Is Malabrigo Worsted soft enough to wear next to skin?

Yes. It is 100% merino and widely described as buttery-soft, so hats, cowls and sweater necks sit comfortably without a layer underneath.

Can I machine wash it?

No. It is not superwash-treated, so hand wash in cool water and dry flat. Machine washing and heat will felt it.

How much yarn do I need for a sweater?

Each skein has 210 yards. A typical adult sweater takes roughly 1,000 to 1,500 yards depending on size and fit, so plan on several skeins and buy them together.

Will the skeins match?

Not exactly. Hand-dyed skeins vary, so buy all the yarn for a project at once and alternate skeins to blend the color.

What needle size does it use?

It knits at 4 to 5 stitches per inch on US 7 to 9 needles, a worsted/aran gauge. Swatch to hit the gauge your pattern calls for.

Is it good for colorwork?

Yes. The saturated colorways work well in stranded patterns, though the single-ply texture gives a softer, less crisp stitch definition than a plied yarn.