Once upon a time (in the early days of the internet) I decided to try my hand spinning Shetland Lace, as a way to learn more about the breed. So I proceeded to order an entire moorit fleece sight unseen (not recommended). This particular fleece was what Shetlander's call a "peerie" fleece, from the smaller, native type. It had a lovely crimp and a staple length of not quite three inches.
photo credit - Oliver Henry
Although nearly as fine as merino, woolen-spun shetland handles quite differently. It is springy, with a crisp hand, and is resistant to pilling. When spun woolen, like Jamieson's of Shetland Spindrift, or Jamieson and Smith 2-ply Jumper, the resulting yarn is lofty and warm. These are excellent properties for yarn used in garment construction.
It's the "stickiness" of Shetland, however, that makes Spindrift work so well for stranded colorwork. All wool is constructed of microscopic, overlapping cones of protein, exactly like human hair. These cones, or 'barbs', allow the fiber to felt together slightly. This is what is meant by "blooming". When wool is blocked, the fibers rearrange themselves into their natural position (because of crimp), and then the tiny barbs lock the fibers into place. In stranded colorwork this process causes the floats to felt, or stick, to the main fabric, lending structure, warmth, and a bit of wind-proofing to the knitted fabric.
I mentioned above that the wool I spun was from a peerie (meaning little) sheep. There is another type of Shetland sheep having a longer staple with less crimp, and this type can be subdivided further into single and dual-coated. This larger sheep displays the genes from crossings with Soay sheep brought over from Scandinavia more than 1000 years ago. Because of this variability of native fleece, a grading system was introduced in 1978 to improve consistency.
Both Spindrift and J & S (which are interchangeable in knitting) use the top two grades of wool, with fineness averaging between 23 & 25 microns. By comparison, Merino micron counts average in the low 20's. As a knitter, you'll find that working with woolen-spun Shetland yarn is pleasant, and the plys don't split readily. The yarn itself is slightly thick-thin in places, as is typical of woolen-spun yarns. However, it blooms during blocking, causing color transitions to become smoother, and minimizing imperfections in tension. It also becomes softer against the skin over time, with washing and wearing.
Spindrift comes in a whopping 225 colors, while Jamieson and Smith has over 100 colors.
We are slowly building up the full collection, and now have over 70 shades in stock. You may purchase them individually, in prepared kits, or as seasonal color bundles.
In addition, the Sweet Meadow Yarn Club is available for colorwork enthusiasts looking for a more convenient (and affordable) way to collect a curated color palette. Find out more about the Shetland Yarn Club, including how you can become a member.
PS) For more information about the Shetland Isles, Oliver Henry has a wonderful blog entitled "My Life with Shetland Wool". You can find it at https://olivershetlandwoolblog.home.blog/
Yours in Knitting,
