Non-Superwash Yarn

Non-superwash, or natural yarn, refers to yarn has been spun from all natural, non chemically treated, pure wool. Non-superwash treated wool has much better water wicking and temperature regulating properties. The resulting garments will maintain their shape and elasticity significantly longer than with superwash treated wool making this yarn very well suited for sweater knitting.

The fabric however is not machine washable as the scales on the shaft of the wool fiber are still intact which is why the wool yarn is sensitive to felting when exposed to agitation and high heat. Non-superwash yarn requires a much slower and gentler dye process, but the result is simply stunning. Think multi-dimensional tonal colorways with gentle speckles that render as soft watercolor like splashes of color.

Tonal colorways are my favorite on non-superwash yarn, and where this hand dyed yarn really shines. Since the dye strikes the yarn much slower, the colors tend to be richer with a brilliant complexity that is a real treasure.

My non-superwash yarns include Head in the Clouds, Organic Merino Sport, and Ellis.