Baa Ram Ewe Woodnote vs Malabrigo: Which Yarn Is Right for You?
You're standing at the yarn wall — or, let's be honest, scrolling at midnight — and you've narrowed it down to two. Baa Ram Ewe Woodnote or Malabrigo. Both are beautiful. Both have devoted fans. Both will cost you a reasonable amount of money and probably result in you buying more than you planned. The question is: which one is actually right for your project, your hands, and your knitting style?
They're more different than they first appear. One is a British-spun wool with a tweedy, naturalistic character; the other is a Uruguayan hand-dyed superwash merino that practically glows on the needles. Here's what you need to know about each.
Baa Ram Ewe Woodnote DK
Woodnote DK is spun in Yorkshire from a blend of 60% British wool, 20% alpaca, and 20% linen. That combination sounds unusual on paper, and it produces a yarn that's genuinely unlike anything else on the market. The British wool gives it structure and a slight halo; the alpaca adds softness and drape; the linen contributes a subtle crispness that helps it hold its shape.
The colour palette is where Woodnote really earns its name. The shades are earthy and complex — bark, lichen, heather, clay — with the kind of tonal variation you get from natural fibres rather than a dye vat. If you're knitting a garment and you want it to look handcrafted in the best possible sense, Woodnote DK delivers that effortlessly.
It works beautifully for sweaters, cardigans, and accessories where a little texture is an asset. The DK weight makes it versatile: quick enough to be satisfying, fine enough to produce a proper fabric. It's not a squeaky-soft yarn — there's a woolly character to it — but it blooms and softens with washing, and the alpaca content means it's gentler than a pure British wool would be.
Each 100g skein gives you 246 metres, which is comfortable for most DK patterns. At £17.30 a skein it's excellent value for a yarn of this quality and provenance.
If Woodnote DK sounds like your next project, you'll find it in the shop here →
Baa Ram Ewe Woodnote Aran
Same fibre blend, slightly heavier weight. The Aran works up quickly and has a cosier, chunkier drape that suits winter accessories and cold-weather garments particularly well. If you love the Woodnote aesthetic but want to finish a project in a weekend rather than a fortnight, this is the one to reach for.
The colour range is consistent across both weights, so if you fall for a particular shade in DK you'll often find its equivalent in Aran. At £16.95 for 100g it's priced almost identically, which reflects the fact that you're getting the same quality of fibre — just spun to a different gauge.
Woodnote Aran is particularly well suited to slouchy hats, cowls, and textured stitch patterns where the extra weight helps cables and bobbles stand out clearly.
Fancy casting on something cosy this weekend? Woodnote Aran is waiting for you in the shop →
Malabrigo Rios
Malabrigo is a Uruguayan yarn company that has built a near-mythological reputation on the strength of its hand-dyed colours. Rios is their worsted-weight superwash merino — 100% Merino wool, treated so it's machine washable — and it is the yarn that many knitters point to when asked what first made them fall in love with hand-dyed fibre.
The colours are the thing. Malabrigo dyes in small batches, and even within a single colourway there's a softness and depth that you simply can't replicate industrially. Shades like Archangel, Azul Profundo, and Cereza are genuinely extraordinary — rich, saturated, complex, with the kind of subtle variation that creates automatic interest in even a plain stocking stitch fabric.
As a yarn to work with, Rios is a pleasure. Superwash merino is smooth and consistent, with very little friction on the needles. It's noticeably softer than Woodnote — there's no woolly bite to it at all — and it suits knitters who find traditional British wool uncomfortable against sensitive skin. The trade-off is that it has less structure; Rios drapes beautifully but it won't hold its shape the way a more traditional wool will.
Each 100g skein gives you 192 metres at worsted weight, priced at £14.95. It's one of the best-value hand-dyed yarns available anywhere.
Go on, treat yourself — have a look at the Malabrigo Rios colours we have in stock →
Malabrigo Arroyo
Arroyo is the lighter-weight sibling — a sport weight (roughly between DK and 4-ply) using the same 100% superwash merino fibre. If you love the colours Malabrigo is known for but want to work at a finer gauge or produce a more delicate fabric, Arroyo is the one to choose.
It's exceptional for lightweight shawls, fine-gauge garments, and any project where you want brilliant colour with a fluid, airy drape. The thinner ply means the tonal variation in the dyeing shows up in longer stretches, which can create beautiful gradient effects across a fabric.
At £14.95 for 100g it's the same price as Rios, and the skein gives you considerably more metres — meaning it genuinely goes further per pound spent.
So which should you choose?
It comes down to what you want your finished project to feel like and look like. If you want something with natural texture, a tactile woolly character, and earthy complex colours that look handmade and artisan — go with Woodnote. It's a yarn with a real sense of place; it feels like the Yorkshire moorland it comes from.
If you want maximum softness, machine washability, and the kind of saturated colour that stops people in their tracks and makes them ask where on earth you got that yarn — Malabrigo is the answer. Rios if you want a classic DK-adjacent weight; Arroyo if you want something lighter and more delicate.
And if you can't decide? Buy one skein of each and make a pair of matching hats. There are worse problems to have.
Frequently asked questions
Is Baa Ram Ewe Woodnote machine washable?
No. Woodnote contains British wool, alpaca, and linen, none of which are superwash treated. Hand wash gently in cool water and lay flat to dry. Handle it with a bit of care and it will last for years.
Is Malabrigo Rios machine washable?
Yes. Both Rios and Arroyo are 100% superwash merino, which means they can go in the washing machine on a wool or delicate cycle. This makes them a practical choice for garments that will see regular wear.
What needle size does Woodnote DK use?
Baa Ram Ewe recommend 4mm needles for Woodnote DK, giving a standard tension of 22 stitches and 30 rows to 10cm in stocking stitch.
What needle size does Malabrigo Rios use?
Rios is a worsted weight and knits up well on 4.5–5mm needles depending on your tension. Check your pattern and always swatch.
Can I use these yarns interchangeably in patterns?
Not directly — they're different weights. Woodnote DK and Malabrigo Arroyo are closer to each other than Rios, but fibre content and construction are different enough that tension will vary. Always swatch when substituting, and match the weight and metreage as closely as possible.
Which is better for a first colourwork project?
Both work well for colourwork, but Woodnote's structure gives it a slight edge for stranded knitting as it holds its shape better under tension. Malabrigo's softness and drape can make floats trickier to manage until you're comfortable with the technique.