S’ twist plied texture. It can be machine washed on cold, (though no tumble dry please) and advises a crochet hook size of 5 mm (US-H/8).
Furls initially offered this yarn in 14 highly saturated colours, and the range has since expanded to encompass 52 unique colours. Each is beautifully themed around the idea of wanderlust and travelling. I originally received 5 skeins in an assortment of colours; Ambrosia, Canary, Dragonfruit, Sunrise and Thatch. In the spirit of full disclosure, these are perhaps not colours I would have chosen for myself. (If you follow me on Instagram you *might* have seen that mustard yellow and I are not the best of friends!) But I’ll be the first to admit they all blended together really well!
Price
An individual skein of Wander will currently set you back $5.00 (as of November ’23), though there are also discounts for buying in packs of 5 and 10 at a time. This is a really nice little incentive for designers and makers alike to buy a few at a time for a project, or stock up on certain colours, which you don’t often see offered by other big name brands.
Furls Wander Yarn Substitutes
With a comparable suggested material, yardage and Wraps Per Inch (known as WPI) to popular budget yarns such as We Crochet’s Brava Bulky, HL’s I Love This Yarn or Red Heart Super Saver, Furls Wander acrylic yarn can often be a better match to Bulkier or Aran yarn weights, instead of the recommended Medium Worsted.
Check out the list below for all the details you need to know to find some ideal Furls Wander Yarn substitutes:
Best #5 Match:
- We Crochet Brava, #5 Bulky, 100% Acrylic, 136 yds / 3.5 oz.
- We Crochet Wool of the Andes, #5 Bulky, 100% Peruvian Highland Wool, 137 yds / 3.5 oz.
- Big Twist Gentle, #Bulky, 100% acrylic, 131 yds / 3.5 oz.
- LB Hue + Me, #5 Bulky, 80% acrylic, 20% wool, 137 yds / 4.4 oz.
Best #4 Match:
- HL I Love This Yarn, #4 Medium worsted, 100% acrylic, 355 yds / 7 oz.
- Red Heart Super Saver, #4 Heavy Worsted, 100% acrylic, 364 yds / 7oz.
- Caron Simply Soft, #4 Medium worsted, 100% acrylic, 315 yds / 6 oz.
- Yarn Bee Soft & Sleek, #4 Medium worsted, 100% acrylic, 232 yds / 5oz.
Furls Wander is an ‘affordable luxury’ yarn that is going to be perfect for hats, cowls, scarves, and even some small garments. Its heavier physical weight, however, may make it less suited to bigger garments due to the drag this will produce on your stitches. Combined with the relatively easy care instructions, this makes it a great choice for a range of small accessory projects for this wintry season before we all move into lighter spring makes.
So let’s get down to what’s really important…
Yard for yard, this yarn is certainly on the more luxurious end of the scale as opposed to other more budget big box-store yarns, so is it worth it?
My first thought right out of the box was ‘oh my, look at that sheen!’ Okay, maybe my first thought was actually ‘where the heck is the opening to this thing and why can’t I find it?!’ – but the sheen was definitely a close second.
Don’t worry though, it’s not too blindingly shiny which can be the case with some yarns; it’s a very subtle sheen and I love that it doesn’t compromise the texture of the yarn. There’s no shiny plastic feel and it doesn’t slide around your hook, but instead just provides a softness that perfectly catches the light. Any project you make with this yarn is bound to have oodles of definition!
S-Twist vs Z-Twist
While we’re on the subject of definition, if you’ve been waiting for an acrylic offering to replace Lion Brand‘s discontinued ZZ-Twist, I’m afraid you may have to wait a little longer. Despite the Z-twist feature of Whims Merino, Furls Wander is constructed with the more standard S-twist instead. This makes sense, with the addition of both Tunisian hooks and Knitting needles to the Furls product line up, as well as helping to make this yarn a more affordable option, but it does mean perhaps we’ll have to keep an eye out to see if there will be a suitable replacement in the future.
For an acrylic yarn, I was surprised that it is so soft and bouncy to the touch, and the smooth definition is going to lend itself really well to highlighting textured stitches such as bobbles, post stitches or lacy shells. The blend of contemporary brights and muted earthy colours means there’s a little bit of something for everyone to explore.
So, what is it like to work with?
Shininess and definition are all well and good, but we all know the question that is more important; what is the yarn like to work with? I selected some of my favourite hooks and set to swatching. I was pleased to see an even gauge to my swatch as I worked it up, and it was easy to keep a consistent tension. The yarn didn’t slide around, and there’s no need to constantly rewrap around your finger to adjust.
The ply is not a tight twist however, and that DID mean that occasionally the yarn was a little splitty to work into for the initial chain row. Once I started working with it though past that point, I had no issues at all and really enjoyed the feel of it.
But even that slight negative has an upside… The slightly looser twist gives the yarn some truly amazing drape, which means that shawls in particular are really going to stand out when worked up in Wander!
Which hook should I use?
My all-time favourite Furls hooks are the Streamline Swirls, made of a polished, non-porous resin. These hooks are so smooth to work with, and come in some gorgeous colours too! This is the hook I grabbed first to try out my half double crochet swatch.
After using both a nickel-plated Odyssey hook (unfortunately discontinued!) and a Wooden Streamline on the yarn next, I found the Swirl, my first choice, was the best option to complement the texture. The lightweight, polished wood of the original streamlines had slightly more grab, if that is what you prefer, whilst the heavier Odyssey hook occasionally slipped a little for me. Your perfect hook though may of course vary from mine, depending on your personal hold and style of crochet.
I would encourage you to try a few different hook materials out to find your ideal match.
Looking for a free pattern to try with Wander Yarn?
- Persinette Beanie – a free crochet pattern here on the blog, this pom beanie has interesting stitches and loads of potential for adding different colours!
- Wanderer Infinity Scarf – also a free crochet pattern here on the blog, this colour-blocked infinity scarf design is the perfect beginner project with a simple stitch pattern.
A note on blocking…
Can you block Acrylic? Certainly you can – If you are choosing to make a blanket or shawl with this yarn, I would recommend steam blocking, with plenty of wet heat. At a certain point, heat ‘kills’ acrylic yarn; this means that it slightly melts the fibres together (be careful not to touch the yarn itself if using an iron or you’ll end up with a rough mess!) and sets it into the desired shape. This is a great blocking option to open up stitches, emphasise the softness and sheen, and really make the most of the drape potential of this yarn.
Be careful however if you are making a garment; ‘killing’ the acrylic means that it will not return to its previous shape, it will likely stretch out over time and no longer fit as intended. In this case I would suggest a wet or spray block, or a very gentle steam with minimal heat to keep your makes looking as good as new.
So what’s the final verdict?
Overall, I give this yarn a 4 out of 5. I really enjoyed working with it, the colours are beautiful and for an acrylic yarn, I think this may be the softest and… erm… drapey-est… (can we make that a word?) yarn I’ve ever felt! It doesn’t score a 5 however, as the heavier weight of this yarn makes it very difficult to maintain gauge on larger projects. Positioned as a premium acrylic, this yarn delivers on most counts and I can’t wait to see where they take this.
Has it converted me to being a lover of mustard? Well, perhaps that might be an impossible feat, even for Furls…!
I hope you enjoy it as much as I do, and happy Crocheting!
