Four cones of yarn in merino, lambswool, cotton and bamboo viscose
Lambswool, merino, a wool cashmere blend and organic cotton — four yarns, each for a different job.

We knit in four yarns and no more. Each one is here because it does something the others cannot, and each has a cost as well as a benefit. Every product page names the yarn for that style.

Wool yarns

Lambswool

From the first shearing, so the fibre is finer and springier than standard wool. It has loft — it traps air, which is why a lambswool jumper is warm for its weight — and it recovers its shape well after being worn. Slightly more prone to pilling in the first weeks than merino, and that settles.

Merino Wool

A fine fibre diameter, which is why it sits against skin without prickle. Regulates temperature in both directions and resists odour, so it needs washing less often than cotton. Our choice for anything worn next to skin, including dresses and rib knits. Finer means less abrasion resistance, so merino pills sooner at cuffs and under the arms than lambswool.

Wool Cashmere Blend

Cashmere gives softness and warmth but is weak on its own and pills badly in a garment that gets real use. Blended with wool for structure, it keeps most of the hand and lasts several times longer. We would rather sell a blend that survives than pure cashmere that disappoints in a season.

Recycled Wool Blend

Reclaimed wool fibre re-spun with virgin wool for strength. Slightly more varied in tone than virgin yarn because the reclaimed fibre comes from mixed sources — that flecking is inherent, not a fault. Lower impact and lower cost; marginally less soft.

Alpaca Wool Blend

Alpaca has no lanolin and a smoother fibre than sheep’s wool, so it drapes rather than springs and is warmer than wool at the same weight. It also has almost no memory, which is why we only use it blended and only in cardigans, where drape is the point and shoulder shape is held by the button band.

Plant yarns

Organic Cotton

Grown without synthetic pesticides or fertilisers. Breathable, washes hot, no prickle, and the right choice if you cannot wear wool at all. Cotton knit has no elastic recovery, so it grows a little with wear and comes back in the wash — and it is heavier and slower to dry than any of the wools.

What we do not use

No acrylic and no polyester in the knit. Both are cheaper, hold shape well and never pill much — but they do not breathe, they hold odour, and they shed microplastic in every wash. That is a trade we are not willing to make, and it is part of why our prices sit where they do.

On dye lots

Yarn is dyed in lots and the same colour name reads a shade warmer or cooler between them. Undyed ecru varies with the fleece itself. If you need two pieces to match exactly, email support@woolbarn.shop before ordering and we will knit them from one lot.

Care

Yarn determines care. See the care guide, and follow the garment label where the two differ.

WOOL BARN LIMITED
Company number 17325702, registered in England and Wales.
Registered office: 22 Ronald Road, Birmingham, B9 4UL, United Kingdom
Email: support@woolbarn.shop
Telephone: +44 7192920014

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