WHAT IS WEST WOOL?

West Wool is a new yarn brand designed and produced by Malia Mae Joseph & Stephen West, owners of Stephen & Penelope in Amsterdam. 

We are eager to share our fiber fascinations with you as we design yarns and patterns, and collaborate with our favorite makers along the way. As West Wool grows and expands into new directions, we aim to stretch your imagination and invigorate your senses with the wonders of wool. West Wool is a new direction in knitting where texture meets colour.

OUR THREE YARN BASES

Our passion for quality wool in fresh modern colours resulted in three yarn bases to satisfy the cravings of fellow yarn connoisseurs. The extensive color range represents our passion for sophisticated neutrals and subtle shades combined with playful colour pops to bring a dynamic quality to your knitting. Our palette is ideal for colourwork whether your inclinations guide you toward classic stranded knitting, graphic stripes, or plush brioche stitch. 

See below for gauge information and descriptions of our three bases: Tandem, Bicycle, and Glowhair.

BICYCLE & TANDEM: OUR WORKHORSE YARNS

To create our ideal workhorse yarn bases - Bicycle and Tandem, we chose a foundation of 90% Falkland Merino, which is renowned for its softness and purity. To this we added a dash of 10% Texel, a classic Dutch breed whose generous staple and crimp characteristics lend airiness and extra durability without impacting the yarn’s overall next-to-skin softness. 

Both Bicycle and Tandem are created with the same unique blend of Falkland Merino and Texel. By blending the 32+ micron Texel with Merino, we’ve created a blend with exceeding loft and character. Thicker fibres like those in Texel wool don’t compress easily, creating more space in the spun yarn which means more air can get in. More air means more warmth, and taking full advantage of one of the best properties of wool. Blending the Merino with a more robust yarn that has a bit more bite to it also means this yarn will be more suitable for cables and colourwork like Fair Isle, mosaic, and brioche knitting - while still remaining soft to the touch.

90% Falkland Merino

10% Texel

GLOWHAIR: OUR MOHAIR SILK BASE

Our Glowhair yarn base comes from Angora goats farmed in South Africa.  Like wool, mohair is a natural, renewable resource whose fibers provide a warm and soft yarn, perfect for hand knitting. Lightweight and versatile, mohair is extremely breathable,  naturally regulating moisture and heat.

Glowhair has a fantastic halo (the fibers that hover above your knitted garment) making for great textured knits, and added softness. The fibers range from 23-27 microns with a quite long staple length of 100 to 150mm.

WHERE CAN I FIND WEST WOOL?

West Wool is available at Stephen & Penelope in Amsterdam, and in their online store. You can find West Wool at some upcoming yarn festivals as well!