Ethical Yarn Directory
What makes a ‘Real Good Yarn’? This ethical yarn directory has been compiled as a result of conversations with suppliers, recommendations and online research. It details yarn suppliers who take extra steps to care for animals, people and the environment. I don’t audit the suppliers and there’s no standard certification process. I suspect that as I learn more about the ethics of the world of wool and yarn that the listings will change. I certainly hope that a lot more suppliers of ‘real good’ yarn will be added.
I am currently offering a FREE Premium Listing to suppliers who are taking extra steps to care for their animals, the planet and/or the people involved in the production of their yarns. A Premium Listing allows for them to add their ‘real good’ credentials as well as photos to their listings
If you have any specific questions or want to find out more about a particular yarn then please contact the supplier directly. If you know of suppliers that I should add to the directory then please let me know.
I hope you enjoy your exploration of Real Good Yarns.
Found 39 listings
Lancashire FarmWools ‘from Farm To Yarn’ project
Summary:
Beautiful natural wool from heritage and conservation grazer flocks of sheep in Lancashire, North West England.
Address:
United Kingdom
Categories:
Wool
Woolly Chic
Summary:
Woolly Chic sells a beautiful range of 100% British wool, Fairtrade cotton and unique Crochet and Knitting Kits to suit all abilities.
Address:
Hitchin, United Kingdom SG4
Phone:
07884435814
Website:
http://www.woollychicdesigns.co.uk
Eco Stitch
Summary:
Here at Eco-stitch we have decided to concentrate on one beautiful natural fibre, linen from the flax plant. We source this vegan, eco-friendly yarn from just over the Channel, where flax is grown along the coastal areas between Normandy in France and Amsterdam in Holland. The world's best quality flax comes from this region, where the ideal climate means that it doesn't require any irrigation [...]
Address:
9 The Glade, Sandown , United Kingdom PO36 8NY
Categories:
Linen
Phone:
01983 400008
Website:
http://www.eco-stitch.co.uk/
From the Mountain
Summary:
Luxuriously Soft. Exquisitely Empowering.
From The Mountain is proud to offer 100% cashmere hand spun yarn, directly from women spinning for them in Afghanistan. As their website says, "Spinning cashmere provides these women with a fair wage and an alternative to growing poppies for opium production."
Address:
8 Dogwood Acres Dr, Chapel Hill, USA NC 27516
Categories:
Cashmere
Phone:
+1 919-967-1762
Website:
http://www.fromthemountain.com
wildwoven
Summary:
The aim with añañuca was to bring to the UK the very best of Chilean artisan design. Our ethos was simple – all of our products were hand made, and traded fairly, showing due respect for the skills of the artisan and their [...]
Address:
Rhostono, Doldowlod, United Kingdom LD1 6HD
Categories:
Wool
Website:
https://www.wildaboutweaving.com
Flora Fibres
Summary:
Flora Fibres Yarn specialises in hand spun yarns and spinning fibres, which all come from plants. I use a range of 12 different plant fibres, many of which are not spun commercially, and create yarns in all weights from lace to super bulky.
They are all botanically dyed in small batches, as much as possible using the dye plants which grow in the countryside near my home, so each skein contains a [...]
Website:
Flora Fibres Etsy Shop
Whistlebare
Summary:
Here at Whistlebare producing yarn is entirely a family affair. Every stage of the process is in our hands from selecting the livestock to labelling the last skein of yarn. When you buy natural yarn from Whistlebare you know that it has been produced with the utmost care; both for its quality and beauty, and its concern for animal welfare and environmental impact.
On our small family farm in North Northumberland we keep pedigree flocks [...]
Address:
Bowsden, Berwick-Upon-Tweed, Northumberland, United Kingdom TD15 2TG
Website:
http://www.whistlebare.com
Vegan Yarn
Summary:
We are the world's first ethical vegan yarn brand. We hand dye our yarn and fibre in-house in small batches using sustainable and regenerative methods and choose our supplies mindfully.
As much as possible, we work with mills and suppliers that share our views that living beings, and the planet should come first.
We have twelve lines of hand dyed yarn from laceweight to super bulky, with fibres like organic, fair trade cotton, Tencel (lyocell), linen [...]
Address:
Canada
Website:
https://veganyarn.com
UK Alpaca Ltd
Summary:
British Alpaca At Its Best
UK Alpaca specialises in British alpaca yarns with full provenance. Our natural and dyed fully worsted yarns are manufactured in the traditional mills in the north of England. All the yarns are made from the fleeces of alpacas farmed in Britain.
A family business, UK Alpaca was set up by alpaca breeders Chas Brooke and Rachel Hebditch who run 100 alpacas at their farm in Devon. More than 120 alpaca breeders [...]
Address:
Vulscombe Farm, Cruwys Morchard Mill Lane, Pennymoor, Tiverton, Devon, United Kingdom EX16 8NB
Phone:
01884 243579
Website:
http://www.ukalpaca.com
Town End Alpaca Yarns – Luxury British Knitting Wools
Summary:
I produce luxurious knitting wools in beautiful colours and from natural fibres. Although now retired from breeding alpacas in the Lake District, I still use my knowledge of alpaca fibre to make a variety of alpaca blend yarns. I love fleece and I’m fascinated by the different characteristics of British sheep – I select the finest, softest fibres for my yarns.
I sell the yarns at our shop, [...]
Address:
47 Vallis Way, Frome, United Kingdom BA11 3 BA
Phone:
015395 68341
Website:
https://townendyarns.co.uk/
Emma’s Yarn
Summary:
Emma’s Yarn is produced in Florida using only ethically and locally sourced fibres and wools, all of which are mulesing free. Emma’s is a family operated business with Emma herself at the helm. Her love of dyeing yarn started when she was 16 years old. Emma comes from a large family of knitters and weavers with a passion for colour.
Emma’s is now one of the most celebrated hand dyers in the USA.
Exclusive to Yarn [...]
Lanivendole
Summary:
Lanivendole sell traceable, natural fibres that are bred, spun & hand-dyed in Italy. They take their inspiration from their hometown of Genoa and consciously source and craft their yarn. They offer both handspun and millspun yarns in a variety of fibres.
Website:
https://www.lanivendole.com
Yarntelier
Summary:
Yarntelier yarns are 100% cashmere. The yarn comes in 2 weights - Cashmere Lace and Gilli yarns. The yarns are produced in England within a very small area in Yorkshire by companies steeped in textile heritage and history using only the finest materials and equipment available.
Categories:
Cashmere
Website:
https://www.yarntelier.com/
Rauwerk
Summary:
Rauwerk pride themselves on eco-friendly & ethical yarn. Their own brand yarn is a 2ply, woollen spun 100% Merino yarn from Bavaria. Christine at Rauwerk personally knows the farmers who keep the flock of merino sheep - they are a certified organic flock. The yarn is spun at a local mill and Christine has been working with natural dyers to produce a range of naturally coloured yarn.
Website:
https://www.rauwerk.com/en/
Vegetarian Wool Company
Summary:
The Vegetarian Wool Company is a welsh company that sells organic wool from their flock of shetland sheep. Their Shetties produce high quality coloured fleeces and the Shetland cross Berrichons an equally fine cream Wool, both with long staple and good crimp suitable for all craft work. None of their sheep enter the food chain and so their yarn is suitable for vegetarians.
Categories:
Wool
Pure Welsh
Summary:
Pure Welsh wool comes from Blaenpant, a smallholding in Wales. The yarn is from the fleeces of their own Llanwenog sheep and other local sheep. There's more information about their smallholding at www.purewelsh.co.uk. Sue sells the yarn itself on Etsy.
Categories:
Wool
Nellie and Eve
Summary:
Helen of Nellie and Eve uses locally sourced fleeces, usually from the sheep that graze the fields surrounding her workshop. She washes and prepares them by hand from their raw state through to the finished item. For the coloured yarn she uses plants, collected from the garden and hedgerows or from the pantry cupboard, to create natural tones. She sells a range of finished items as well as yarn and knitting & crochet accessories.
Categories:
Wool
Website:
http://www.nellieandeve.co.uk
Penrhallt Alpacas
Summary:
Penrhallt Alpacas, breed "happy, healthy, and loved Alpacas" on the Gower coast in Wales. They produce double knitting yarns, all in natural colours, that are traceable back to the Alpaca that they came from.
Categories:
Alpaca
Website:
https://www.penrhalltalpacas.co.uk/
The Little Grey Sheep
Summary:
The Little Grey Sheep is British Yarn from their own farm on the Surrey Hampshire borders. They have developed their own range of fine wool yarns from their pedigree flock of gotland, shetland and merino sheep. Raised on conservation meadows, and shorn by Susie at Christmas for the best quality fibre. The fibre is washed in Yorkshire and spun in a traditional mill in Devon, then back to the farm for dyeing.
Website:
https://www.thelittlegreysheep.co.uk
Exmoor Horn Wool
Summary:
Exmoor Horn Wool is double knitting wool grown on Exmoor by Exmoor Horn sheep. It comes dyed in the colours of the Exmoor landscape using low-impact synthetic dyes. Exmoor Horn Wool is a breed society comprising of 20 farmer members of the Exmoor Horn Sheep Breeders’ Society. They are a volunteer organization set up to promote the wool of their Exmoor Horn sheep and educate people about this local breed.
Categories:
Wool
Website:
http://exmoorhornwool.co.uk
Cambrian Wool
Summary:
Cambrian Wool is a Community Interest Company (CIC) set up to facilitate the supply of wool produced by the farms in the Cambrian Mountains. It also promotes local designers, encourages traditional skills and runs community events and projects. Their premium wool is the finest grade of Welsh Mule. They also sell other yarns sourced for them by The Natural Fibre Co from farms in Wales.
Categories:
Wool
Website:
https://cambrianwool.co.uk/
Daughter of a Shepherd
Summary:
Daughter of a Shepherd has a firm commitment to using only 100% British wool from shepherds and producers within the United Kingdom. The Hebridean fleece is from the Escrick Park Estate flock, shepherded by Rachel's father, John Atkinson. The other yarn is from fleeces that would otherwise have gone to waste or from flocks close to the mill in Devon where the yarn is spun.
Categories:
Wool
Website:
https://daughterofashepherd.com
Yarn Yarn
Summary:
Eco-friendly and recycled yarns handmade by women's co-operatives and small communities in rural India. Yarn Yarn wants to give back to these communities, use up waste and also keep ancient crafting traditions alive.
Categories:
Bamboo
Banana Fibre
Cotton
Silk
Website:
https://www.yarnyarn.co.uk
Kettle Yarn Co
Summary:
Kettle Yarn Co carefully sources the bases for its yarn from ethical mills to ensure animal welfare and only fibres with the lowest carbon footprints are used to reduce negative impacts on the environment. The bases are then hand-dyed to create glazed, subtle colours and sophisticated multi-toned yarns.
Website:
https://kettleyarnco.co.uk
Home Farm Wensleydales
Summary:
Our flock of 500 rare breed Wensleydale and Bluefaced Leicester sheep bring you genuine quality at an affordable price. This luxurious yarn from our high welfare, slaughter free flock has amazing strength, stitch definition and lustre. A truly genuine product made entirely in the UK and all profit is put back into the farm which allows us to continue to keep these wonderful sheep.
Categories:
Wool
Website:
http://www.homefarmwensleydales.com/
The Fibre Co.
Summary:
The Fibre Co. yarns are combinations of a variety of natural fibres. The triple bottom line has always been important for The Fibre Co.—people, profit and planet. They're conscious of their footprints from producer to mill to warehouse and everything in between, and are always asking themselves how they can improve their sustainability.
Website:
http://www.thefibreco.com
John Arbon
Summary:
A small-scale worsted mill in North Devon with its own ranges of yarn including Devonia - a blend of Devon bred fibres - and Knit by Numbers -a 100% organically farmed Falklands Merino available in 97 shades.
Website:
http://www.jarbon.com
Blacker Yarns
Summary:
Blacker Yarns has a wide variety of British yarns made using hand-selected fleece from regional and rare British sheep and spun at their own mill in Cornwall. All Blacker Yarns products are made with a conscious effort to minimise environmental impact.
Website:
http://www.blackeryarns.co.uk
Rosie’s Moments
Summary:
Rosie is an indie dyer, hand painting ethical luxurious yarns and fibres for knitting, crochet, spinning and weaving.
Website: www.rosiesmoments.co.uk
Website:
http://www.rosiesmoments.co.uk
Sheepfold
Summary:
Sheepfold is a Cumbrian craft company specialising in British sheep breeds and British wool and actively supports rare and native British sheep breeds.
Categories:
Wool
Website:
http://www.sheepfold.co.uk
Bigwigs Angora
Summary:
Luxury angora fibre & yarn spun from a blend of Bigwig's own angora rabbits fibre and either ethically sourced supersoft Merino, British Bluefaced Leicester, Alpaca and Corriedale.
Website:
http://www.bigwigsangora.co.uk
Natural Knits
Summary:
Natural Knits is the Knitting Gift Shop's own range of natural wool products that includes knitting kits, yarns and hand knitted items. All their wool is produced from fleece sourced and spun in the North of England and is 100% natural and undyed.
Categories:
Wool
Website:
http://www.theknittinggiftshop.co.uk
In The Wool Shed
Summary:
In The Wool Shed creates natural dyed yarns for knitting, crochet, weaving and creative textiles. They use only natural fibres such as British wool selected from pure breeds including their own flock of Lleyn Sheep, and other selected natural fibres such as silk, mohair and angora. Each hank of yarn is hand-dyed using carefully selected natural dyes and is completely unique.
Website:
http://www.inthewoolshed.com
Garthenor
Summary:
Garthenor’s mission is to promote and provide a variety of sustainable, organic & British wool products in an ecologically responsible way. Their aim is to help secure the future of British organic agriculture and the British textile industry.
Categories:
Wool
Website:
http://garthenor.com
Jamieson’s of Shetland
Summary:
Jamieson’s is a family owned business, which has specialised in wool from the native Shetland sheep for 5 generations. The family are dedicated to the survival of this unique fibre and as each new generation joins the business, this promotion becomes their life’s ambition.
Categories:
Wool
Triskelion Yarn
Summary:
Based at Pistyll Gwyn Farm in Carmarthenshire in West Wales, Triskelion Yarn produces mainly British-sourced, hand-dyed yarns and fibres. All yarns are kettle-dyed using single-pigment dyes, yielding rich, strong colours with lots of subtle detailing.
Website:
http://www.triskelion-yarn.com
TOFT
Summary:
TOFT offer five weights of British handknitting yarns from an extra fine through to a chunky in a variety of alpaca and wool blends. They are dedicated to Made in the UK manufacture and sourcing British fleeces to work with from alpaca farmers across Great Britain.
Website:
http://www.toftuk.com
Cat and Sparrow
Summary:
Hand-dyed yarns and spinning fibres.
Website:
http://www.catandsparrow.co.uk
Stitch & Story
Summary:
Stitch & Story’s yarns are made from 100% merino wool. As advocates of the Campaign for Wool launched by the Prince of Wales, they seek to promote wool as a sustainable and eco-friendly fibre.
Categories:
Merino
Website:
http://www.stitchandstory.com