I realized the other day that I haven’t actually shared that much about the yarns that I offer or why and how I’ve chosen the bases that I dye. This newsletter is the beginning of the remedy to that silence.
If you’ve been on my website at all, you’ve probably noticed me talking about 100% untreated wool. But what does that even mean?
I’m glad you asked!
I should probably warn you, though, that when I start talking about yarn, I tend to get a little…long-winded.
100% Wool
All of my yarns are spun exclusively with wool. I do not offer any yarns with nylon or plant fibers. While I may offer yarns with plant fibers in the future, as they fall within my desire to offer only yarns made from natural materials, I do not currently have any plant fibers in my offerings.
I decided to offer wool yarns for one main reason.
I LOVE wool. It’s the magic fiber.
How do I love wool? Let me count the ways.
- It’s all natural. Nothing beats the fibers nature produces. Why look elsewhere?
- It’s moisture wicking. I once had a friend in Phoenix, AZ who wore nothing but wool socks, even in the scorching heat of the desert summers. She claimed her feet never felt sweaty, because the wool wicked the moisture away. I didn’t believe her. Then I tried it. She was right.
- It’s breathable. If you’ve ever worn something made of polyester, you know what the opposite of breathable is. This is part of why natural fibers are so wonderful–they can breathe.
- It smells good. OK, so this one is a little more subjective, but if you’re reading this blog post, chances are you agree with me.
- It’s flame resistant. Now you know. Not to be confused with “flame-retardant”, which means something has been treated with chemicals to slow or prevent burning.
- It’s warm. This is one of the reasons I moved back to Wisconsin from Arizona–I needed that cozy feeling of wearing my knits in the crisp autumn air or wrapping a wool scarf around my neck to keep out the winter cold.
- It feels great. I’m not really sure where this perception comes from, but I’ve lost count of the number of times people have told me they can’t wear wool because it’s too scratchy. My usual response is something along the lines of “Well, then you’re wearing the wrong wool.”
- It remembers. The natural bounce in wool fibers means that when you stretch it, it snaps back once the pressure is released. Now, the wool from different breeds has varying levels of bounce, but it’s there to some degree or another with all wool. This makes it a more forgiving fiber to work with than most plant-based or synthetic fibers.
If you still don’t love wool, you haven’t been reading very carefully.
As I was considering which bases to carry, I thought about what I like to knit with, what gets my creative juices flowing, and what most aligns with my values. Wool was therefore the natural starting point for me, and I decided to stay away from synthetic fibers.
Untreated
The term untreated refers to the process of treating wool fibers to make them machine washable. Treated yarns are referred to as “superwash” or “SW” and untreated yarns as “non-superwash” or “NSW”.
The primary reason for treating wool fibers is to make them easier to care for. Superwash yarns don’t really felt, which makes them easier to wash in a machine.
I prefer non-superwash yarns for two primary reasons.
First, because they are untreated, NSW yarns retain more of the natural characteristics of wool (think all the reasons I love wool listed above). The process of treating the wool to make it superwash mutes or eliminates many of the fiber’s natural characteristics, altering the hand (or feeling) memory, and elasticity. For some knitters, this result is desirable, but I prefer my woolly wools.
Second, the treatment process to make yarn superwash is often (though not always) not environmentally friendly. Since the environmental impact of the way this process is often carried out does not align with my desire to be a good steward of natural resources, I have decided to carry only non-superwash yarns.
Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying superwash yarn is bad. Many knitters prefer superwash yarns when knitting socks or lace, and I have used my fair share of superwash yarns. But in my knitting journey, I have grown more and more to prefer NWS yarns both for their feel and for the results I get from knitting with them.
So there you have it. There is so much more that could be said about the bases I carry, and you will definitely be hearing more in the future.
For now, you can rest assured that when you order my yarn, what you’re getting is a yarn that is about as close to nature as it gets.
