Discovering our selection of Fonty wool...

Three weeks ago, I introduced you to our new yarn partner: the Fonty spinning mill!

We share similar values, and it was wonderful to find this partner so we could offer you a lovely range of quality yarns.

As I mentioned, I spent several weeks choosing the range… Samples and shade cards stayed on the dining-room table for quite a while, until I was happy with my selection and the colours. It wasn't a small task, but after all your positive feedback, I can say I'm delighted with my choices!

So let me take you through the different ranges and the animals behind these beautiful yarns!

Let's get started!

We'll begin with a great winter classic for men's, women's and children's wardrobes, and one of Fonty's signature yarns: super tweed!

The Super Tweed range
The super tweed range is made from:
- 95% fine wool, providing softness, warmth and elasticity
- 5% mohair fibre, giving the yarn a slight sheen and extra loft

SUPER TWEED is a carded yarn. This means that, during production, the wool goes through carding: machines called carders, fitted with rotating wire brushes, separate the fibres. The fibres are then well separated and aligned in the same direction. The material produced by carding contains fibres of various lengths and plenty of air. Once spun, it becomes a light, airy, slightly fluffy yarn that's wonderfully warm!

Something Gaetan and I particularly appreciate about Fonty is that SUPER TWEED is unique on the market: it's the only one made from 100% natural fibres! Its coloured neps are made exclusively from dyed natural wool. The main fibre is dyed in its loose state before being turned into yarn, and the neps are added to material that has already been coloured. Dyeing the raw material rather than the finished yarn also makes it possible to create three subtly graduated shades from each dye batch, by blending the dyed wool with undyed wool. This deliberately chosen, more demanding manufacturing process reduces the number of dyeing operations and their environmental impact, while ensuring harmonious colour combinations. We all love that!

How do you knit with super tweed?

SUPER TWEED is a moderately twisted, two-ply yarn of medium thickness, knitted on size 5 mm needles.

It's an ideal choice for Aran sweaters, ribbing and winter accessories such as hats and scarves. I think it's a top choice for men's sweaters, hats and cardigans, but women will love the wide range of beautiful colours too. No wonder we chose this yarn for our circular-knitting sweater class! SUPER TWEED is a versatile yarn, suitable for all kinds of projects.

A 50 g ball has a length of 105 m. You'll need around twelve balls for a women's size 40 sweater.
The 10 cm x 10 cm gauge is 17 stitches x 25 rows.
Yarn weight: Worsted • Aran

A very useful detail: this comfortable, classic yarn is machine washable at 30 to 40°C. Avoid machine spinning and preferably dry your work flat to prevent it from losing its shape.

Staying with the great classics, we also wanted to offer a finer yarn of excellent quality. For that, I chose the BB merinos range

Yes, BB MÉRINOS is one of Fonty's great classics. This light, lofty and very soft yarn consists of three lightly twisted plies, made exclusively from combed, extra-fine merino sheep's wool.
Unlike carded wool, combed wool goes through an extra stage before being spun. You've guessed it: combing!
What does it do?
After carding, the wool fibres are carefully combed. This removes all the shorter, disordered fibres, leaving only long fibres aligned in parallel, with little air between them. This step produces a smoother, firmer, more even yarn. Combed yarns are often finer and denser than carded yarns. They're less fluffy, but have the advantage of a certain sheen.

The BB merinos by Fonty comes in an incredibly wide range of beautiful colours! I found choosing difficult, so I took almost everything 😂. As you can see in the shop, there's plenty of choice!

How do you knit with BB MÉRINOS?

BB merinos is knitted on size 2.5 to 3 mm needles. You can of course combine it with other yarns, such as Ombelle or Saperlipopette, to add loft, or knit it on thicker needles. It's recommended for baby clothes, but is also suitable for all kinds of fine, delicate projects: lovely women's or men's sweaters, children's comfort toys, blankets… and why not pretty crocheted dolls? BB MÉRINOS is machine washable at 30°C, without spinning. Drying flat is recommended. A 50 g ball has a length of 200 m. You'll need around seven balls for a women's size 40 sweater. The 10 cm x 10 cm gauge is 30 stitches x 39 rows.

I mentioned above that you can add mohair and loft to BB merinos, so let's talk about Ombelle, another great Fonty classic!

OMBELLE belongs to the mohair yarn family. It contains 75% mohair fibre for an airy, fuzzy and lofty effect, with a binding fibre, or yarn core, made from 20% natural wool and 5% polyamide. The latter provides strength and elasticity while helping to form the loops.

Mohair is the fleece of this particular breed of goat, originally from the Caucasus.
Fonty selects fine, long and consistent fibres from herds of young animals.
OMBELLE can be knitted on its own, held double or even triple, or combined with other yarns. This creates subtle blends that bring together mohair's visual effect and the qualities of other materials: softness, sheen, elasticity and strength.
OMBELLE's colour range is incredible, mixing very bright shades with more classic tones.
A 50 g ball has a length of 145 m.
The recommended needle size is 3.5 to 4 mm. You'll need around eight balls for a women's size 40 sweater.
The 10 cm x 10 cm gauge is 24 stitches x 26 rows.
Preferably hand wash this yarn with mild soap, without spinning, and dry flat.

For those who want quick results or are just starting to knit, we've also selected a slightly thicker yarn for fast, satisfying projects! Let's talk about the felletin range.

The yarn FELLETIN is also made from 100% long, fine merino fibres, measuring 21 microns, which give it an exceptionally soft feel.

It's characterised by a double assembly of 18 x 2 plies, with a relatively strong twist and medium tension, giving it strength, elasticity and loft.

It's a thick, dense, sculpted yarn, knitted on size 8 to 10 mm needles: a lovely product for beginners in knitting and crochet!

Whether you're making hats, scarves, sweaters or plump granny squares, felletin will accompany you through your creative projects!

We chose the bright colour range for eye-catching accessories. A 100 g ball has a length of 80 m, so you'll need around nine balls for a women's size 40 sweater.

The 10 cm x 10 cm gauge is 11 stitches x 15 rows.

After a look at sheep and goats, let me introduce you to the alpaca, that unusual animal belonging to the camelid family.
We've selected four yarns containing alpaca: saperlipopette, alpaga, pole and polaire!

Why did we choose alpaca wool?
1. Alpaca is a relatively environmentally responsible wool. The alpaca lives in perfect harmony with its surroundings on the Andean plateaus, where people have domesticated and greatly respected it since Inca times. Alpaca fibre has always been considered a noble fibre there. It was already used during the Inca period and reserved for people of high rank.
2. In its natural habitat, at altitudes of 3,000 to 4,500 m in the Andes, the alpaca faces major temperature changes: around 30°C between day and night. Over time, these animals have developed a fleece with exceptional thermal properties. These exceed those of mohair, cashmere and, of course, sheep's wool. If you're dreaming of wonderfully warm wool, alpaca could be your ally!
3. Like sheep, alpacas are shorn once a year, without harm, to collect around 3 kg of wool per animal. Unlike sheep, their fleece contains no wool grease, the fat secreted by sheep's skin that mixes with the wool. Because alpaca wool produces no lanolin, some people who generally cannot tolerate sheep's wool may find this fibre suits them.
4. Alpaca wool is hygroscopic, meaning it absorbs moisture from the surrounding air very slowly.
5. It doesn't pill.
6. It doesn't retain smells or dust.

Convinced? We are! Let's discover the Alpaga range

The other two yarns containing alpaca are pole and polaire.

POLAIRE is a very soft, very warm yarn made from 50% wool and 50% baby alpaca fibres. POLAIRE is a medium-thickness yarn with a remarkably soft feel thanks to the intimate blend of these two fibres. It consists of three fine, lightly twisted plies and is knitted on size 4.5 mm needles.
POLAIRE's colours are the classic shades typical of Fonty's shade cards.
A 50 g ball has a length of 100 m.
Allow around eight balls for a women's size 40 sweater.
The 10 cm x 10 cm gauge is 20 stitches x 26 rows.

POLAIRE is POLE's little brother, since Pole is a little plumper!
POLE is a yarn made from 70% wool and 30% baby alpaca fibres.

It's a thick yarn with a remarkably soft feel. It also consists of three lightly twisted plies and is knitted on size 7 to 8 mm needles. It's the perfect ally for knitters who want to make quicker progress with their first projects or knit quick gifts for the festive season.

POLE's colours are soft, slightly muted shades, suited to warm, cosy winter projects.

A 50 g ball has a length of 50 m.
Allow around sixteen balls for a women's size 40 sweater.
The 10 cm x 10 cm gauge is 12 stitches x 16 rows.

Let's move on to the final yarn containing alpaca… It's one of my favourites; I call it a little cloud of softness. I'm talking about SAPERLIPOPETTE!

Saperlipopette is a lovely, fluffy, precious and delicate yarn.

Although it contains no goat fleece, or mohair, its appearance and feel complement the mohair and angora yarn families.

SAPERLIPOPETTE is a supple, lofty yarn with a soft, cosy feel. It actually belongs to the alpaca yarn family and is also an extraordinary alternative for people allergic to mohair. Entirely natural, it's made from a subtle blend of three exceptional fibres:
- 65% baby suri fibres provide an airy, cloudy and fuzzy effect.
- 20% silk adds strength and elasticity, along with a glossy, silky appearance.
- 15% extra-fine merino fibre enhances its loft, volume and softness.

The suri is a member of the alpaca family, the llama species within the camelid branch, raised in semi-free conditions on the high Andean plateaus. Its fleece is finer, wavier, a little rasta-like, like dreadlocks, and shinier than that of the common alpaca, the huacayo.

As mentioned above, SAPERLIPOPETTE can be knitted on its own, held double or combined with another yarn. Used on its own, it's recommended for size 3.5 to 4 mm needles.
A 25 g ball has a length of 125 m. You'll need around eleven balls for a women's size 40 sweater.
The 10 cm x 10 cm gauge is 20 stitches x 30 rows.

I still have three slightly more luxurious yarns to introduce… We hesitated to select them, because you know I like offering products that remain affordable to as many people as possible. But the value for money of these three yarns finally tipped the balance. So, meet Moustache, Gengis Khan 2 and 3!

Let's start with Moustache! 
Entirely natural, it's made from a precious blend of three exceptional fibres:

- 30% super kid mohair fibres provide the airy, cloudy, fuzzy effect typical of mohair yarns.

- 20% silk adds strength and silk's elasticity, with its glossy, even finish.

- 50% extra-fine merino fibre completes the blend with loft, volume and softness.

Super kid mohair fibre is collected from the youngest goats of the angora breed.

MOUSTACHE can be knitted on its own or held double.

When knitted on its own, MOUSTACHE is recommended for size 3.5 to 4 mm needles.

MOUSTACHE's colour range focuses on soft, warm ochres and pastels.

A 50 g ball has a length of 225 m, meaning a women's size 40 sweater needs around eight balls. The 10 cm x 10 cm gauge is 28 stitches x 36 rows.

Finally, let's meet the last animal in this nature review 😂: the yak!

The yarns GENGIS KHAN 2 and 3 are made exclusively from yak down sourced through the « Coopérative des Eleveurs des Montagnes du Khangai » supply chain. Fonty established this environmentally responsible, fair-trade initiative in Mongolia with technical support from AVSF (Agronomes et Vétérinaires Sans Frontières). Mongolian herders comb the yaks in spring. After sorting, just under 100 g of down per animal per year is collected and spun into yarn by Fonty.

Gengis Khan 3 has three plies, while Gengis Khan 2 has two. As well as their exceptional colours and feel, these yarns are particularly warm. Entirely natural and chemically untreated, they come in three colours, grey, brown and dark brown, the three natural yak-fleece colours, and in four marled versions combining these three colours in different ways. GENGIS KHAN 3 is knitted on size 3 mm needles, and GENGIS KHAN 2 on size 2 to 2.5 mm needles. Hand wash; the yarn has the distinctive quality of becoming softer with successive washes. The composition is 100% yak down. Gengis Khan 3 has a length of 200 m per 50 g ball, with a 10 cm x 10 cm gauge of 24 stitches x 33 rows. Allow around seven balls for a women's size 40 sweater. Gengis Khan 2 has a length of 150 m per 25 g ball, with a 10 cm x 10 cm gauge of 30 stitches x 39 rows. Allow around ten balls for a women's size 40 sweater.

And there you have the whole range!

If you've made it this far, thank you for reading to the end. It makes me very happy to know that my articles interest you 😊

Do come and discover all these beautiful balls of wonderful yarn in person, from the lovely French brand Fonty! 

The range is available exclusively in our Woluwe Saint Lambert shop, at 328 avenue Georges Henri.

If you prefer not to travel, we offer delivery to a Mondial Relay collection point or your home, as well as collection from our Ixelles shop at 357 avenue de la Couronne.

We'd be delighted to meet you and offer advice,

Get your knitting needles and crochet hooks! 

See you soon,

Eugénie