Noro Rikka — an ultra-luxe blend

Spun from 57% sheep's wool, 22% alpaca wool, and 21% silk, this gorgeous yarn has a bulky weight but a delicate appearance and a luxuriously soft texture. The wool is hand-dyed in variegated, nature-inspired colors, but the mulberry silk fibers are left pure white; after they're spun together, the silk looks like white flecks of snow on the wool's colorful landscape.

200 grams of Rikka yields 350 yards of yarn. Weight: 5 (bulky). Suggested knitting needle size: about 5.5 mm (US 9). 100% wool. Dry-clean only.

About Noro

Each Noro tag is printed with "The World of Nature," a reminder of the company's unique approach to spinning. Founder Eisaku Noro was inspired by the complex colors of his native Mie Prefecture, Japan, where the cold waters of Mount Ōdaigahara flow down into verdant valleys and trickling streams.

Noro yarns are made from natural materials, especially wool and cotton, and the company never over-processes these fine fibers, so they retain their essential character. Even colored Noro yarns are not bleached first; the company over-dyes the natural colors so that the final result is flecked and layered, not flat and dull.