Yarn Review: Drops Fabel

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Welcome to my very first yarn review.

As a knitter of over 20 years and a crocheter of over 15 years, I have used, loved and loathed many brands of yarn. I would say that I’ve learnt the most from the challenging yarn and the ones that I’ve ultimately vowed never to buy again. I wanted to start recording some of this experience by writing in-depth reviews of the yarn that I use, in particular the yarn I’ve used extensively to show what draws me to re-buy and keep using it. 

The Yarn: 

This first review is of Drops Fabel which is categorized as a 4ply sock yarn. I found that it is 16 wpi (wraps per inch), best described as light fingering weight and more akin to a 3ply.

The knitting tension is - 24st x 32 rows on a 10cm x 10cm (4in x 4in) square of stockinette using the recommended needle size of 3mm (US 2.5).

The yarn composition is 75% superwash wool and 25% polyamide. It comes in a 50g (1.8oz) ball which holds approximately 205m (224yrds) of yarn. 

The interesting thing about Drops as a brand is their use of yarn groups. Drops Fabel falls into Yarn Group A, alongside a range of other sport, fingering or lace weight yarns from their product range. All yarns in a particular group can reach a close gauge match if you use the recommended needles, allowing you to mix and match for patterns in their catalogue.

Overall rating: 9/10

I’ve used this yarn predominantly to make socks, but I have also made baby cardigans and held it double on larger needles to make hats. I find it to be a high quality and durable yarn at a very good price point.

All things considered, I highly rate this yarn and have given it 9/10. I am a repeat buyer and have used many of the different print and solid colours available. It's been part of my stash for a long time which is why I wanted to review this yarn first. I know it very well and have put it through the ringer with various knitting projects.

I am a fan, but I have also found a few consistency issues which I’ve detailed in my review.

Washability and Longevity:

As mentioned, Drops Fabel is recommended for and promoted as a sock yarn. To be able to fulfil this criteria fully, it does need to be durable and able to withstand the rigours of being worn on feet and in shoes.

The 75% wool in this yarn is superwash and you can machine wash up to 40°c, but it is not recommended for tumble drying which is normal for anything with high wool content. I have washed my socks many times both by hand and in the machine and I highly rate the washability. My knits come out of the machine looking refreshed and I haven't noticed any signs of felting or shrinking. My handknit socks do come out lightly crinkled but they're easy to reshape before flat drying.

As for longevity, I have found that this yarn is able to hold up to a lot of wear and tear. I've only seen pilling and fluffiness appear on the socks that have been worn and washed for 6 months or more. Particularly impressive for a yarn that is also very affordable. The hats I've made withstand rain, wind, being squashed into a rucksack or stuffed in a pocket.

The best test for this yarn is my husband who loves walking and wears boots often. An important thing to note is that wool is naturally moisture-wicking, odour-resistant and insulating. As such, he will wear his handknit socks for a few days in a row and happily trudges around in all weathers. All in all, they get a very good test of endurance on his feet and so far so good for all the pairs I've knit. No holes or thinning and they've been washed many, many times.

Consistency and Ease of Use:

I mentioned at the start of this review that I found some consistency issues. After using this yarn for many different projects, I found that I grew to know the gauge and the feel of the yarn very well. I noticed that the thickness and stretch varied just slightly between the solid and print yarns. Solid colours are able to stretch a little more and felt thinner compared to the prints, which seem much more robust to me.

The look of my knits wasn't noticeably effected, but I could feel it in my hands as I was holding tension. I also suspect that it effected the ball in other ways. I found that pulling from the center is harder on a solid colour and I had more tangles to deal with, which I'm sure you know can be very annoying. This issue knocked a star off for me but in all other ways I find it to be a top notch sock yarn.

As for ease of use, I didn't encounter any issues with splitting, factory knots or unintentional breakages. I like to use metal needles, and this yarn glides easily allowing me to pick up a good amount of speed and rhythm while I'm knitting, without hurting my hands or wrists.

Cost and Colours:

The last part of this review is about cost and colours. The Drops website currently states 61 colours but two are discontinued at the warehouse so they will gradually disappear from stockists as well. Even though you're unlikely to find the full range at every stockist, I felt that this was an impressive range and it covers a rainbow of solids, prints and long prints within it.

I have tried a large number of the colours and prints and I found they are all very high quality dyes. The variations are interesting and the prints and solids coordinate well together. When it comes to washing, there is some dye loss on the first blocking but this settled down quickly. Solids and stronger colours, like red, were the worse offenders of course. There was much less dye loss on prints so I didn't find they ran or blurred at all.

At the time of writing this review, you can find Drops Fabel at an RRP that ranges between £2.40 and £2.70, depending on whether you're looking for a solid or print version. For a yarn that offers over 200m per ball with 75% wool, the RRP is incredibly good value. Compared to other sock yarn in particular, you'd be hard-pushed to find a better price. This is one of the reasons I come back to this brand so often. It's durability and cost effectiveness allows me to keep knitting socks for mine and my families sock drawers without breaking the bank.

Conclusion:

I do recommend this yarn and I will continue to buy and use it myself for many projects going forward. I am currently working on a challenge to knit 26 pairs of socks in 2026 and I'm starting with my stash of Drops Fabel. I have 2 and a half pairs of socks done already in January so it's going well!

Although my first review is about an old favourite, I plan to develop a much more critical eye as I use and review more yarn and brands. I hope that you have found this review interesting and perhaps you are inspired to give it a try if you haven't knit or crocheted with it before.

Happy crafting,

Katie