Yarn Review: Osprey Yarn by Quince & Co

One of the best things about punch needle is what wonderful variety of yarn there is to play with! While rug yarn is recommended for making rugs -- there are SO many other ways to use punch needle, and a whole array of yarn that creates a range of beautiful textiles.

Recently I've been branching out beyond rug wool to explore other brands and styles of yarn that are available online or in craft stores. Today I'm diving into the gorgeous world of Quince & Co. and testing out their Osprey yarn line, to see how it works with punch needle.

Colors:  Honey   //  Clay, Shell, Petal, Wasabi, Honey

AT FIRST GLANCE: Osprey is a beautiful, soft 3-ply Aran-weight yarn spun from fluffy wool fleece. I prefer using natural materials as much as possible, so I LOVE that this is a 100% wool yarn! Its relaxed twist gives knits a light, soft hand, and it's available in 45 gorgeous colors. The colors and feel of this yarn were the first thing I noticed. The yarn feels luxurious, and the palette is so lovely! 

Like many yarns, Osprey comes in skeins, so the first thing I did was to wind it into balls for easier use with the punch needle. If you don't have a yarn winder, I recommend grabbing one! This is the one that I use.

Tip: I did notice that the colors look different in person than they appear online, so that's one thing to be aware of if you're trying to match a specific palette!

SELECTING NEEDLE SIZE: Upon first glance, I could tell that this yarn would probably work best with the Oxford Fine Needles (rather than the Regular), but just to be sure, I threaded the yarn through both sizes of needle to test it out. Once I determined that the Fine needles were the best size to use, I set about creating samples using various needle heights -- the 14 Fine, 13 Fine and 10 Fine -- to get a feel for how the yarn punches, and see the difference in the textile it creates.

PUNCHING:  Since this yarn is much softer than rug wool, I wasn't sure whether it would be too "slippery" in the needle, making it difficult to get nice even loops. But I was pleased to see this wasn't the case at all! Osprey yarn is easy to work with, even in the lower needle heights (14 and 13) and created nice even loops on the front of the frame. 

FILLING IN:  I found that punching in every hole of the monkscloth crowded the loops on the front and made them lose their definition, so I quickly switched to punching in every other hole, or 6 stitches per inch (6 spi) to get a beautiful, even texture.

As I went around and filled in the squares, I bricked my stitches, and would punch 2 rows right next to one another so the loops filled in nicely on the front. Then I left a row of holes in between the next 2 rows. This allowed enough breathing room that the loops weren't overcrowded on the front of the piece.

TEST SWATCHES:  I completed 4 test swatches in total. Three with different needle heights -- 14 Fine (Purple - "Shell"), 13 Fine (Pink - "Clay") and 10 Fine (Gold- "Honey") and then one that combined the 14 Fine needle (Green - "Wasabi") with the 10 Fine (Cream - "Petal") to get a sense of how the different needle heights combine in the same piece.

When I was done punching, I removed the pieces from the frame. They only curled up very slightly, which meant they weren't overcrowded, and the textile wasn't too stiff. 

FINISHING:  To get my samples to lay flat after cutting them out and serging the edges, I gently pressed them using a hot iron and a damp cloth. Because this yarn is 100% wool I knew that using heat was okay, but since the yarn is so soft and fluffy I worried it would felt or press down the loops too much. 

But a gentle press turned out to be just fine and helped the pieces lay nice and flat!

Once I had my finished pieces, I compared the different heights (14 Fine, 13 Fine and 10 Fine) and determined that my favorite were the 14 and 13 fine, which are the shortest pile heights. The lower pile heights helped the loops to retain their fullness, and created the most lightweight and flexible textile. 

Tip: If you choose to use the 10 Fine needle, try leaving 1 row of holes in between each row of stitches as this might give the loops a little more room!

Left to right:  14 Fine, 13 Fine and 10 Fine

CLEANING / CARE:  As a final step, I decided to test out how this yarn could be cleaned. Rug yarn is durable enough to be washed in the washing machine, but how about Osprey? I put the 14 Fine and 10 Fine pieces in the washing machine on a cold/delicate cycle to see what would happen.

To be honest, I was FULLY expecting this to felt the yarn and for this to be a terrible idea. But I was only half right!  The size 10 Fine piece felted immediately, and even more so after I put it in the dryer (so yeah, don't do that!). However, the 14 Fine piece didn't actually come out of the wash looking too bad. I let it air dry, and aside from a fuzzier texture on the top, it looked okay and was even laying flat! I would attribute this to the lower pile height -- the smaller loops providing less fluffy material to felt together.

That said -- I would NOT recommend putting this yarn in the wash -- stick with spot cleaning your pieces and treating them with care!

Left to right: 13 Fine, unwashed. / 14 Fine, machine washed & air dried / 10 Fine, machine washed & dried

THE FINAL VERDICT?  10/10! I really love the finished result of the punch needle textile that the Osprey Yarn creates! The yarn was easy to work with and would therefore be a great option for beginners as an alternative to rug yarn.

The hand of the finished work is beautiful too. Because of how soft and fluffy the yarn is, the resulting textile is much more flexible and lightweight than rug yarn, which would make it a great option to use in punch needle fashion pieces.

Quince & Co. - Osprey Yarn

Fiber Content: 100% wool

Weight & Twist:  3-ply Aran-weight yarn. Spun from fluffy wool fleece for a light, soft hand.

Colors: Available in 45 different colors.

Price: $$$  -  $18/skein 

Yardage: 170yd / 155m

Punching Experience: Smooth punching experience, creates nice even loops.

Difficulty Level: 1 - This yarn is easy to work with for beginners to experienced punchers!

Compatible Needles:  Fine Oxford Needles. Sizes 14 and 13 recommended.

Finishing: Press gently with a hot iron and damp cloth.

Hand of Finished Textile: Soft, flexible, lightweight

Use & Wear:  Decorative work or light use. Not recommended for rugs or other pieces that will get heavy use or wear. 

Care Instructions:  Spot clean gently with cold water, do not rub. Lay flat to dry. Do not wash in washing machine. 

Recommended for...  Punch Needle Fashion pieces, artwork, decorative pillows, children's decor. 

If you want to give it a try, you can Shop Osprey Yarn Here !