Malabrigo Torzal: Malabrigo's newest yarn, and why it is worth your attention
Malabrigo has been making some of the most beloved yarn in the knitting world since 2005 — hand-dyed in small batches in Montevideo, Uruguay, from exceptional superwash merino, with the colour depth and softness that the brand is internationally known for. We have written before about the Malabrigo brand story and the three yarns we stock: Rios, Arroyo, and Ultimate Sock. Torzal is something new. It is Malabrigo's most recently developed yarn, and it takes a genuinely different approach to colour — one that produces results unlike anything else in the range.
We stock Malabrigo Torzal at Craft and Canvas at £11.50 per 50g skein in eight colourways: Amphibian, Aniversario, Euforia, Liquidambar, Medusa, Mineral, Van Gogh Sunflower, and Woodland. This post covers what makes Torzal different, how it behaves, what it is best suited to, and how it sits alongside the other Malabrigo yarns we stock.
What makes Torzal different
The name is the clue. Torzal is a Spanish word meaning the twisting together of several strands or elements — folded and turned into one another, like a thread made from multiple components woven into each other rather than running parallel. In the yarn, this translates to a two-ply construction in which the colour of each ply is not a single dyed tone but a blend of multiple colour tones woven throughout the individual strand. As the two plies twist around each other, those tones mingle and interact — producing a marled, handspun-inspired visual effect where the colour is never flat and never static.
This is a fundamentally different approach from how most hand-dyed yarns are coloured. In standard hand-dyeing — including Malabrigo's other yarn bases — the yarn is spun first and then dyed, with colour applied to the finished skein. This produces the characteristic tonal variation of kettle-dyeing: shifts of depth and shade within a colourway, the pools and progressions that are part of what makes Malabrigo so visually distinctive.
In Torzal, the colour is integral to the fibre before spinning. Multiple colour tones are blended into each strand, so the colour is distributed throughout the structure of the yarn itself rather than sitting on its surface. When the two plies are twisted together, the individual tones interact with each other rather than simply sitting side by side. The result is a depth and movement in the colour that reads differently from either end of the dyeing spectrum — neither the flatness of solid colour nor the bold tonal shifts of kettle-dyeing, but something more subtle, more organic, and more interesting across a knitted fabric.
Even simple stocking stitch knitted in Torzal has a visual complexity that repays looking at. The colour shifts and mingles row by row in a way that never settles into a predictable pattern, giving the fabric a handwoven, artisanal quality that is very difficult to achieve with conventional yarn.
The fibre and construction
Torzal is 100% superwash merino — the same exceptional Uruguayan merino that underpins the entire Malabrigo range, in a superwash-treated form that makes it machine washable and practical for garments worn and washed regularly.
The two-ply construction gives Torzal a different character from the other Malabrigo yarns we stock. Arroyo is a single-ply sport weight with a characteristic halo and drape — soft and drapey, with a slight fuzziness at the surface that gives it a romantic, slightly unfocused quality. Torzal, as a two-ply, is firmer and more structured. Stitches sit clearly defined against each other. The fabric has better spring and recovery. The surface is cleaner and more precise. Where Arroyo rewards projects where drape and softness are the priority, Torzal rewards projects where stitch definition matters — cables that read clearly, lace that opens cleanly when blocked, textured patterns that retain their character in the finished fabric.
The weight sits at sport to light DK — 50g and 160 yards (146m) per skein, knitting to 23 to 26 stitches per 10cm on 3.25 to 4.5mm needles. This puts it slightly finer than a standard DK and slightly heavier than a fingering weight — a versatile position in the weight spectrum that suits a wide range of garments and accessories at a refined, lightweight scale.
How Torzal behaves on the needles
The two-ply construction is immediately apparent on the needles — Torzal has a pleasantly firm, springy quality that makes it easy to work with and satisfying to handle. The twist of the plies gives the yarn good resistance to splitting, which is one of the practical advantages of two-ply construction over single-ply at this weight. Stitches slide on the needle smoothly, the yarn does not catch or pill during working, and the fabric builds up quickly at sport to light DK gauge.
The colour variation becomes visible in the knitted fabric almost from the first few rows. Because the multi-tone blending is distributed throughout the yarn rather than pooling in sections, the colour effect in Torzal is continuous and organic rather than striped or sectional. You do not get bold horizontal stripes or defined colour changes — you get a constant, subtle movement of tone across the surface of the fabric that is most clearly appreciated when you step back and look at a completed piece. The effect is closer to a woven or naturally dyed textile than to conventional knitting yarn.
What to make with Torzal
The weight and construction of Torzal suits a broad range of projects, with a particular strength in anything where stitch definition and lighter-weight fabric are priorities.
Lightweight sweaters and cardigans are the natural showcase for Torzal's colour qualities at scale. A simple yoke sweater or drop-shoulder cardigan in Torzal at sport to light DK weight produces a garment that is warm without being heavy, and the colour variation gives even the plainest construction a visual interest that makes it worth wearing. The machine washable superwash treatment means finished garments are practical for regular use.
Shawls and wraps suit Torzal very well — the two-ply construction blocks beautifully, lace patterns open clearly, and the colour movement in the yarn gives shawl fabric a depth that solid or semi-solid colourways cannot match. Torzal in a simple lace shawl pattern is a combination that plays to the strengths of both.
Hats and cowls are natural quick projects in this weight — satisfying to knit at sport to DK gauge and large enough to show the colour variation across the fabric properly. A simple textured stitch pattern — seed stitch, broken rib, simple cables — shows Torzal's stitch definition to its best advantage.
Socks work well in Torzal given the weight — sport to light DK produces a sock with more substance than fingering weight and excellent wearing comfort from the superwash merino base.
Textured and cable patterns particularly benefit from the two-ply construction's stitch definition — the stitches sit cleanly enough that cables and textured patterns remain readable even in the more complex colourways, which is not always the case with highly variegated single-ply yarns.
Torzal alongside the other Malabrigo yarns we stock
We stock Malabrigo Rios (worsted weight), Arroyo (sport), Ultimate Sock (fingering), and now Torzal (sport to light DK), all at £11.50 per skein. Torzal occupies an interesting position relative to Arroyo — both are sport weight but they are genuinely different yarns with different characters. Arroyo is a single-ply with halo and drape; Torzal is a two-ply with structure and definition. The two can be used together: held double for a thicker, textured yarn, used in two-colour projects where the different surface qualities provide interesting contrast, or simply chosen for different project types depending on what the design requires.
The colourways we stock in Torzal — Amphibian, Aniversario, Euforia, Liquidambar, Medusa, Mineral, Van Gogh Sunflower, and Woodland — have been chosen to show the full range of what the colour blending process can produce. The earthy, complex tones of Woodland and Mineral show how the marled effect works in naturalistic colours; the vivid energy of Euforia and Van Gogh Sunflower show how it transforms brighter colourways; and the cooler, more atmospheric tones of Amphibian and Mineral demonstrate the subtlety the technique achieves in more restrained palettes.
All Malabrigo yarns are hand-dyed in small batches, which means colour depth and character can vary subtly between skeins even within the same colourway. For projects requiring more than one skein, buy together and alternate skeins every few rows for the most even result.
Frequently asked questions about Malabrigo Torzal
What makes Torzal different from Malabrigo Arroyo?
Both are sport weight and 100% superwash merino, but the construction and colour technique are quite different. Arroyo is a single-ply with a characteristic halo and drape, dyed on the finished skein. Torzal is a two-ply with the colour blended into the fibre before spinning, producing a firmer, more structured yarn with better stitch definition and a marled, handspun-inspired colour effect. They are complementary rather than interchangeable.
Is Torzal machine washable?
Yes — the superwash merino treatment makes Torzal machine washable on a cold gentle cycle. Lay flat to dry rather than tumble drying.
What needle size does Torzal use?
3.25 to 4.5mm (US 3 to 7). The range reflects its versatility from sport gauge at the finer end to a light DK at the larger end. Knits to 23 to 26 stitches per 10cm depending on needle size and tension.
How much Torzal do I need for a typical project?
Each skein is 50g and 160 yards (146m). A standard adult hat uses 1 to 2 skeins. A pair of socks uses 2 to 3 skeins. A lightweight shawl uses 3 to 5 skeins. A lightweight adult sweater typically uses 8 to 12 skeins depending on size and style.
Why do the colourways look different in the skein versus knitted up?
The multi-tone blending in Torzal means the colour effect changes as the yarn is worked. In the skein the tones sit loosely together; in knitted fabric the interaction of the two plies and the stitch structure creates a different, more integrated result. The colour appears slightly more subtle and complex in the knitted fabric than the raw skein suggests — this is one of Torzal's most appealing qualities.
Is Torzal available in more colourways?
We stock eight colourways at Craft and Canvas: Amphibian, Aniversario, Euforia, Liquidambar, Medusa, Mineral, Van Gogh Sunflower, and Woodland. Malabrigo produces additional colourways in the range — if there is a specific colourway you are looking for, contact us and we will see what we can do.
Shop Malabrigo Torzal at Craft and Canvas
We stock Malabrigo Torzal at £11.50 per 50g skein in eight colourways at Craft and Canvas in Hebden Bridge and online at craftandcanvas.co.uk. Malabrigo is not widely available in West Yorkshire or the North West — we are one of the few independent yarn shops in the region stocking the range.
Craft and Canvas | 3 Carlton Street, Hebden Bridge, HX7 8ER | craftandcanvas.co.uk