Alpaca Merino Cotton Yarn, LANA GATTO NATURA, Italian Super Bulky Weight Luxury Yarn, 50m/50g

Big yarn doesn't have to mean heavy yarn. LANA GATTO NATURA was created for exactly that contradiction — bold, oversized stitches with a surprisingly airy feel, combining Baby Alpaca, Extrafine Merino Wool and Cotton in one beautifully soft Italian yarn.

At only 50m per 50g, NATURA makes its presence known immediately. Stitches become part of the design: big ribs, dramatic stockinette, architectural garter stitch and simple shaping can produce the kind of modern knitwear that normally looks far more complicated than it actually is.

And this is not simply an accessory yarn. LANA GATTO has designed blazers, jackets, vests and ponchos specifically for NATURA — exactly where I think this yarn becomes most interesting.

▣ Product Specifications:
• Manufacturer: LANA GATTO / Filatura Tollegno 1900, Italy
• Article: NATURA
• Collection: Luxury
• Fiber Content: 40% Extrafine Merino Wool, 35% Cotton, 25% Baby Alpaca
• Yarn Weight: Super Bulky
• Meterage: 50m / 50g (55yd / 1.76oz)
• Equivalent: 100m / 100g (109yd / 3.52oz)
• Yarn Structure: Soft, voluminous yarn with a gentle natural bloom
• Format: Original factory-wound 50 g / 1.76 oz balls
• Recommended Needle Size: 6–7 mm / US 10–10.75
• Origin: Made in Italy

✦ A YARN YOU CAN COME BACK TO
NATURA is part of LANA GATTO's continuing stock-service collection — not a one-season novelty. That means I can reorder it as needed, an important advantage when you are planning a larger sweater, jacket or matching pieces.

Start with a few balls. Love the fabric. Come back for the bigger project.

✦ THREE FIBERS — THREE DIFFERENT JOBS
NATURA's composition is what makes this bulky yarn unusual.

Baby Alpaca contributes soft warmth and a delicate surface bloom. Extrafine Merino brings elasticity, warmth and resilience. And a substantial 35% Cotton gives the fabric body and stability while balancing the animal fibers.

LANA GATTO originally introduced NATURA into its Luxury line as part of a group of yarns designed around the combination of warmth and lightness.

The result is a very different proposition from an ordinary dense wool bulky: large scale and substantial-looking stitches, but with a more sophisticated fiber composition.

✦ BIG STITCHES. VERY LITTLE WAITING.
This is the yarn for those moments when you want to see a project becoming a garment almost immediately.

At 50m/50g on 6–7 mm needles, NATURA makes even straightforward knitting visually important. Stockinette becomes bold. Ribbing becomes architectural. Garter stitch develops real dimension.

That makes it particularly appealing for oversized sweaters, cropped jackets, bomber-inspired cardigans, sleeveless vests, dramatic scarves and modern ponchos — projects where silhouette and texture can do more than complicated stitchwork.

➤ What Can I Make & How Much Should I Buy?
NATURA is exceptionally project-dependent because the yarn can be worked at a relatively open gauge.

As a useful official reference, LANA GATTO's Minimal Slipover uses only 5 balls / 250g for size 42 and 7 balls / 350g for size 46, worked on 6.5 mm needles at 10 sts × 16 rows per 10 cm.

For planning your own project:

• Hat — 2 balls / 100g
• Cowl — 2–3 balls / 100–150g
• Statement scarf — 4–7 balls / 200–350g
• Sleeveless vest — 5–8 balls / 250–400g
• Poncho — quantity depends strongly on dimensions and construction
• Sweater or jacket — calculate from your pattern and finished measurements

For larger garments, I strongly recommend buying the full project quantity together.

✦ NOT JUST ANOTHER CHUNKY SWEATER YARN
One of the best things I found while researching NATURA is how LANA GATTO itself uses it.

The official collection includes a Double-Breasted Blazer, Minimal Slipover, Garter Stitch Poncho, Wave Lace Vest and Design Jacket.

That changes the way I look at NATURA. Yes, it can make an incredibly easy chunky scarf. But it can also become actual fashion knitwear — a structured vest over a shirt, a short oversized jacket, a dramatic blazer or a simple sleeveless piece where the scale of the stitches becomes the design.

LANA GATTO even created an extremely simple high-neck poncho from NATURA using two large rectangles joined together with a ribbed collar — a good example of how little construction this yarn needs to create a substantial finished piece.

See LANA GATTO's official NATURA projects

➤ LET NATURA DO THE WORK
NATURA does not need another yarn held with it. The combination of Baby Alpaca, Extrafine Merino and Cotton already gives it warmth, softness, structure and texture.

For the cleanest contemporary look, I would knit it alone and let those oversized stitches show.

If you deliberately want to change its personality, however, a very fine companion can be interesting: a whisper-thin Mohair for additional haze, or a fine effect yarn for an unexpected contrast. The important thing is not to bury NATURA's beautiful oversized structure under another substantial yarn.

For a subtle halo, LANA GATTO SILK MOHAIR can be carried alongside it.

For a much more fashion-forward contrast, a fine strand of RiGo CRISTALLO can introduce irregular little cocoons, texture and flashes of Lurex against NATURA's soft matte surface.

✦ FROM 6 MM TO 8 MM — CHANGE THE FABRIC, NOT THE YARN
LANA GATTO recommends 6–7 mm needles for NATURA. But its own patterns show why swatching this yarn is worthwhile.

The Minimal Slipover uses 6.5 mm needles for a wearable garment fabric. LANA GATTO has also used NATURA on 8 mm needles for highly dimensional home pieces.

So rather than treating one needle size as a rule, use gauge to control the personality of the fabric:

• Smaller end of the range → more structure and definition
• 6.5–7 mm → relaxed chunky garment fabric
• Larger needles → increasingly open, dramatic fabric

Swatch before beginning a fitted garment.

➤ Knitting & Crochet
NATURA rewards simplicity. Stockinette showcases its scale; wide ribbing gives it structure; garter stitch makes a wonderfully dimensional winter fabric.

It can also handle texture. LANA GATTO has used NATURA for lace, structured jackets and textured projects, so you don't have to limit it to plain knitting simply because it is thick.

For crochet, keep the construction relatively simple and watch fabric density — at this thickness, a small change in hook size can dramatically change both drape and yarn consumption.

⫯ Weaving
NATURA can make a striking specialty weft for highly textured scarves, wraps, cushions and decorative textiles. Its thickness creates visual impact very quickly.

I would not choose it as my first option for warp. Pair it with a smoother, stronger warp and sample first to see how much of NATURA's softness and volume you want in the finished cloth.

➤ Complete the Project
For NATURA, having more than one needle size available is especially useful because gauge dramatically changes the fabric.

Explore ChiaoGoo Knitting Needles & Accessories and consider swatching NATURA around 6–7 mm before deciding which fabric works best for your project.

⟳ Care Instructions
• Hand wash gently in cool to lukewarm water
• Use a mild detergent suitable for natural fibers
• Do not rub, twist or wring
• Press excess water gently into a towel
• Reshape while damp
• Lay flat to dry
• Store finished garments folded