yARN OVERVIEW
ACRYLIC YARN
Our acrylic high bulk yarn we source comes from a local supplier in the North West, who has a long trading history, over 30 years.
In the current acrylic colour range there are 144 shades, this is a stock service. A colour to suit every taste? The yarn count or thickness is 2/30’s. Also in the range there are 13 marl or tweed colours, these are 2 colours twisted together, which takes you knitted garments to another level. There are also 6 fluorescent colours for the more adventurous.
ACRYLIC SLUB
In the acrylic range there is a slub yarn, which is available in 12 colours. This yarn is allot thicker and is used on the more heavy gauges like 5 and 3. It is available in two sizes, NM1/7 and NM1/4.5. This gives an awesome thick chunky look to the finished product and a hand knitted texture, appearance.
BRIGHT ACRYLIC
We also have a bright acrylic, spun in a different way to create a shiny look. This is NM 2/28 count, better used on 7 and 10 gauge knitting machines. With 39 impressive colours, this yarn when knitted up give the finished product drape and a soft silky feel.
WOOL
Wool is one of nature’s best insulating fibres and has been used to make clothing for centuries. Not only is wool extremely good at holding in warmth, it also wicks moisture and dries faster than cotton. The most widely available types of wool come from sheep. However, sheep aren’t the only animals that produce natural, warmth-enhancing fibres. Alpaca, angora rabbits and camels also produce luxurious, wool-like fibres that are used to make high-quality knitwear and woven fabrics. To begin, it helps to understand some of the benefits that all types of wool offer. Wool has several characteristics that other natural fibres like cotton and linen simply can’t compete with.
WOOL IS WATER RESISTANT
Unlike human hair or animal fur, wool fibres are actually hollow with a durable, flexible and water-repellent exterior. The structure of wool fibres is composed of small, overlapping sections, kind of like shingles on a roof. Each fiber’s core absorbs up to 30% of its weight in moisture vapour without becoming damp or clammy. Meanwhile, the hard outer layer protects against outside moisture from rain and snow.
WOOL WICKS MOISTURE
Aside from blocking most external moisture, wool fibres wick perspiration away from the body. Normally, as your sweat evaporates, heat is drawn away from your skin. This effect is comforting in hot weather, but can dampen your clothing and give you chills in colder weather. Unlike cotton, which absorbs moisture and tends to remain wet, wool actually wicks perspiration and allows it to evaporate quickly, thus keeping you warmer.
CASHMERE
Cashmere is the rarest and most precious natural fibre in the world, yet the product of one of its harshest environments. Cashmere fibre can be sourced from several regions of China, and from Inner and Outer Mongolia but the higher quality types that can command a premium tend to come from Inner Mongolia or other regions of China. During the winter months, the temperature can drop to 40 degrees below zero, and to protect themselves, the goats grow a downy under fleece of soft short hair – this undercoat is cashmere fibre.
Chinese cashmere tends to be the finest and whitest fibre available – other parts of the world tend to produce shorter, coarser fibre of dark brown colour. Coarser fibre will influence the quality of the handle and drape of the garment – there is some white Mongolian fibre, but it is not as white as Chinese and is still coarse.
It takes around 1kg of raw goat wool to produce 200g of cashmere. So to produce just one scarf, it would require the fibre from at least 4 goats.
We source our yarn from the world’s leading supplier of Cashmere yarn, based in Scotland.
We take great pride in being able to say that our products are MADE IN BRITAIN.
We are incredibly passionate about producing the finest quality cashmere products here in the UK. We use the latest in seamless knitting technology to ensure that our products are made to the highest technical standards. This technology also allows us to produce consistent and better fitting products, throughout the range.