Yarn Profile: Berroco Mohair Classic

First Impressions
This and Classic Elite's La Gran are probably the two most common brushed mohairs on the market. Berroco makes two versions of this yarn: Mohair Classic and Mohair Classic Heather. The heather costs a little bit more per skein but has gorgeous color combinations, especially in direct sunlight.

Knitting Up
The yarn slid through my fingers easily enough, allowing me to get a good rhythm going. I still experienced the occasional stray yarn fluff trying to knit itself into the wrong stitches, a classic tendency of brushed mohair.

It may be my imagination, but this yarn has a slightly more brassy quality than the others.

Blocking / Washing
My swatches survived a vigorous thrashing and wringing. Color bleeding was almost imperceivable. Although the fiber appears to have relaxed after washing, I didn't notice any significant stretching.

Wearing
The swatches suffered not at all from their 30 minutes of fluffing in the dryer with my jeans. There was no visible pilling, stretching, or degradation. I didn't have the heart to see what it'd take to destroy a swatch, but I suspect it'd take a lot.

Conclusion
In my opinion, Berroco Mohair Classic and La Gran are virtually interchangeable. Berroco uses 3% more nylon, 4.5% less wool, and 1.5% more mohair.

La Gran is slightly softer, but most people wouldn't even notice the difference. This means you can use any of the Classic Elite patterns for La Gran (such as those in Kristin Nicholas' Knitting Today's Classics and feel confident of success.

Ultimately it comes down to this: What color do you need, and how much do you want to spend on yarn? Both perform equally well, both have an extensive color selection, both skeins are within a few yards of one another, but La Gran is about $1 more per skein. It's a decision you'll have to make, but either way you're in good shape.