Malabrigo's newest yarn — and one that takes everything the brand is already celebrated for and presents it from a completely fresh angle. Torzal is a two-ply sport to light DK weight yarn spun from 100% superwash merino wool, in which the colours that make up each skein are blended and intertwined throughout the individual strands rather than dyed onto the finished yarn. The result is something that reads differently from any other Malabrigo yarn — familiar signature colourways rendered with a depth, movement, and organic complexity that flat single-colour dyeing simply cannot achieve.
The name tells you exactly what you are getting. Torzal is a Spanish word meaning the twisting together of several strands or elements, turned and folded into one another like a thread. In the yarn, that translates to two plies, each carrying multiple colour tones that shift and mingle as the plies twist around one another — producing a marled, handspun-inspired visual effect where colour is never flat and never static. As you knit or crochet, the tones interact across the fabric, creating subtle, unpredictable variations that keep every row interesting without demanding anything complicated from the knitter. Even simple stocking stitch becomes something worth looking at.
The superwash merino base is 100% — the same exceptional Uruguayan merino softness that Malabrigo has built its reputation on, here in a more structured two-ply construction that gives better stitch definition than the single-ply Arroyo, firmer body than the Rios, and excellent spring and recovery. It is machine washable on a cold gentle cycle and lays flat to dry — a practical advantage for garments that will be worn and washed regularly.
Torzal is versatile for everything from garments to accessories. The sport to light DK weight suits lightweight sweaters, cardigans, shawls, hats, cowls, mitts, and socks — anywhere that a structured, defined fabric is the aim. It is also worth noting as a natural companion to Malabrigo Arroyo at a similar weight, where the two can be used together in colourwork or held double for different effects. Stix
All Malabrigo yarns are hand-dyed in small batches. Colour depth and character can vary subtly between skeins — this is a natural and valued characteristic of artisan hand-dyed yarn. For projects requiring more than one skein, buy all skeins at the same time and alternate between them every few rows for the most even result.
We stock Torzal in Amphibian, Aniversario, Euforia, Liquidambar, Medusa, Mineral, Van Gogh Sunflower, and Woodland.
What makes Torzal different from other Malabrigo sport weight yarns? The two-ply construction and the method of blending multiple colour tones throughout each strand rather than dyeing finished yarn gives Torzal a handspun-inspired marled appearance with far more colour depth and movement than a single-dyed yarn. Where Arroyo is a single-ply with a characteristic halo and drape, Torzal is firmer, more structured, and more defined in stitch — a genuinely different character in the same weight range.
Why do colours vary between skeins? Malabrigo yarns are hand-dyed in small batches in Uruguay. The multi-tone blending process in Torzal means colour distribution across each skein has its own unique character — no two skeins are identical even within the same colourway. For projects requiring more than one skein, Malabrigo recommend alternating skeins every few rows to distribute any variation evenly across the finished piece.
Is it 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 projects is Torzal best suited to? Lightweight sweaters and cardigans, shawls and wraps, hats, cowls, mitts, and socks. The defined two-ply structure makes it particularly good for textured stitch patterns, cables, and lace where clear stitch definition is important, as well as for simple stocking stitch where the colour variation does the visual work on its own.
