White Gum Wool yarns are made from 17-micron superfine merino wool.
This is the calibre of wool used in the finest of Italian men’s suiting, and gives an amazing softness and handle to the yarn.
The silk and merino blend is 30% tussah silk, which has a golden hue, and 70% WGW merino. The variable uptake of dye between the silk and merino fibres results in a subtle heathery look to the yarn
Our silk merino 4 ply yarn, also called Fingering, is the yarn we sell as sock yarn. We have 13 solid and variegated colour ways, inspired by the landscape of the farm.
We are transitioning from our original worsted spin style to one called ‘twist-on-twist’, where a fine single thread is plied twice: once in pairs, and then two or more of the pairs are plied together. This reduces pilling, by hiding the pesky cross-fibres that stick out and roll up as pills inside the second ‘twist’. It also improves the wear of knitted items like socks.
About pilling: like so many things in life, superfine yarn has its trade-offs — the very thing that makes it lovely and soft next to your skin also gives it more tendency to pill than a yarn made from a harsher, broader micron. It also felts beautifully, when you want it to (and even when you don't!). The simplest solution to pilling is to use a high quality fabric shaver to remove the pills as they appear. The Classic 50 fabric shaver is highly recommended by a number of experienced knitters who use White Gum Wool. To prevent inadvertent felting, follow the care guidelines.
4 PLY FINGERING
METRIC UNITS: 100g: 472m.
Tension: 28 st/36 rows for 10 x 10cm square on 3.25mm needles.
US/UK Units: 3.5oz: 516yd.
Tension: 28 st/36 rows for 4 x 4 inch square on US 3 or UK 10 needles.
CARE: Hand wash cold; dry flat; medium iron; dry-cleanable.
5 PLY SPORT
METRIC UNITS: 100g: 286m.
Tension: 24 st/30 rows for 10 x 10cm square on 3.75mm needles.
US/UK Units: 3.5oz: 94yd.
Tension: 24 st/30 rows for 4 x 4 inch square on US 5 or UK 9 needles.
CARE: Hand wash cold; dry flat; medium iron; dry-cleanable.
10 PLY ARAN
METRIC UNITS: 100g: 190m.
Tension: 20 st/30 rows for 10 x 10 cm square on 4.5mm needles.
US/UK Units: 3.5oz: 208yd.
Tension: 20 st/30 rows for 4 x 4 inch square on US 7 or UK 7 needles.
CARE: Hand wash cold; dry flat; medium iron; dry-cleanable.