We are in the process of changing over the wool we use in our yarns.
All of our yarn is sold in 25 gram cones (180m) spanning 366 colours and tones.
Wool in current use
The yarn we have been using for a number of years is a high quality 3/20 worsted yarn (close to a 2 ply) which is not prone to pilling or fluffing, making it suitable for tapestry, knitting and other textile arts. The fleece type is 28 µm and comes from a Corriedale crossbred, known for its fine long wool.
We are transitioning to our new Eco wool supplied by The Merino Company through the Geelong Textile Mill. Only a few of our yarns so far have been dyed using this beautiful new wool, but we are slowly transitioning to the new wool and our master dyer Tony Stefanovski is using this wool exclusively now.
New Wool
The Workshop's new wool is completely traceable through the supply chain back to the farms where the fibre is grown. We can confidently and proudly state that this wool is grown using environmentally sustainable and humane animal practices (absolutely no mulesing). It is important to us that we now have this quality assurance and control of our raw product.
The new wool is a Border Leicester/Merino cross, which gives a strong medium thickness fibre which is soft and white, and is slightly stronger than pure Merino. It is also thicker, being an average of 26 µm thick.
ALL of our yarn is durable, not prone to pilling or fluffing and is moth proofed as part of the dying process. All the yarn is dyed on the premises by master dyer Tony Stefanovski. The dyes used are the best available for light fastness and colourfastness, helping to ensure that the Workshop's tapestries will last hundreds of years.
During the changeover
While we are changing over to the new wool, please be aware that both the old and new wool will be available in the shop. If this will affect your project, make sure you check the dyelots of the yarn before purchasing and talk to one of our staff about the changeover.
The new yarn has a tighter, more obvious twist, and the label (inside the cone) is marked with orange highlighter.
