COTTLECOT ~ 100% Cotton, vegan friendly

Cottlecot is our newest addition to our plant fibre yarn range. It was hard to find a plant based yarn that is pleasant to knit with. After much back and forth, we settled on this one. Though we could have gone for a cheaper cotton or an organic cotton, at this time, Cottlecot was the best. Why? It is soft and doesn't split while knitting. It will not hurt your fingers, something I have been recently told, is very often the case with cotton yarns. It is a fantastic yarn for the classroom, beginners and perfect for crochet.

The yarn is produced in South America and spun into a 3ply yarn in Italy. 

Vegan friendly: Naturally dye includes insect based dyes, which is not something every vegan conscience person is aware of. We make a point of keeping our Cottlecot yarn range vegan friendly and only using plant dyes, organic and/or homegrown whenever possible.

Natural Dyes: Cottlecot isn't an easy yarn to dye naturally, especially evenly. Due to the thick and 3 ply nature of the yarn, the natural dye finds it hard to penetrate through to the core. Therefore, most of the coloured yarn will fall into the category of semi solid.

Patterns: Criostal Cardigan by Knitwear designer Albina McLaughlin 

In a nutshell:

Fibre: 100% Cotton
Yardage/Meterage: 182yrds/167m
Weight: suggested Aran knitting weight ~ 100g
Origin: Grown in South America
Spun in Italy
Needle size: 3-5mm

Suggested handwash or up to 60C degrees in gentle cycle.

Let’s celebrate the humble nettle! Doolin can also be used for all softwool patterns.

Doolin is made from 80%wool and 20% Ramie and the bigger brother of our 4ply Turin, made from a similar blend but including Silk as well. Ramie is a bast fibre, made from the inner phloem of the nettle. Ramie not only gives the yarn a gentle sheen, but also provides strength and stability needed for the heel and toe areas making it a great alternative to nylon rich yarns. Ramie doesn’t absorb dye the same way as wool does, giving this yarn a unique two-toned mottled effect.

Doolin and Turin are 'all rounder' yarns suitable for any project you set your mind too.

Like with all hand knitted items, a gentle handwash is best, however, this yarn has been washing machine tested by us and can be wool washed if preferred.

We also have some stunning patterns available for this yarn in our pattern section, designed by LBhandknits for AppleOak FibreWorks. 

Patterns shown: 
Ascophylia hat pattern
Sleeping in the Garden sock pattern
Rochelle Sock pattern

In a nutshell for 1 skein:
80% wool & 20% Ramie
weight Sport
100gr/ 3.5oz
300m/ 328yards
2-3mm needles
Dyed in Ireland naturally using fresh organic Woad plants.
Origins: Wool USA, Ramie China, spun in the Czech Republic

Let’s celebrate the humble nettle! Doolin can also be used for all softwool patterns.

Doolin is made from 80%wool and 20% Ramie and the bigger brother of our 4ply Turin, made from a similar blend but including Silk as well. Ramie is a bast fibre, made from the inner phloem of the nettle. Ramie not only gives the yarn a gentle sheen, but also provides strength and stability needed for the heel and toe areas making it a great alternative to nylon rich yarns. Ramie doesn’t absorb dye the same way as wool does, giving this yarn a unique two-toned mottled effect.

Doolin and Turin are 'all rounder' yarns suitable for any project you set your mind too.

Like with all hand knitted items, a gentle handwash is best, however, this yarn has been washing machine tested by us and can be wool washed if preferred.

We also have some stunning patterns available for this yarn in our pattern section, designed by LBhandknits for AppleOak FibreWorks. 

Patterns shown: 
Ascophylia hat pattern
Sleeping in the Garden sock pattern
Rochelle Sock pattern

In a nutshell for 1 skein:
80% wool & 20% Ramie
weight Sport
100gr/ 3.5oz
300m/ 328yards
2-3mm needles
Dyed in Ireland naturally using fresh organic Woad plants.
Origins: Wool USA, Ramie China, spun in the Czech Republic

 Stockholm is a beautifully simple semi solid yarn, very soft and easy to knit. You can knit a sweater within a couple of days and it is suitable for quick knits, children and beginners. It is a pleasure to work with and due to its bulky weight gives quick and satisfying results as well as a clean and visible knit.

Pattern design by Ailbíona McLochlainn

In a nutshell:

100g/3.5oz
100m/109yards
6-9mm needles
Hand wash
Suitable for felting

Fibre Origin: America mulesing free farms
Naturally dyed with Organic Indigo

Due to the dark shade of indigo, some blue will rub off on your hands during knitting. It would also be good to avoid wearing it over a light coloured item until it has been washed a couple of times. A care card will be provided with more detail.

EUROPEAN MERINO WOOL ~ Small farm production, Europe only productions, dyed to high oekotext standards in Switzerland.

This European Merino Wool 27 micron wool roving is available in 60 trendy colours including 10 trendy mixed colours.This wool is dyed with synthetic dye from Switzerland according to the standards of Oeko-Tex 100 and EU Ecolabel for textile products.

Responsibly Produced

This soft wool is produced in Europe, closer to home than your regular merino wool! The wool is produced on small farms in Europe and is mulesing free. 

Perfect for Felting, Spinning and Knitting

This European Merino Wool roving is a soft, voluminous and affordable all-round wool. It is great for wet felting as well as for needle felting, spinning and of course for XXL chunky knitting. All fibers align in the same direction and the roving has a regular thickness, making it an easy wool to knit with.

How long is this roving?

Wool is usually sold per weight. But sometimes you want to know how long the wool roving is. We have calculated the roving length of the different packages below:

• 50 grams = approx. 2 meters
• 250 grams = about 10 meters
• 1 kilo = about 40 meters
• Bump of 4.5 kilos = approx. 180 meters

Please note that this is an approximation. The length can vary per type of wool, per colour or per production. And the harder you pull, the longer the roving becomes.

Would you want to make sure you get the wool roving in one piece?

We try our best to deliver the roving in one piece. But please count in that even when we try our best we don’t always succeed. Sometimes we have no choice but to deliver the desired quantity in two or more pieces.

Yep, it is as soft and fluffy as it looks! A stunningly soft organic merino wool fleece, extremely soft yet thick and well wearing. I made myself a blanket out of it last year and there isn't a night I don't snuggle up in it. Under the duvet in winter, without a duvet in the summer. I can only highly recommend it. 

Merino Wool Fleece is suitable for:

High quality Italian organic merino wool fabric, this lovely organic wool fabric is perfect for the colder months of the year. Beautifully warm, like any felted wool fabric, the cut edges don't fray, no seams necessary.

Warm, but breathable, this would make a lovely cardigan, dress, waist coat, cape, jumper, skirt, coat, jacket, poncho, shawl, leg or hand warmers, children's clothing and even cushion covers or blankets. Also sleeping bags for babies or hot water bottle covers can be made from this fabric.

Endless opportunities and even off cuts can be used for decorations.

~ Please allow 7-10 days for fabric orders fulfillment in case we don't have enough in stock, due to limited storage space. We will get in touch, should that be the case. ~ 

Material:
100% organic merino wool mulesing free
Width: 150cm/59.09inches
Weight: 305g/sqm 
European Production BIO/ORGANIC / GOTS certified by Ecocert Greenlife 268009

Produced in Italy

Care: Brush or air out during the night, if needed wash by hand using an organic wool laundry detergent.

Please get in touch for different or bigger quantities!

EUROPEAN MERINO WOOL ~ Small farm production, Europe only productions, dyed to high oekotext standards in Switzerland.

This European Merino Wool 27 micron wool roving is available in 60 trendy colours including 10 trendy mixed colours.This wool is dyed with synthetic dye from Switzerland according to the standards of Oeko-Tex 100 and EU Ecolabel for textile products.

Responsibly Produced

This soft wool is produced in Europe, closer to home than your regular merino wool! The wool is produced on small farms in Europe and is mulesing free. 

Perfect for Felting, Spinning and Knitting

This European Merino Wool roving is a soft, voluminous and affordable all-round wool. It is great for wet felting as well as for needle felting, spinning and of course for XXL chunky knitting. All fibers align in the same direction and the roving has a regular thickness, making it an easy wool to knit with.

 How long is this roving?

Wool is usually sold per weight. But sometimes you want to know how long the wool roving is. We have calculated the roving length of the different packages below:

• 50 grams = approx. 2 meters
• 250 grams = about 10 meters
• 1 kilo = about 40 meters
• Bump of 4.5 kilos = approx. 180 meters

Please note that this is an approximation. The length can vary per type of wool, per colour or per production. And the harder you pull, the longer the roving becomes.

Would you want to make sure you get the wool roving in one piece?

We try our best to deliver the roving in one piece. But please count in that even when we try our best we don’t always succeed. Sometimes we have no choice but to deliver the desired quantity in two or more pieces.

EUROPEAN MERINO WOOL ~ Small farm production, Europe only productions, dyed to high oekotext standards in Switzerland.

This European Merino Wool 27 micron wool roving is available in 60 trendy colours including 10 trendy mixed colours.This wool is dyed with synthetic dye from Switzerland according to the standards of Oeko-Tex 100 and EU Ecolabel for textile products.

Responsibly Produced

This soft wool is produced in Europe, closer to home than your regular merino wool! The wool is produced on small farms in Europe and is mulesing free. 

Perfect for Felting, Spinning and Knitting

This European Merino Wool roving is a soft, voluminous and affordable all-round wool. It is great for wet felting as well as for needle felting, spinning and of course for XXL chunky knitting. All fibers align in the same direction and the roving has a regular thickness, making it an easy wool to knit with.

 How long is this roving?

Wool is usually sold per weight. But sometimes you want to know how long the wool roving is. We have calculated the roving length of the different packages below:

• 50 grams = approx. 2 meters
• 250 grams = about 10 meters
• 1 kilo = about 40 meters
• Bump of 4.5 kilos = approx. 180 meters

Please note that this is an approximation. The length can vary per type of wool, per colour or per production. And the harder you pull, the longer the roving becomes.

Would you want to make sure you get the wool roving in one piece?

We try our best to deliver the roving in one piece. But please count in that even when we try our best we don’t always succeed. Sometimes we have no choice but to deliver the desired quantity in two or more pieces.

Dyer's Broom cut

This product, DYER'S BROOM ~ cut, is traditionally utilized for dyeing yellow and green shades. The resulting green hue tends to lean more towards a tan colour.

Colour fastness: medium

Basic recipe:

100% Broom
10% Alum
3% Iron as green option

Mordant as required, extract broom in 85C degrees Celsius for 1h. Remove dye, switch off pot and add your item and leave overnight. Treat with iron as an after mordant. Rinse, wash.

Colour fastness: medium

EUROPEAN MERINO WOOL ~ Small farm production, Europe only productions, dyed to high oekotext standards in Switzerland.

This European Merino Wool 27 micron wool roving is available in 60 trendy colours including 10 trendy mixed colours.This wool is dyed with synthetic dye from Switzerland according to the standards of Oeko-Tex 100 and EU Ecolabel for textile products.

Responsibly Produced

This soft wool is produced in Europe, closer to home than your regular merino wool! The wool is produced on small farms in Europe and is mulesing free. 

Perfect for Felting, Spinning and Knitting

This European Merino Wool roving is a soft, voluminous and affordable all-round wool. It is great for wet felting as well as for needle felting, spinning and of course for XXL chunky knitting. All fibers align in the same direction and the roving has a regular thickness, making it an easy wool to knit with.

How long is this roving?

Wool is usually sold per weight. But sometimes you want to know how long the wool roving is. We have calculated the roving length of the different packages below:

• 50 grams = approx. 2 meters
• 250 grams = about 10 meters
• 1 kilo = about 40 meters
• Bump of 4.5 kilos = approx. 180 meters

Please note that this is an approximation. The length can vary per type of wool, per colour or per production. And the harder you pull, the longer the roving becomes.

Would you want to make sure you get the wool roving in one piece?

We try our best to deliver the roving in one piece. But please count in that even when we try our best we don’t always succeed. Sometimes we have no choice but to deliver the desired quantity in two or more pieces.

Logwood Dye

Dye Colour: Blue, Purple & Black | Collected in the Wild in Haiti

Logwood (Haematoxylum campechianum), also known as Bois de Campeche or Campeachy Wood, is a natural, pH-sensitive dye that originates from wood found in Central America. This versatile dye creates stunning blues, purples, and deep blacks on wool, cotton, and silk. While its colour fastness is considered poor by experienced dyers, Logwood is commonly used in combination with other dyes to achieve rich, deep blacks. Perfect for eco-conscious artists, Logwood is available as cut or ground bark for your dyeing projects.

Colour Fastness: Poor (best used with other dyes for black)

Product Details:

• Dye Colour: Blue, Purple, and Black
• Perfect for: Wool, cotton, and silk
• Mordant: Alum (10%) for best results

Basic Recipe (Using Ground Bark):

1. Ingredients:

   • 65g Logwood bark (soaked for 2 days)
   • 100g mordanted yarn/fibre (Alum 10%)

Instructions:

• Bring the soaked bark to a simmer for 2 hours.
• Strain through cloth and add the yarn/fibre and dye bag to the dye bath.
• Simmer for 1 hour and then rinse.

Alternatively, soak the Logwood chips overnight, then boil for 1 hour before use.

For Logwood extract, please visit our Natural Dye Extracts Page.

Explore the potential of Logwood Dye for a range of vibrant blues, purples, and blacks in your natural dyeing projects!

Black Mallow Rose Flowers (Hollyhock)
Latin: Malvae arbor. Flor. tot. | Botanical: Alcea rosea L.

These vibrant Black Mallow Rose Flowers, also known as Hollyhocks, are perfect for eco-printing and natural dyeing projects. When used in eco-printing, they create stunning purple-blue to violet hues on fabric, with the rich tones evolving beautifully over time. Their colour fastness ranges from weak to medium, but can be enhanced with the proper mordants.

Eco-Printing Tips:

• For deeper, more intense black and purple hues, use an iron mordant.
• For general printing or dyeing, follow a standard mordant procedure for balanced results.
• Only the petals and flowers are utilized for printing and dyeing.

Durability:

Black Mallow Rose prints can retain their colours for years, but that very much depends on light exposure and washing. The anthocyanins in the petals provide some longevity, though fading may occur with prolonged sunlight or frequent washing.

Join The Natural Dyers & Growers Academy to share your experiences and get support from fellow growers.

The Magic of Maya Blue
Turquoise Pigment for Printing & Painting | Made with Indigo | Light & Age Resistant | Crafted in Our Studio

Maya Blue is a brilliant turquoise pigment historically used by the pre-Columbian Mayan and Aztec civilizations. Revered for its vibrant hue and exceptional resistance to aging, this fascinating colour was rediscovered through archaeological findings. The secret of creating Maya Blue was uncovered by Michel Garcia, who developed a recipe to reproduce this ancient pigment in modern studios. We carefully craft this pigment ourselves, ensuring its purity and quality for your artistic projects.

Product Features:

• Made with Indigo: A rich, turquoise blue pigment ideal for artistic projects.
• Applications: Perfect for printing and painting on fabric, canvas, or strong paper, ideal for artworks, wall hangings, and more.
• Light & Age Resistant: Maya Blue maintains its brilliance over time, making it a long-lasting choice for artistic creations.
• Not Suitable for Dyeing: This pigment is intended for surface applications like painting and printing, not for dyeing fabric.

How to Use:

1. Make Your Own Soya Milk:

   • Soak 25g dry soya beans overnight in water.
   • Rinse, blend with 500ml cold water for 5-7 minutes, then strain through muslin cloth.
   • Fresh soya milk lasts 2-3 days in the fridge.

2. Prepare the Pigment:

   • Brush your canvas or fabric with soya milk and allow it to dry flat or on the line.
   • Mix Maya Blue pigment with 1 part pigment to 3 parts soya milk.
   • Add marbles or stones to the jar and shake vigorously, crushing the pigment into finer particles.

3. Apply the Pigment:

   • Use a brush, stencil, or roller to apply the pigment to your prepared surface.
   • Optionally, add guar gum to thicken the mixture.

4. Curing & Rinsing:

   • Allow the pigment to dry for 1-2 weeks.
   • Gently rinse to remove excess pigment and soya milk—vigorous washing may remove too much pigment.

Enjoy the process and let your creativity flow with this stunning, historic pigment, carefully made in our studio!