Scratchy Wool

With all the buttery soft fibers out there for our nimble fingers to turn into something fabulous the so called scratchy wools get a bad rap with lots of yarn folk. While we all need some sultry merino or slinky silk in our hands from time to time, those scratchy wools have some pretty awesome things to offer to the knitter/crocheter/weaver.

These ‘scratchy wools’ are some of our absolute favorite yarns here at the shop because they are just hearty enough to last through an entire Wyoming winter and beyond. The scratchy wools come to life with use and wear and warmth. Oftentimes you will find these yarns begin to bloom the second you knit a stitch. Other times, magic will happen with you toss them into the blocking bath. These yarns burst into loveliness that is maybe not as apparent when rolled tightly in a skein or ball but becomes evident once it has met your needles and blocking water.

Yarns like Lettlopi, Alafosslopi, Finullgarn, Kauni, Shelter, Laramie, Alpine, Maine Line, Lamb’s Pride, Nature Spun and beyond, we will concede are very different from a superwash merino. This ‘tooth’ as may designers call it, is what makes these yarns capable of creating hard wearing garments that will get better as they age. While in the skein you may not gravitate towards its tenser (or hairier, in the case of the Lopi’s) feel, you only need to imagine yourself wrapping your shoulders in that cozy, tweedy sweater five years from now and laughing at the fact that you once called it scratchy.

To see some great examples of how toothy yarns age with wear and handling, stop by the shop this week to feel the Brooklyn Tweed Woolens Trunk Show. Woolens is an accessory collection designed by Jared Flood featuring color work, cables, texture, lace and so much more!