Our yarn bases, explained

There has been a bit of an upheaval in the availability of our long-time yarn bases, so it was time to branch out and explore new things! We're excited to introduce new yarns to you. We've curated diverse options, but they all meet our requirements for a good sock yarn.

Each has good twist on at least 3 plies. They are all superwash and have nylon. The fingering weight yarns vary in thickness, as detailed below. 

First, we still have access to our most popular yarn: Corriedale Sock. You've loved this yarn for years. It is 75% superwash wool, 25% nylon. There are 434 yards to 115 g. It is soft, slightly fuzzy, and very, very hard wearing. Customers have told me that it's the only yarn their family members can use in their running shoes without wearing holes in. It takes dye well, and is fairly flat/matte in color.

The yarn is the same one we've dyed since the very beginning. However...I have recently learned that it isn't actually Corriedale wool. More on that below, for the wool nerds. Nothing has changed from the yarn you've been loving for years, but I am going to change its name, now that my awareness of this yarn has changed. 

Now, on to the three new yarns! Each of these yarns has been in wide use by indie dyers for many years. So, if you have experience with a yarn with similar stats from another dyer, it is very likely the same base we are using now. 

First, we are carrying a Blue-Faced Leicester yarn. It's a 75% BFL, 25% nylon, 4 plies. (gosh, I love a 4 ply fingering weight, especially for patterned socks. It really makes the design pop!) The yarn is quite a bit thinner than Corriedale as it is 464 yards to 100g. (30 more yards with 15 fewer grams). The yarn is very smooth, and BFL is a longer wool than merino, so it wears very well. Because the yarn is thinner, we'd recommend it be knit at a tighter gauge than Corriedale for a cushy sock fabric. At a looser gauge, it has a lovely drape for shawls.

Here is Corriedale on the left and BFL on the right. 

Next up we have two merino blends. We haven't dyed a lot of merino because it is available from many talented dyers. However, it is really difficult to find non-merino yarns, unfortunately. So, we've picked two blends that excite us the most. Bill really demanded that we dye a MCN. (ahhh. Doesn't the combination of those letters just feel decadent?)

The yarn is a blend of 80% Merino, 10% Cashmere, 10% Nylon. It's a 3 ply with 418 yards per 100 grams, and it is so soft you just want to cuddle it. Every time a customer sends a skein of MCN from their stash for Bill to crank on his circular sock machine, he gets very excited. I think it's his favorite base to crank because its rather plush. At 418 yards/100g it is a bit thicker than the BFL, but not quite as thick as Corriedale. 

Our last new yarn might be the one you have the least experience with. It is a 75% Merino, 15% Nylon, 10% Tencel. Tencel is a plant-derived fiber that is considered semi-synthetic. It is a form of rayon, which means it is made from natural materials, but undergoes chemical processing. Tencel is a brand name for the fiber also known as lyocell, and is it made from wood pulp (which the Tencel website claims is responsibly harvested).

Tencel is meant to replicate the strengthening properties of nylon, but with a more environmentally-friendly footprint, as it is derived from plants and is biodegradable. In the yarn, the tencel is shiny like silk and makes the yarn feel cool to the touch. It is also very soft and said to control moisture better than nylon. Like silk, tencel doesn't have much elasticity, which might be important to some knitters.

The tencel blend is 440 yards to 115g, which is comparable to the Corriedale, but the tencel is much smoother and knits up tighter.

Here are 3 yarns side by side, so you can see their comparative twists and thickness. From left to right: MCN, Tencel blend, Corriedale.

We are excited to offer these new yarns to you! I expect that we will continue to primarily sell Corriedale (and that is the yarn I'd recommend to anyone trying us for the first time!), but I am glad to provide additional options for adventurous knitters.

Now, a word on Corriedale...As mentioned above, this yarn has not changed. However, I have recently become aware that the wool in the yarn is labeled as "superwash wool" and not "corriedale," so we need to find it a new name. 

How could I make such a mistake for so long? Until 2023, I purchased this yarn from a wholesaler in Oregon. That wholesaler was contracting with an importer who worked with a mill in Peru to spin the yarn. The wholesaler sold the yarn specifically as "Corriedale wool." In 2023, the wholesaler retired and my account was transferred to the importer, who (fortunately), decided to continue selling the yarn base. Both the wholesaler and the importer used the same product name for the yarn base, but the importer labels the yarn as "superwash wool" with no breed specified. (So, the yarn has stayed the same, and the product name of the yarn has stayed the same, but the description of the yarn changed without my noticing.)

That is what I know. I have also heard that the importer was not aware that the wholesaler had been referring to the yarn as Corriedale. So, it is possible that the yarn has never been Corriedale. I don't know. I'm sorry I don't know. 

I can tell you that I noticed a slight difference in the yarn when we moved to the new supplier, and I asked yarn club members about their thoughts. Most didn't notice a difference, and anyone who did, said they preferred the newer (slightly thicker) version. 

This brings us to the need for a new yarn name. Honestly, I'm a bit nervous to do this because the yarn hasn't changed. But, I can't continue to misrepresent the breed of the yarn. 

So far, we've come up with two possibilities. 

• TYFKAC (The yarn formerly known as Corriedale)
• Yarny McYarnface

Help! What suggestions do you have??