A single ball of olive green yarn with a white paper label reading 'Knitting for Olive Heavy Merino' on a clean, light gray background.
A ball of Knitting for Olive Heavy Merino yarn in a pale, warm yellow-olive shade, wrapped with a white paper label, on a clean white background.
Ball of yarn with 'Knitting for Olive' label on a white background
A skein of cream-colored yarn with a white paper label reading 'Knitting for Olive Heavy Merino' on a clean white background.
Gray skein of yarn with 'Knitting for Olive' label on a light gray background
A single ball of olive green yarn with a white paper label reading 'Knitting for Olive Heavy Merino' on a clean, light gray background.
A ball of Knitting for Olive Heavy Merino yarn in a pale, warm yellow-olive shade, wrapped with a white paper label, on a clean white background.
Ball of yarn with 'Knitting for Olive' label on a white background
A skein of cream-colored yarn with a white paper label reading 'Knitting for Olive Heavy Merino' on a clean white background.
Gray skein of yarn with 'Knitting for Olive' label on a light gray background

Knitting for Olive Heavy Merino – 100% Merino Wool, Worsted Weight

$13.00
Color
Rainy Day

Knitting for Olive Heavy Merino is a warm, durable worsted-weight yarn made from 100% traceable, non-mulesed Merino wool. Compared with Knitting for Olive’s finer Merino, Heavy Merino has a slightly more rustic hand while still offering the warmth, bounce, and beautiful stitch definition of Merino wool.

With a gauge of 18 stitches per 4 inches, Heavy Merino is a versatile choice for sweaters, cardigans, hats, mittens, and other everyday knits. Its sturdy construction is designed to wear well and minimize pilling, making it particularly appealing for garments that will see plenty of use.

Heavy Merino can also be held together with Knitting for Olive Soft Silk Mohair when you want to add extra softness, loft, and a gentle halo. Used on its own, it produces a more classic wool fabric with excellent structure and definition.

Knitting for Olive places particular emphasis on traceability and animal welfare. Heavy Merino is made from traceable, mulesing-free wool and is OEKO-TEX Standard 100 certified. Unlike many of Knitting for Olive’s other wool yarns, Heavy Merino is not RWS certified; Knitting for Olive explains that it has not yet been able to source this particular type of Merino wool from RWS-certified farms.

Technical Specifications

• Fiber: 100% Merino Wool
• Weight: Worsted
• Yardage: 137 Yards / 125 Meters
• Skein Weight: 50 g
• Gauge: 18 Stitches × 30 Rows = 4" / 10 cm
• Recommended Needles: US 7 / 4.5 mm
• Certification: OEKO-TEX Standard 100
• Animal Welfare: Traceable, Non-Mulesed Merino Wool
• Care: Hand Wash in Cool Water; Dry Flat

Why We Love It at A Show of Hands

Heavy Merino fills a really useful place in the Knitting for Olive family, a substantial, warm wool that still has the beautiful color palette and thoughtful sourcing we love from KFO. It has enough structure for stitch patterns and everyday sweaters while still feeling lovely in the hand.

We also love pairing it with Soft Silk Mohair. Holding the two together gives Heavy Merino a completely different personality, adding softness and a beautiful halo while opening up even more possibilities for playing with the Knitting for Olive color palette.

Perfect For

• Sweaters and cardigans
• Hats and mittens
• Scarves and cowls
• Textured stitches and cables
• Everyday cold-weather knits
• Holding together with Soft Silk Mohair
• Warm, durable garments
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Pay with Apple Pay We offer Apple Pay as a swift and secure way to make a payment at checkout.
Order online, collect in-store Choose in-store collection at checkout to pick up your order at select Fresh locations.
Gather and craft Join us in our store for crafting, to ask questions, or dream up new projects!

We’re here for the love of it and the fun of it. For the craft that connects us to something older than any of us.

Fiber Information

Yarn Weight + WPI

Yarn weight refers to the thickness of a yarn. Thickness determines appropriate needle or hook size, finished fabric density, and yardage requirements. Standard weight categories from thinnest to thickest: lace, fingering, sport, DK, worsted, bulky, super bulky.


Weight labels on yarn are approximate. Wraps per inch (WPI) gives a more precise measurement. To measure WPI: wrap yarn snugly around a ruler for one inch, without overlapping strands or stretching. Count the wraps.


WPI reference:

  • 30+ WPI: lace
  • 20–28 WPI: fingering
  • 14–18 WPI: sport
  • 11–14 WPI: DK
  • 9–11 WPI: worsted
  • 7–8 WPI: bulky
  • Fewer than 7 WPI: super bulky

WPI is most useful when a label is missing, when substituting yarns, or when working with handspun yarn.

Gauge and Sett

Gauge is the number of stitches and rows per inch in a knitted or crocheted fabric. It is determined by yarn weight, needle or hook size, and individual tension. A pattern’s gauge is the measurement the designer used to calculate sizing. If your gauge does not match the pattern, your finished dimensions will differ. A small difference over many inches makes a big difference in fit.

To adjust gauge: a smaller needle or hook produces more stitches per inch; a larger needle or hook produces fewer. The goal is to match the pattern’s gauge, not its suggested needle size.


Sett is the weaving equivalent of wraps per inch (WPI). Sett controls how open or dense the finished woven cloth will be. A standard starting point for sett is half the WPI for a balanced plain weave. Twill structures generally require a slightly closer sett; lace structures a more open one.


Both gauge and sett are starting points that need to be confirmed by sampling. Calculate first, then verify with a swatch. Record what you find; your future self will thank you.

Wet Blocking

Blocking is the process of wetting a finished piece, shaping it, and allowing it to dry. It evens out stitches, sets the final dimensions, and for lace, opens the pattern fully.


For protein fibers (wool, alpaca, cashmere): soak in cool water with a small amount of wool wash until fully saturated, typically 15 to 20 minutes. Gently press out water without wringing. Roll in a towel to remove excess moisture. Lay flat, shape to finished measurements, and pin if needed. Allow to dry completely before moving.


For lace pieces, blocking wires threaded through edge stitches produces cleaner lines than pins alone.


Fiber-specific notes:

  • Wool holds its blocked shape well once dry.
  • Silk and silk blends block well and dry quickly.
  • Linen and cotton do not respond to blocking the same way protein fibers do, but wet finishing still softens and settles the fiber.
    Steam blocking is appropriate for fibers that should not be fully saturated. Hold the iron several inches above the surface. Do not press down on wool -- direct pressure and heat flatten the fiber's loft.

    Block to finished measurements, not to the dimensions of the piece as it came off the needles or loom.