Northwest Yarns

  • Know Your Fiber: Carpathian Mountain Sheep Wool

    Posted on March 01 2023

       Carpathian Mountain sheep are a breed of domesticated sheep that are native to the Carpathian Mountains in Central and Eastern Europe. Although this breed is found in the many...

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  • Know Your Fiber: Cashmere & Pashmina

    Posted on March 01 2023

       Just hearing the words cashmere or pashmina conjure up a sense of luxury. Like sheep, there are a number of fiber goat breeds such as Angora, Pygora, and Nigora. However, the fiber from cashmere...

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  • Know Your Fiber: Clun Forest Wool

    Posted on March 01 2023

       Imported to North America in 1970, the Clun Forest sheep is a threatened breed in both Canada and the United States. In complete contrast, Clun Forest sheep in the U.K....

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  • Know Your Fiber: Lonk Wool

    Posted on March 01 2023

       With their curlicue horns on both rams and ewes, black faces and white wool, Lonk sheep are simply striking. Even their name is notable, coming either from the Middle English...

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  • Know Your Fiber: Lotus Fiber

    Posted on October 01 2022

       Folks have made use of a wide variety of plant fibers for spinning throughout history. While flax, cotton, and hemp are among the best known of plants fibers, there...

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  • Know Your Fiber: Exmoor Horn Wool

    Posted on July 01 2022

       As names go, Exmoor Horn sheep have a simple and descriptive name. They are originally from Exmoor, and both females and males are horned. But they are so much...

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  • Know Your Fiber: Florida Cracker Wool

    Posted on May 01 2022

       Two words: swamp sheep. Intrigued? Then get ready to learn all about the Florida Cracker sheep, a lovely breed with an odd little name, whose history sets it among...

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  • Know Your Fiber: Cotswold Wool

    Posted on April 01 2022

       Look at those fluffy forelocks! Cotswold sheep are perhaps the most emo-looking sheep out there. With their lustrous locks and ever-so-slightly golden wool, this rare sheep breed is a...

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  • Know Your Fiber: Himalayan Nettle

    Posted on March 01 2022

       If you are a fiber artist who is familiar with northern European fairy tales, hearing about making clothing out of nettles likely makes your thoughts immediately fly to the...

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  • Know Your Fiber: Gulf Coast Native Wool

    Posted on February 01 2022

       Woods sheep, Pineywoods sheep, Scrub sheep, Louisiana Native, Florida Native – all names for what we today call the Gulf Coast or Gulf Coast Native sheep. This landrace breed...

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  • Know Your Fiber: Hog Island Wool

    Posted on January 01 2022

      Hog Island sheep, descended from the sheep brought by English settlers to Virginia in the early 1700s, are remarkably rare. They are a fascinating breed frozen in time, thanks...

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  • Know Your Fiber: Nylon

    Posted on October 01 2021

       We are pretty big on natural fibers here at Northwest Yarns. Wool? All the wool and all the breeds, please. Alpaca, yak, angora, mohair? Why, yes, don’t mind if we...

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  • Know Your Fiber: Eri Silk

    Posted on July 02 2021

       Eri silk comes from the ailanthus moth (Samia cynthia ricini), a native to South Asia, and is one of only two domesticated species of silk moths in the world. It...

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  • Know Your Fiber: Tussah Silk

    Posted on July 02 2021

       Tussah, tussar, tusar, tasar, and more… so many names for just one type of silk! Produced in only a few countries, tussah silk is perhaps best known as a wild...

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  • Know Your Fiber: American Karakul Wool

    Posted on March 01 2021

       Named for a village in what is today Turkmenistan, Karakul sheep originated in Central Asia and only arrived relatively recently on North American shores. North American farmers in early...

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  • Know Your Fiber: Tunis Wool

    Posted on December 01 2020

       Tunis sheep are one of a handful of the oldest sheep breeds in the United States and were a particularly popular breed right up through the mid-1800s. Today they...

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  • Know Your Fiber: Fineness and Fiber Fiber is not just fiber – the specific qualities of various fibers make some more suitable for some projects than for others.  Of particular interest to crafters who work with wool and other fibers is how fine or how coarse their fiber is.  So, what exactly makes a fine fiber fine, a coarse fiber coarse, and how do we determine fineness or coarseness?

    Know Your Fiber: Fineness and Fiber

    Posted on November 11 2020

       Fiber is not just fiber – the specific qualities of various fibers make some more suitable for some projects than for others.  Of particular interest to crafters who work...

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  • Know Your Fiber: Swaledale Wool

    Posted on October 01 2020

       Curving horns, elegant black faces with white muzzles, and a woolen coat perfectly adapted to a rainy environment – meet the Swaledale! These adorable sheep can be found around...

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  • Know Your Fiber: Suffolk Wool

    Posted on September 01 2020

       With their long black faces and white wool, Suffolk sheep are easy to spot and are also one of the most common breeds in the United States. The Suffolk...

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  • Know Your Fiber: Finnsheep Wool

    Posted on August 01 2020

       Native to Finland, Finnsheep (also called Finnish Landrace or just Finnish) are a part of Finland’s national identity and an important part of their cultural heritage. This breed has...

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  • Know Your Fiber: Cheviot Wool

    Posted on July 01 2020

       The Cheviot Hills are located in English Northumberland and the Scottish Borders. Home to a variety of livestock since Neolithic times, it is these hills from which the white...

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  • Know Your Fiber: Perendale Wool

    Posted on May 01 2020

       It is time for another New Zealand sheep breed – the Perendale! This sheep is a relatively recent addition to the flocks of the world, only appearing on breed...

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  • Know Your Fiber: Whitefaced Woodland Wool

    Posted on April 01 2020

       The Whitefaced Woodland is a rare sheep breed that was once very popular in Northern England, but now is among the threatened breeds of sheep. It is hard to...

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  • Know Your Fiber: Corriedale Wool

    Posted on March 01 2020

       Corriedale is lovely and popular wool that is a wonderful all-purpose fiber loved by spinners, weavers, felters, knitters and crocheters around the world. Frequently referred to as “New Zealand’s...

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  • Know Your Fiber: Zwartbles Wool

    Posted on February 01 2020

       Undyed, black wool is always a treat to work with, but there are relatively few breeds of sheep that can reliably produce good, spinnable black wool in large quantities....

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  • Know Your Fiber: Polwarth Wool

    Posted on December 01 2019

       An extremely popular wool breed in many parts of the world, the Polwarth began its development into the fixed breed we know today the 1880s in southeastern Australia, in...

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  • Know Your Fiber: Falklands Wool

    Posted on November 01 2019

       There exists a land where sheep and penguins live together in harmony – the Falkland Islands. A beautiful group of islands in the southern hemisphere about 300 miles off...

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  • Know Your Fiber: Dorset Horn Wool

    Posted on September 30 2019

       Known for their rams’ dramatically spiraled horns and their close, springy fleece, Dorset Horn sheep are originally from the verdant hills and valleys of southwestern England. Although they have...

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  • Know Your Fiber: Southdown Wool

    Posted on September 01 2019

       Friendly and easy to manage, the broad-backed and adorable Southdown sheep are a heritage breed of sheep that originated in southern England. These short-wooled sheep have been regaining their...

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  • Know Your Fiber: Lincoln Wool

    Posted on August 01 2019

       Located in eastern England, Lincolnshire has been renowned throughout history for their namesake breed, Lincoln sheep. Once the largest known breed of sheep in the western hemisphere, Lincoln wool...

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  • Know Your Fiber: Shave 'Em to Save 'Em

    Posted on July 01 2019

       Let’s take a look at the The Livestock Conservancy and their brand-new Shave ‘Em to Save ‘Em initiative! The Livestock Conservancy has played an important role in heritage livestock...

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  • Know Your Fiber: Eider Wool

    Posted on June 01 2019

       One of the amazing things about sheep isn’t just the wool, milk and meat they produce, it is also how they affect the surrounding environment.  Now, when flocks are...

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  • Know Your Fiber: Romney Wool

    Posted on May 01 2019

       The tale of the Romney sheep is one of the southeastern English coast, salt marshes, and smugglers. This long-wool sheep was critical to the early English wool trade, and...

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  • Know Your Fiber: Manx Loaghtan

    Posted on March 31 2019

    Who has adorable horns (up to six!) and has made dramatic come-backs from the brink of extinction? Manx Loaghtan sheep from the Isle of Man, that’s who! These unique sheep...

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  • Know Your Fiber: Rambouillet

    Posted on March 01 2019

          The late 1700s were an eventful time for French sheep! A French sheep (along with a rooster and a duck) were the first to escape gravity in a...

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  • Know Your Fiber: Black Welsh Mountain Sheep

    Posted on February 01 2019

       Baa, baa black sheep, have you any wool? The Black Welsh Mountain Sheep certainly does! A member of the Welsh Mountain Sheep breed, this hardy sheep is one of...

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  • Know Your Fiber: Lydia's Flock

    Posted on January 01 2019

          We are starting out this year’s Know Your Fiber articles with a look at Lydia’s Flock, a local flock of Icelandic and Shetland sheep kept right here in...

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  • Know Your Fiber: Gotland Wool

    Posted on November 30 2018

      Gotland sheep from the Swedish island of Gotland are not only gosh-darn adorable, but they also produce a beautiful wool with long, lustrous locks.  Settle in, Know Your Fiber...

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  • Know Your Fiber: Jacob Wool

    Posted on November 01 2018

       Two horns, four horns, six horns!  Jacob sheep, an adorable, multi-horned spotted sheep (most commonly they have four horns, but can have up to six) from the U.K., has...

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  • Know Your Fiber: Merino Wool

    Posted on October 01 2018

    Merino sheep are among the most broadly known and popular sheep breeds for wool today.  Wool from Merino sheep has gained in popularity over the centuries, and has successfully conquered...

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  • Know Your Fiber: Viscose Rayon (aka Bamboo, Viscose)

    Posted on August 01 2018

    In the late 19th century, the first semi-synthetic fiber in history was invented – viscose rayon! Known as artificial silk until its rebranding as rayon in 1924, rayon has become...

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  • Know Your Fiber: Targhee Wool

    Posted on July 01 2018

    Targhee sheep, one of the youngest breeds of sheep in North America, have been experiencing a surge of interest from spinners and hand-dyers in the last several years. This American...

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  • Know Your Fiber: Shetland Wool

    Posted on June 01 2018

          Shetland sheep are beautiful and friendly little sheep with a soft wool that comes in almost every possible natural sheep color. These short-tailed sheep are from the Shetland...

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  • Dealing with Clothing Moths

    Posted on May 09 2018

             Part 1: Identifying the Evil Little Clothing Moth (Important note:  there is no such thing as a Good Little Clothing Moth) These little buggers are the...

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  • Know Your Fiber: Flax

    Posted on May 01 2018

       Flax is one of the oldest fibers used by humans. First sourced from wild plants, the oldest evidence of humans using flax comes from the Republic of Georgia. Spun,...

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  • Know Your Fiber: Icelandic Wool

    Posted on March 31 2018

       Icelandic sheep are one of the oldest breeds of sheep still in existence. Descended from the first short-tailed sheep to arrive in Northern Europe during the Paleolithic Age, these...

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  • Know Your Fiber: Bluefaced Leicester

    Posted on March 02 2018

       Named for their beautiful gray-blue skin underneath their lustrous wool, the story of Bluefaced Leicester sheep is also the story of how England contributed to a revolution in livestock breeding....

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  • Know Your Fiber: Churro Wool

    Posted on February 01 2018

    Navajo-Churro sheep, are direct descendants of the Churra sheep brought in two waves to North America by the Spanish, a very old breed of sheep from the Castile and León...

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