HOW OUR WOOL IS MADE?
We source our wool from many different sources as each type of wool has a special character we may need to create our garments. One of our wool suppliers is a local artisan wool producer called: Donegal Yarns. We would like to share with you their special process for creating their range of exceptional wools.
Donegal Yarns
Set up in the 1970’s by the ‘Gaeltarra’ when they built a spinning mill in Kilcar which supplied tweed effect yarns to international and local craft industries. They were renamed to Donegal Tarns in 2008 to reflect their unique flecked/nepp effect yarns.
They operate a complete vertical production process from raw wool, through dyeing, blending, carding and spinning to a finished multi-colour flecked yarn targeted at the weaving, knitting and craft industries. All products are made in Ireland with production carried out in our wool spinning mill in Kilcar, Co Donegal, Ireland.
Sorting the Wool
At Donegal Yarns, Gerard and Seamus, experts in wool sorting, meticulously organise and process wool from the local area that has been thoroughly cleaned and scoured.
Dyeing the wool
Dye house manager, Joseph O’Donnell dyes all the various recipes creating our unique colour palette. We use the local area to inspire our colour choices with the browns and red of the raised bogs and the green of hedgerows and forests.
BLENDING PROCESS
The blending process uniformly mixes colours to ensure consistent shading in colour matching. It is crucial when combining different fibres like merino with cashmere or merino with mohair.
CARDING PROCESS
Following this, the blends undergo carding, a method involving their passage through fine metal teeth. Wool’s inherent crimp is straightened during carding, aligning the fibres for the spinning process.
SPINNING THE YARN
Post-carding, the roving undergoes spinning, where fibres are extended and twisted to a specific degree, creating yarn. For some yarn types, we can intertwine multiple strands of single yarns to attain the desired weights suitable for various uses.
HANKS & SCOURING
The yarn is wound into hanks as a preparatory step for the scouring and cleaning of the wool. In the scouring process, the yarn is fed into a machine and continuously moves through multiple baths. The initial two baths are filled with detergent for cleaning, followed by rinsing in the final two baths before the yarn is hung out to dry.
Cones, Balls & Skeins
After completing the spinning or twisting process, the yarn is either packaged into cones or formed into balls or skeins, based on the customer’s order. Subsequently, they are prepared for storage in the warehouse and eventual dispatch.
