Canadian wool: Grown, milled, and hand-dyed within Canada!
Batch B: 105 grams and 380 yards. Ever so slightly thicker strands than Batch A, and more yardage per skein. Very similar to a traditional commercial merino/nylon sock yarn, but all natural!
Ready to ship; please allow 4 business days for shipping.
Ontario Sock is an all-purpose fingering weight yarn that is produced entirely in Ontario--exclusively for Alley Cat Yarns--using 75% single-flock Dorset sheep, and 25% adult mohair. It is tightly-spun of three plies for durability and for roundness to show off textured stitches.
Batch B: 105 grams and 380 yards.
Traceability: Ontario Dorset fibre sourced by Wave Fibre Mill near Parry Sound, Ontario; mohair fibre from Les Belles Bouclettes in Vankleek Hill, Ontario; milled at Wave Fibre Mill in Parry Sound, Ontario.
The Details:
- YES, this yarn is strong enough for socks! In fact, it's more durable than most commercially available sock yarns. Adult mohair replaces nylon for strength in this all-natural yarn.
- Dorset is a breed of sheep that has down type wool. This means the wool in this yarn is naturally resilient, elastic, durable, and felt-resistant. It's ideal for hard-wearing knits of all kinds, and is sometimes called "nature's superwash".
- Untreated, natural wool has all kinds of benefits. Wool is naturally:
- dirt-resistant
- anti-microbial
- insulating
- moisture-regulating
- breathable
- biodegradable
- renewable
- Knitters and crocheters will appreciate that this yarn holds its shape; it has elasticity and memory so your projects don't stretch out.
- Caring for wool is easier than you think! Since wool is naturally dirt-resistant and anti-microbial, it only needs occasional cleaning. When cleaning is required, simply soak your item in tepid water with a wool-safe wash, roll or squeeze out excess moisture, and hang or lay flat to dry.
All of our yarns are carefully dyed with professional wash-fast, and light-fast wool dyes. Dyes are fully set and rinsed clear of the dye bath before yarn is dried and skeined. You may notice some light colour in the water when you soak your projects, and this can be due to differences in water pH or mineral content between your water source and ours, or from small amounts of dye shedding from wool scales in the case of untreated wool. This colour should be so minimal that it does not transfer in colourwork projects. Use cool water and vinegar in your first wash for best results, and never soak your projects in hot water.
If you plan to use very dark and very light colours together in the same project, make a swatch and wash it to test colourfastness.
Traceability: Ontario Dorset fibre sourced by Wave Fibre Mill near Parry Sound, Ontario; mohair fibre from Les Belles Bouclettes in Vankleek Hill, Ontario; milled at Wave Fibre Mill in Parry Sound, Ontario.
