Product description

Shelter is our versatile 2-ply worsted weight yarn. Soft and sturdy American Targhee-Columbia wool is spun woolen style – airy clouds of carded fiber become a yarn with remarkable lightness, warmth and a traditionally handcrafted appearance, ideal for sweaters, cozy accessories, and blankets. Wet block after knitting to reveal Shelter’s full beauty as each stitch relaxes and bonds with its neighbors to produce a plush fabric with a soft, fuzzy halo.

Q: Why are some Shelter colors sold out?

A: The closure of our long-time production partner G.J Littlewood & Son in late 2021 left us unable to stock dye unspun wool for our iconic heathered colorways of Shelter, Loft and Quarry. After months of hard work by our team and our wonderful production partners, heathers are making a comeback!

Read our blog post The Road To Restock to learn more.

Shop patterns in Shelter.

Shop all worsted weight patterns.

Read our color descriptions.

Purchase a shade card.

View our retired colors.

Share on social #ShelterYarn

 

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Shelter

2-ply Woolen-Spun Worsted Weight

  • Targhee-Columbia Wool
  • Wyoming
Color
$16.50 / 140 yards ($0.12/yd) Regular price
  • Product description

    Shelter is our versatile 2-ply worsted weight yarn. Soft and sturdy American Targhee-Columbia wool is spun woolen style – airy clouds of carded fiber become a yarn with remarkable lightness, warmth and a traditionally handcrafted appearance, ideal for sweaters, cozy accessories, and blankets. Wet block after knitting to reveal Shelter’s full beauty as each stitch relaxes and bonds with its neighbors to produce a plush fabric with a soft, fuzzy halo.

    Q: Why are some Shelter colors sold out?

    A: The closure of our long-time production partner G.J Littlewood & Son in late 2021 left us unable to stock dye unspun wool for our iconic heathered colorways of Shelter, Loft and Quarry. After months of hard work by our team and our wonderful production partners, heathers are making a comeback!

    Read our blog post The Road To Restock to learn more.

    Shop patterns in Shelter.

    Shop all worsted weight patterns.

    Read our color descriptions.

    Purchase a shade card.

    View our retired colors.

    Share on social #ShelterYarn

     

  • Specs

    • 140 yards (128 meters) | 50 grams | Worsted weight
    • 2-ply woolen-spun construction
    • 23-24 micron Targhee-Columbia wool from Wyoming
    • Wool scoured at Bollman Industries, San Angelo, TX
    • Heathered colorways:
      • Stock dyed at Bollman Hat Company, Adamstown, PA
      • Spun & finished at Harrisville Designs, Harrisville, NH
    • Solid colors:
      • Spun at Harrisville Designs, Harrisville, NH
      • Skein dyed at Caledonian Dyeworks, Philadelphia, PA
      • Finished at Clemson Winding, Philadelphia, PA
    100% developed, sourced, processed, dyed and spun in the USA.


    Fiber Characteristics

    We source Targhee-Columbia wool from Wyoming to make Shelter, Loft, and Quarry – this breed’s lofty, warmth-trapping fleeces deftly combine the softness and elasticity of finewool Targhee with the robust substance and warmth of mediumwool Columbia. This fiber’s versatile mingling of wearability and durability particularly shines in woolen-spun yarns and is wonderful for next-to-skin wear, outerwear, and heirloom pieces for the home.

    Learn more about the woolen-spun process and get tips for working with woolen-spun yarns.

    Dye Process

    To create each heathered colorway of Shelter, we combine brightly dyed hues of unspun wool in precise proportions, as if mixing paint. When spun into yarn, these saturated solids meld into complex and beautiful blends that give vibrant depth to even the simplest knitted fabrics. The entire palette is created from a handful of base colors, ensuring harmonious coordination in colorwork projects or when pairing hand knitted garments and accessories.

    Our solid colors of Shelter are spun from undyed white wool, then skein dyed into brilliant nature-inspired hues that pair beautifully with our heathered colorways.

  • Gauges

    As a result of its lofty woolen-spun construction, Shelter works well at a wonderful range of gauges and can be used interchangeably with Imbue Worsted and Tones:

    • 4¼ - 5 stitches to 1"
    • Suggested Needle: 4.5 - 5.5 mm (US 7 - 9)
    • Suggested Hook: 5.5 - 6.5 mm (US I-9 - K-10½)
  • Care

    Shelter is a handcrafted product. For best results, we recommend alternating skeins when joining in a new skein for even color distribution.

    When you need a little more tensile strength, whether for seaming or because you’re about to put a group of stitches under pressure with a big cabling maneuver, simply twirl your working yarn a few revolutions in the direction of the ply twist to strengthen it.

    For extra durability, you may wish to seam your Shelter projects with a worsted-spun yarn like Arbor. (Our 10-gram Discovery Skeins are great for this.)

    Wet-Blocking

    Your project isn't finished until it's had its first wash! Follow these steps to watch our yarns bloom into their full beauty.

    1. Fill a sink or basin with cold water.
    2. Add a small amount of gentle soap or detergent.
    3. Submerge your knitted item, gently squeezing out any air bubbles so that the piece remains completely underwater.
    4. Soak until completely saturated, for up to 10 minutes. While our dyes are thoroughly tested for colorfastness, a small amount of excess dye may rinse free during soaking. Using cold water, soap or detergent, and a short soak time will help prevent color redeposit on light-colored fibers.
    5. Drain your wash water and refill with cold water to rinse. (Skip this step if using a no-rinse soap or detergent.)
    6. Gently lift your knitted item from the water and remove excess moisture by rolling it between clean, dry towels with light pressure.
    7. Lay fabric flat and shape to air dry.

    For more detailed instructions, visit our Blocking 101 tutorial.

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