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    Breiwick

    £5.00 £10.00 You Save 50% (£5.00)

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    Winter Sale Ends in

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    The Highlights

    Breiwick holds a very special place in our hearts here at Garthenor. Produced from 3 clips from our own Shetland flock here at the farm, we selected only the finest, snow white fleeces before having it woollen spun into this gorgeous aran.

    3 plump plies nestle together to trap plenty of air, resulting in a soft and bouncy yarn.

    The specs

    Lace

    350 metres / 383 yards

    50 grams / 1.76 ounces

    100% Organic Wool

    The Notes

    The delicate twist of a single ply of naturally coloured organic wool has made Number 1 staggeringly popular over the years.

    Totally breed specific, we can trace each skein of yarn back to the flock that produced the wool

    We think this lace yarn is perfect for shawl, light sweaters and accessories - or hold it double to use alongside Number 2.

    The Highlights

    Lace

    350 metres / 383 yards

    50 grams / 1.76 ounces

    100% Organic Wool

    12 Steps

    Breiwick's expedition begins right here, in the fields of Garthenor Farm. Below, we trace its journey through production.

    Growing

    Great yarn starts with great wool, which has to come from healthy, happy sheep. By working directly with farmers across the UK, we can be assured of the origin and quality of every fleece that passes through our hands.

    For Breiwick, we can be even more assured of the provenance - all the fibre was grown on our own small farm, right here in Mid Wales.

    A tender, or weak fleece is the sign of an unhealthy animal, so by ensuring the welfare of the sheep that grow our wool, we're guaranteed only the best fibre.

    Shearing

    Shearing is essential for ensuring the welfare of sheep - it removes the heavy, sweaty coat before the hot summer months.

    For sheep, it's just like getting a haircut. It causes almost no stress or worry, and the highly skilled shearers work swiftly but carefully.

    Grading

    On shearing day, we roll and pack the wool, grading as we go. During grading, we assess four separate characteristics - Breed, Colour, Age and Openness (if a fleece is felted, or cotted).

    This initial sorting gives us the basis to group together similar wool types for storage.

    Sorting

    The vast majority of British wool will go straight into production after grading. However, given the spectacular variety of wools within a single fleece, there is no substitute for sorting each individual fleece before scouring.

    At this stage, we are assessing: Fibre Strength (known as soundness), Fineness (the diameter of the fibres), Staple Length, Crimp, Vegetable Matter, Lustre, Yield, and Shade.

    Scouring

    Hot, steamy, pungent air hits you in the face with the smell of wool as you reach the scourers. Here, lanolin, sweat (known as suint), muck and most of the vegetable matter (hay and straw from the fleece) are washed from the fleece in a series of warm water baths.

    After washing and drying, the wool is tightly packed in bales, weighing up to 350kg (770lbs)!

    Blending & Carding

    The tangled mass of clean fibres following scouring start to get sorted, initially during blending, and then during carding.

    Huge drums coated (or clothed) with metal wire teeth tease and open the wool, passing through the carder until dozens of slivers of wool are taken off the other end. This is the first time our wool looks a bit like a yarn, but there's no strength at all - twist needs to be added.

    Spinning

    We're finally making a yarn! Most of our woollen spun yarns are spun on an industrial revolution era spinning mule. These are famed for their exceptionally even, consistent spinning. Most have long since been replaced with faster spinning frames, but up in New Lanark, Scotland, the unmistakable clatter and whirr of the mule lives on.

    After this step, we have a single ply - for Number 1 & Cairngorm, they're ready for their final steps, but for our plied yarns, they need to be twisted.

    Dyeing

    All of the dyes used to add colour to our yarns are fully certified organic - meaning no harsh chemicals, heavy metals or other nasties that can harm people, animals or the environment.

    We choose to hank dye - this gives the fibres more room to relax, rather than introducing the pigments whilst under tension, resulting in a softer, more open yarn.

    Twisting

    Back from the dyehouse on big cones, we need to ply the single ends of yarn together.

    To achieve its final form, we use an Italian-made ring twister. This process is slightly slower than more modern methods, but allows us to have precise control of the twist and tension by adjusting belts and speeds.

    Skeining

    Once twisted, our yarn is ready to be skeined, or reeled. We use a modern, digital machine that can wind 24 skeins at a time - a bit quicker than the single-skein winder we started with!

    This mesmerising machine crosses the yarn back and forth to keep an even tension and consistent length for each skein.

    2nd Scour

    Through dyeing and twisting, the yarn will often be slightly tense, and won't have bulked up fully.

    Once we've skeined the yarn, it's in for its second wash. Our soft, Welsh spring water bubble up at the top of the farm, and is the secret to bulking and relaxing our yarns, allowing them to breathe. The transformation at this step is stunning - from an oily, firm yarn into the gorgeous skeins we sell.

    Noddle & Label

    At the end of this drawn out process, the final steps are to twist the skeins ready for sale - known as noddling, and slip on our label.

    The yarn loop on the label of each skein is so that once you're knitting, you can tie a little end of yarn through the loop to keep in your knitting book.

    Growing

    Great yarn starts with great wool, which has to come from healthy, happy sheep. By working directly with farmers across the UK, we can be assured of the origin and quality of every fleece that passes through our hands.

    For Breiwick, we can be even more assured of the provenance - all the fibre was grown on our own small farm, right here in Mid Wales.

    A tender, or weak fleece is the sign of an unhealthy animal, so by ensuring the welfare of the sheep that grow our wool, we're guaranteed only the best fibre.

    Shearing

    Shearing is essential for ensuring the welfare of sheep - it removes the heavy, sweaty coat before the hot summer months.

    For sheep, it's just like getting a haircut. It causes almost no stress or worry, and the highly skilled shearers work swiftly but carefully.

    Grading

    On shearing day, we roll and pack the wool, grading as we go. During grading, we assess four separate characteristics - Breed, Colour, Age and Openness (if a fleece is felted, or cotted).

    This initial sorting gives us the basis to group together similar wool types for storage.

    Sorting

    The vast majority of British wool will go straight into production after grading. However, given the spectacular variety of wools within a single fleece, there is no substitute for sorting each individual fleece before scouring.

    At this stage, we are assessing: Fibre Strength (known as soundness), Fineness (the diameter of the fibres), Staple Length, Crimp, Vegetable Matter, Lustre, Yield, and Shade.

    Scouring

    Hot, steamy, pungent air hits you in the face with the smell of wool as you reach the scourers. Here, lanolin, sweat (known as suint), muck and most of the vegetable matter (hay and straw from the fleece) are washed from the fleece in a series of warm water baths.

    After washing and drying, the wool is tightly packed in bales, weighing up to 350kg (770lbs)!

    Blending & Carding

    The tangled mass of clean fibres following scouring start to get sorted, initially during blending, and then during carding.

    Huge drums coated (or clothed) with metal wire teeth tease and open the wool, passing through the carder until dozens of slivers of wool are taken off the other end. This is the first time our wool looks a bit like a yarn, but there's no strength at all - twist needs to be added.

    Spinning

    We're finally making a yarn! Most of our woollen spun yarns are spun on an industrial revolution era spinning mule. These are famed for their exceptionally even, consistent spinning. Most have long since been replaced with faster spinning frames, but up in New Lanark, Scotland, the unmistakable clatter and whirr of the mule lives on.

    After this step, we have a single ply - for Number 1 & Cairngorm, they're ready for their final steps, but for our plied yarns, they need to be twisted.

    Dyeing

    All of the dyes used to add colour to our yarns are fully certified organic - meaning no harsh chemicals, heavy metals or other nasties that can harm people, animals or the environment.

    We choose to hank dye - this gives the fibres more room to relax, rather than introducing the pigments whilst under tension, resulting in a softer, more open yarn.

    Twisting

    Back from the dyehouse on big cones, we need to ply the single end of yarn together.

    To ply the single yarn into its final form, we use an Italian-made ring twister. This process is slightly slower than more modern methods, but allows us to have precise control of the twist and tension by adjusting belts and speeds.

    Skeining

    Once twisted, our yarn is ready to be skeined, or reeled. We use a modern, digital machine that can wind 24 skeins at a time - a bit quicker than the single-skein machine we started with!

    This mesmerising machine crosses the yarn back and forth to keep an even tension and consistent length for each skein.

    2nd Scour

    Through dyeing and twisting, the will often be slightly tense, and won't have bulked up fully.

    Once we've skeined the yarn, it's straight in for its second wash. Our soft, Welsh spring water bubble up at the top of the farm, and is the secret to bulking and relaxing our yarns, allowing them to breathe. The transformation at this step is stunning - from an oily, firm yarn into the gorgeous skeins we sell.

    Noddle & Label

    At the end of this drawn out process, the final steps are to twist the skeins ready for sale - known as noddling, and slip on our label.

    The yarn loop on the label of each skein is so that once you're knitting, you can tie a little end of yarn through the loop to keep in your knitting book.

    Reflecting our landscape

    The sheep that grew the wool for Breiwick surround us here at the farm.

    This close connection is something truly special - knowing that happy, content sheep made this wool.

    For us, there's simply no better reflection of the landscape that surrounds us than pure organic wool.

    Worldwide Shipping

    If the order gets to us before midday, we dispatch the very same day

    Quick delivery, and free over £99 worldwide, or just £49 in the UK

    Gentle Care

    To keep your knits in top condition, we recommend a warm hand wash (about 30°C / 85°F)

    Use a small amount of your favourite gentle wool wash

    Lay flat to dry on a clean towel

    Climate Positive

    For every skein of yarn we produce, we offset about twice the carbon footprint through sustainable, ethical initiatives, as well as responsible farming practices here at Garthenor.

    We also offset our own footprint - things like travelling to shows, electricity usage and heating.

    When paired with uncompromising animal welfare, traceability and organic certification throughout, we're confident of doing our bit to help the planet.

    A Match spun in heaven

    Breiwick is dyed onto one of our Number 4 shades, Chalk.

    As such, these yarns provide the perfect pop of colour alongside the undyed neutrals in our Aran range.

    EXPLORE NUMBER 4

    Organic, Honest & Fair

    • Certified organic to GOTS
    • Unmatched environmental benchmarks
    • Industry leading animal welfare standards
    • No harsh chemicals at any point of production
    • Fair working conditions

    Organic, Honest & Fair

    • Certified organic to GOTS
    • Unmatched environmental benchmarks
    • Industry leading animal welfare standards
    • No harsh chemicals at any point of production
    • Fair working conditions

    A Match spun in heaven

    Breiwick is dyed onto one of our Number 4 shades, Chalk.

    As such, these yarns provide the perfect pop of colour alongside the undyed neutrals in our Aran range.

    EXPLORE NUMBER 4