The Quick Story of Pearl Yarn

Vogue Knitting is celebrating the 30th anniversary of its resurrection this year, and as part of the happy event New Zealand yarn company Zealana produced a limited edition fine weight yarn spun with pearls (some kind of fancy spinning technology allows the pearls to be permanently infused into the cell walls of the tencel the fiber is made from). The yarn is said to be luminous, silky and nourishing because the pearls help keep your skin hydrated.

Just 500 skeins of the yarn were made — presented in cool black jeweler’s boxes — and 100 of them went to String Yarns in New York City. They went on sale Friday and literally sold out overnight. The yarn went to just a handful of retailers across the country (you can find them on this Ravelry page; free signup required) and several were reporting the yarn had already sold out.

This is one I’m sure to never get my hands on; I’m not sure I even want to know how much such a thing would cost (none of it’s turned up on eBay yet). Would you shell out the cash for a yarn made with pearls? Spill it!

[Photo by Zealana/Yarn Sisters.]

13 Comments so far

1. CherShots on July 21, 2012 7:05 pm

   WoW ~ how cool is that?! It always amazes me with what they come out with. Makes you wonder what’s next?!
   ‘hugs from afar’

2. Christine on July 21, 2012 8:18 pm

   It looks beautiful and I’m sure it feels amazing to knit with it. Yeah, I would buy it if it wasn’t TOO expensive. But it’s almost too pretty to knit with. I would probably just keep it in the box and stroke it now and then. Is that weird?

3. Bobbi on July 22, 2012 12:50 am

   Christine, that is EXACTLY what I would do with it, too!

4. maneki on July 22, 2012 7:56 am

   I’d like some pearl yarn. Not because I knit (one of very few people in Sweden sho didn’t learn how to knit in school) or use yarns very often, but because I love fiber and especially unusual fibers. Haven’t seen this one before, but have had my eyes on another pearl yarn, Sublime Bamboo & Pearls dk. (I even had to google DK, that’s how much I know about knitting yarns…).

   Of cause I do love pearls as they are, but pearls used for yarns are so low grade they wouldn’t be suitable for jewellery anyway. At least I assume that’s the case, kind of like which beads are milled in to MOP powders/pigments.

   @Christine: Hope not because that’s what I do too! Both with my beads and my yarns and embroidery threads.

5. Tracy on July 22, 2012 10:10 am

   Christine: It’s not wierd. Tangeling it up, intentionally, then using it as a holloween costume wig would be wierd.
   As for buying it, no. I’m sure its very costly.
   Besides, they have to pry open the shell to get to the pearl, so any one animal only makes one pearl. Rather crewl to the animal, but then they almost die in the process of creating a pearl anyway, even naturally. Let alone if humans seed them.
   I really don’t like the idea of killing animals just to get pretties.
   But then they also harvest the animal itself for food not just the pearls.
   I do eat meat and feel bad about it, but just can’t seem to give up my chicken and fish.
   I feel very bad for the chickens especially.
   Ok, I’ll stop now. ^_^

6. lynaeve on July 22, 2012 10:31 am

   Nah, I can’t afford it. i have one skein of yarn currently. Im waiting on good prices at the thrift store, or a good sweater to be the right price.

7. Shaiha on July 22, 2012 11:58 am

   I am really curious as to why they say that the pearls would hydrate the skin. You have to be careful with pearls ensuring that they get enough moisture from the air so I can’t see them hydrating anything.

8. Vogue Knitting Fall Preview is Out! · Knitting | CraftGossip.com on August 15, 2012 8:58 am

   [...] is one of the themes, with a whole story around cream-colored yarns beaded with pearls (and also made with pearls). Other features include Wanderlust, all about texture and Eastern influences; Ode to the Aran, a [...]

9. Duchess Purl on August 23, 2012 11:51 pm

   I was able to get a skein at my LYS, it cost about $45 for 617 yards or 100 grams. I can get a shawlette and maybe some mini fingerless gloves out of it so I didn’t think the price was too much.

10. Rebecca on September 1, 2012 5:47 am

    I missed the boat on Pearl, but I called Yarn Sisters and they were kind enough to call me back! They are starting another line of their pearl yarn as Black Pearl in a variety of colors that supposed to be out in the late fall 2012!

11. Renee D on October 19, 2012 9:48 pm

    I would buy it in a heart beat and knit it up in to a scarf too, so I could snuggle it around my neck. It was very reasonably priced as well, only $35 per skin and its 617 yards. Other fibers are much pricier considering the yardage. just hope I get a crack a the black pearl coming out soon.

12. Renee D on October 19, 2012 9:50 pm

    I would buy it in a heart beat and knit it up in to a scarf too, so I could snuggle it around my neck. It was very reasonably priced as well, only $35 per skin and its 617 yards. Other fibers are much pricier considering the yardage. just hope I get at crack a the black pearl coming out soon.

13. Julie on November 2, 2012 6:39 am

    Not sold out; my LYS is selling it. Limit 2 per customer. http://www.ninerubies.com/yarnsisters-pearl-lace.html