Yarn Profile: Adrienne Vittadini Angelina

First Impressions
Angelina looks and feels like a pure angora, but it's actually mixed with 30% lambswool and 20% alpaca. The interesting combination of fibers gives the yarn added loft, elasticity, and durability.

By mixing alpaca with the angora, Adrienne Vittadini has produced a yarn that's nearly as soft as cashmere, and much more visually appealing.

The yarn is available in a small selection of colors including the slightly heathered "Celery" I used for this review, as well as a Denim blue, violet Eggplant, Nutmeg Heather, and Grey.

Knitting Up
If plucked from the rabbit correctly and spun with great care, angora won't come apart when you knit with it. And lucky for us, the people who spun this yarn knew exactly what they were doing.

The fluff stayed on the yarn and knit up quickly, easily, and beautifully. My stitches were even and consistent, and the yarn grabbed my Addi Turbos without any snagging or slipping.

Blocking / Washing
Sticking my swatches in a tub of warm water felt as risky as sticking a fur coat in the washing machine, but it had to be done. In fact, that's the only way you should wash this yarn. Even Adrienne Vittadini specifies implicitly that you should not dry clean Angelina.

The yarn didn't fade or bleed, and there was only a minor amount of shedding in the water. The stitches relaxed and flattened, and the gauge expanded from 5 sts/inch to 4 1/2 sts/inch on 4.5mm needles. Keep this expansion in mind when making any pattern measurement calculations.

Wearing
The 30% lambswool may add a bit of strength to this yarn, but you should still treat it with great care. Just a gentle tug broke the yarn in my hands. At $15.95 per 80-yard skein, something tells me you wouldn't use this for everyday garments that receive rough wear.

After about one minute of rubbing swatches, the angora fibers finally began to break free from the yarn and fly everywhere. I also saw signs of pilling, though removing the pills brought the swatches back to life just fine.

Conclusion
I like the ease with which this yarn knits up, and I also appreciate its soft yet substantial texture. You'll sacrifice drape for softness, but it's worth it.

At $15.95 per 80-yard skein, Angelina is a luxury yarn. If your budget won't let you spend upwards of $200 for a sweater, don't despair.

I can also see this yarn producing luxurious scarves, mittens, hats, or anything else that sits close to your skin, doesn't get too much wear, and won't require large amounts of yarn.

Reader Comments
"Have you tried Classic Elite Indulgence? It's 70% alpaca and 30% angora, so it is soft and beautiful, and it's considerably less expensive than Angelina (246 yards for $20, or eKnitting.com has it for 15% under retail price)."
erikah8181, 2/19/01