Ancient Arts Yarns Merino Silk Fingering Review

There are some yarns that you knit with once and think, Oh, that’s lovely.

And then there are yarns you keep coming back to.

Ancient Arts Yarns Merino Silk Fingering is one of those yarns for me. I’ve used this base in four different rhyFlower Knits patterns—Alessia, Ursula, Victoria, and Penelope—so I’ve had plenty of opportunities to see how it behaves in different designs.

The combination of superwash merino and silk makes this a particularly lovely yarn for projects where you want softness, beautiful drape, and enough stitch definition to let your knitting shine.

The Yarn Base

Ancient Arts Merino Silk Fingering is a fingering-weight yarn made from 75% Superwash Merino and 25% Silk, with 437 yards / 400 metres per 100 g skein.

The merino gives the yarn softness and a little bit of elasticity, while the silk adds smoothness, subtle lustre, and beautiful drape. The three-ply construction also gives the yarn enough structure to produce crisp, well-defined stitches.

It’s a combination that feels particularly well suited to shawls and other lightweight accessories where you want the finished fabric to move beautifully rather than feel stiff or overly structured.

What Makes It Special

The real star of this yarn is the balance between stitch definition and drape.

Sometimes a yarn with lovely drape can feel a little too soft or floppy when you’re trying to work detailed stitch patterns. And sometimes a yarn with excellent stitch definition produces a fabric that feels firm rather than fluid.

This yarn manages to sit nicely between the two.

The merino gives your stitches enough structure to keep lace, texture, cables, and twisted stitches looking crisp, while the silk allows the finished fabric to relax and drape beautifully.

After working with it in four different designs, that’s the quality I appreciate most.

It’s a yarn that lets the pattern do the talking.

Knitting Experience

Ancient Arts Merino Silk Fingering is a pleasure to work with.

The yarn feels smooth between your fingers and moves easily across the needles. It has enough body that I never found it difficult to control, but it still feels soft and luxurious while you’re knitting.

I’ve particularly enjoyed using it for designs with lots of stitch detail. When you’re working lace, texture, or twisted stitches, it’s reassuring to be able to see your stitches clearly and know that the yarn isn’t going to obscure all the work you’ve just put into them.

And because I’ve used this base in Alessia, Ursula, Victoria, and Penelope, I’ve had the chance to work with it across several different designs rather than forming an opinion from a single project.

That repeated experience is one of the reasons I’d happily reach for this yarn again.

If you’re looking for a pattern to pair with your favourite fingering-weight yarn, have a look through my shawl knitting patterns.

Colourways

One of the things I love most about Ancient Arts Yarns is the colour.

I’ve used this Merino Silk Fingering base in African Violet, English Lavender, Under the Sea, Spanish Lavender, and Lavender Fields Forever, and every single one has been spectacular.

The colours have a wonderful depth to them, and the silk gives the finished fabric a subtle lustre that makes the colours feel especially rich. There’s something about seeing these yarns worked up that is even better than looking at them in the skein—the colours have room to move and shift across the fabric, and the slight sheen catches the light beautifully.

I’ve gravitated towards some very purple-heavy colourways, clearly. What can I say? I know what I like. 💜

But the beauty of this base isn’t limited to those colours. Ancient Arts has an enormous range of colourways, and the Merino Silk Fingering base is a beautiful canvas for all of them. Whether you’re drawn to rich jewel tones, soft neutrals, earthy shades, or something a little more adventurous, the combination of merino and silk gives the colours plenty of depth and dimension.

For lace and textured projects, I particularly love using tonal or gently variegated colourways. They add interest without overwhelming the stitch pattern, allowing all those little details you’ve spent hours knitting to remain visible.

If you’re anything like me, choosing the colour may end up being considerably harder than choosing the pattern.

Best Uses

While this yarn would certainly work for a variety of fingering-weight projects, I think it really shines when softness and drape are part of the finished design.

It works beautifully for:

• Shawls
• Lace projects
• Textured accessories
• Scarves
• Cowls
• Fingerless mitts
• Lightweight garments
• Other accessories worn close to the skin

I’ve especially enjoyed it in shawls, where the silk can really show off what it does best.

I would be a little more selective about using it for socks. Although it is a superwash fingering-weight yarn, the silk content makes it quite different from a traditional merino-and-nylon sock yarn. If I’m knitting something that needs to withstand a lot of abrasion, I’d generally reach for a base designed specifically with durability in mind.

For a special pair of socks that won’t see heavy wear? That’s another story.

Is It Worth It?

If you love soft, beautifully draping yarns, yes.

The combination of superwash merino and silk creates a fabric that feels luxurious without being difficult to work with. The yarn has enough structure for detailed stitch patterns while still producing the soft, fluid fabric I want from a shawl or lightweight accessory.

And having used it in four different rhyFlower Knits patterns, I know it’s not simply a yarn that looks pretty in the skein. It performs beautifully once it gets onto the needles.

That’s probably my favourite thing about it.

There are plenty of gorgeous yarns out there that make you want to buy the skein. This is one that makes me want to knit the skein.

If you’re planning a shawl, lace project, or another lightweight accessory where you want softness, stitch definition, and lovely drape, Ancient Arts Merino Silk Fingering is definitely one I’d consider.

And if you happen to find yourself staring at all those colourways trying to decide which one to take home…

Well.

That’s between you and the yarn shop. 🦄