Woodland/ Organic, Eco Processed Merino Wool in Lilac
Medium purple that reminds me of those beautiful, rare darker lilac blossoms. This is a new colour, and it pairs so well with so many of my naturally dyed colours.
The Yarn
The sister to Woodland Fingering, Woodland DK has an extra ply, making it more sturdy and rounded. It has excellent definition for cabled patterns and durability for sweaters. This fabulous fibre has a fascinated story as well; in addition to being naturally dyed in Toronto, the pure Merino wool is certified organic (GOTS), sourced from muesling free farms in New Zealand, unbleached, and milled in the GTA. Seriously, I did a little dance when I first discovered it, and I now think of it as an absolute staple.
**This weight of Woodland yarn was formerly called Sport. After some careful re-calculations, it turns out to be DK weight! It's quite on the cusp between the two, so changing needle size should be able to achieve many sport or DK gauges.**
DK Weight. 3 ply.
115g, ~260 yds (238 m)
6.5sts= 1”and 8 rows= 1” using 3.25mm needles (US 3)
18 WPI, 1025 YPP
The Dye
Cochineal was one of the first ever sources of red dye. The cochineal insect is native to Mexico and Central America, and in the 16th century became one of the world's most valuable commodities! It was so rare and expensive that only nobility could afford wear it- yet even so, some countries created laws to prevent lower classes from wearing royal reds and purple.
A Note of Natural Dyes
Natural dyes are sources of colour derived from plants, minerals, and in some cases insects. Not only is natural dyeing a fascinating and magical experience, but it the process can have a lesser impact on the environment than dyeing with synthetic dyes, many of which contain petroleum derivatives. All skeins of Westlake yarn are dyed with natural dyes, some foraged, some grown in my backyard garden, some grown for me by local farmers, and some purchased as ground powder.
I use several methods in my dyeing process to ensure the yarn is colourfast (will not fade with washing or exposure to light), including using mordants, and carefully selecting my dye plants. That said, the colour may change slightly over the years. I see this as part of the evolution of an heirloom quality product that is ultimately biodegradable.
As with all hand dyed yarns, there will be variation in colour and variegation between skeins, especially for the hand painted colours. If your project requires more than one skein, I would recommend knitting them both at the same time, alternating one row of each, to make sure the colours are distributed more evenly.
Other Notes
Each Westlake Fibres yarn is hand dyed with care in a smoke- free environment.
Please note that colours may appear different on different monitors. I've made every attempt to photograph the colours accurately, however they may be a slightly different shade than your monitor shows.
Shipping
All items are shipped from Canada by Regular Air Mail. This is the most economical shipping option, so it does not include tracking. If you would like to upgrade your shipping to Express Mail (tracking and insurance included), please send me a message and I'd be happy to set that up for you.
