Manos del Uruguay Marla – 100% Superwash Merino Wool, DK Weight

$39.00
Color
Nube

Manos del Uruguay Marla is a beautifully marled DK-weight yarn created by plying together two individually hand-dyed strands of superwash Merino wool. The result is a distinctive, richly layered color effect that gives even simple knitting wonderful depth and movement.

Each colorway combines saturated tones across the two plies, creating subtle shifts in color throughout the skein while maintaining a cohesive overall palette. The marled construction looks beautiful in straightforward stockinette and textured stitches alike, making Marla an especially versatile choice for sweaters, cardigans, hats, cowls, and accessories.

Spun from 100% superwash Merino wool, Marla has a soft, comfortable hand with the bounce and elasticity you expect from Merino, along with the practicality of easy-care wool. At 273 yards per 100-gram skein and a gauge of 20–23 stitches per 4 inches, it works beautifully for a wide range of DK-weight patterns.

Manos del Uruguay yarns are hand-dyed by artisans in rural Uruguay. The organization is a nonprofit cooperative founded to provide women in rural communities with sustainable employment and economic opportunities while preserving traditional craft skills. Each skein carries both the individuality of hand-dyed yarn and the story of the artisan community behind it.

Because Marla is hand dyed, variations between skeins are natural and part of its character. We recommend purchasing enough yarn for your entire project and alternating skeins every two rows when working larger areas to blend any color differences.

Technical Specifications

• Fiber: 100% Superwash Merino Wool
• Weight: DK / Light (3)
• Yardage: 273 Yards
• Skein Weight: 100 g
• Gauge: 20–23 Stitches = 4" (5–5.75 Stitches per Inch)
• Recommended Needles: US 4–6 (3.5–4 mm)
• Construction: Two Individually Hand-Dyed Strands Plied Together
• Dye Method: Hand Dyed
• Care: Hand or Machine Wash; Lay Flat to Dry
• Origin: Uruguay

Why We Love It at A Show of Hands

Marla gives you incredible color without needing a complicated stitch pattern. Plying two separately dyed strands together creates depth and movement that you simply don't get from a solid-colored yarn, and every colorway has its own personality.

We also love the story behind Manos del Uruguay. Their yarns combine beautiful materials and extraordinary color with a cooperative model that has supported women artisans in rural Uruguay for decades.

Perfect For

• Sweaters and pullovers
• Cardigans
• Hats and cowls
• Scarves and shawls
• Textured stitches
• Simple stockinette that lets the color shine
• Colorwork and creative color combinations
• Everyday garments and accessories
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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.