To be part of our "Farm to Yarn" Collection, the animal (sheep, Alpaca, Goat etc) has to live on a farm in Wales. The process of taking a raw fleece and converting it into yarn has to be completed in a mill in Wales.

Please note that the fleece does not have to be from a native Welsh breed (eg alpaca is not a native Welsh breed) but the animal has to live on a farm in Wales, whatever the breed is.

Farm to Yarn in Wales - the fleece is from an animal that lives and is farmed in Wales and the process to convert a raw fleece to yarn is completed 100% in Wales.

Yes, we sell a range of organic yarn that is spun in a Wales-based mill. It is certified to Global Organic Textile Standards (GOTS).

Yes, all the yarn on this website and at Shows and Fairs is hand dyed by me and it is dyed with natural dyes - no exceptions!

Natural dyes are pigments derived from plants, minerals, and some insects. Common sources include roots, berries, leaves, bark, and flowers. Examples include cochineal (reds), madder root (for reds), indigo (for blues), and weld (for yellows). These dyes have been used for centuries to colour textiles and offer a rich, diverse and nuanced colour palette.

Yes, when properly processed, natural dyes are colourfast. The key to durability is a process called "mordanting," where the yarn is treated with a fixative to help the dye bond permanently to the fibres. This prevents the colour from washing out or fading over time.

Natural dyes are extracted from living organisms or minerals, are biodegradable, and generally less harsh on the environment. Synthetic dyes are chemicals created in a lab from petroleum-based chemicals and tend to produce more vibrant, uniform colours with considerably less effort. In our opinion, natural dyes often have a more subtle, complex quality to them with truly stunning colours.

To maintain the beauty of your naturally dyed items, it's best to hand-wash them
in cool water with a pH-neutral soap. Avoid harsh detergents and bleach.
Squeeze gently and lay flat to dry. Excessive sun exposure can cause some
natural dyes to fade over time, so it's a good idea to store and dry them out
of direct sunlight.

The beauty of natural dyes is their inherent variability. Factors like the harvest season, the pH of the water, and the specific mordant used can all influence the final shade. This often results in a "variegated" or mottled look, where the colour isn't perfectly uniform across the skein. This is a characteristic of natural dyes and is what gives each skein its unique personality - part of the beauty of a handmade product!

While individual sensitivities vary, many people find natural dyes to be gentler on the skin. The lack of harsh, petroleum-based chemicals can be a benefit for those with chemical sensitivities. However, it's important to remember that some natural substances can still be allergens, so it's always best to be aware of your own personal allergies. Consult your doctor if you are concerned.

Yes! Natural dyeing is a rewarding and accessible craft. Many common plants, like onion skins, avocado pits, and black beans, can be used to create beautiful colours. You can also buy natural dye extracts online including from this website.

Generally yes, as this is a handmade product. The process of naturally dyeing yarn is more labour-intensive and time-consuming than using synthetic dyes. It involves foraging for or growing dye plants, preparing the dye baths, and the multi-step mordanting and dyeing process. The raw materials themselves can also be more costly. This added effort and unique artistry are reflected in the price.

No natural dye is 100% resistant to fading (the same is also true of some synthetic dyes) Under normal use, care and wear any fading would only be visible over a long period of time. Faded natural dye is just as beautiful as its original colour and is one of the reasons the natural dye process is so rewarding. However, if you store our yarn, fibre or fabric in a sunny, south facing window or under a high-intensity lamp then we cannot guarantee the colours will remain true.

Our yarn and fabric are washed and rinsed thoroughly after dyeing to remove any excess dye so that none of our products
should bleed dye. If there is a small amount of colour bleed, as it can with acid dyed commercial yarn, this will not affect the colour, it is excess dye stuff not absorbed in the hand dying process.  If you do have any problems with excessive colour bleed, then please email.

It is recommended that all yarns be hand washed with a pH neutral detergent in cool water with least agitation. Natural dye can be pH sensitive which means due to the acidity or alkalinity in some normal detergents the yarn colour would be modified or changed. This is also why you should never rinse naturally dyed yarn or fabric with vinegar, mistakenly believed as a way of fixing colour as this would also bring about a colour change.  As with all natural fibres do not tumble dry any of our yarn unless you really want them to felt. Once knitted our yarns are best dried flat to maintain the shape of the garment.

We dye the yarns in small numbers, ranging from two to five skeins in one dye bath. The number of skeins available on the yarn page is the number included in that dye bath.  If you want a larger quantity for one project you could email, the yarn could be dyed in one bath.