Whin – 50g Hebridean 2 Ply

Name: Whin - 50g Hebridean 2 Ply
SKU: 2766
Availability: InStock

Alice Starmore Hebridean 2 Ply pure new British wool hand knitting Yarn in Whin colour

Alice Starmore 2 Ply Hebridean hand knitting yarn in Whin

Description

Alice Starmore Hebridean 2 Ply Yarn is made from premium quality pure new British wool, dyed in the fleece and skillfully blended into unique shades. It is hand-washed and dried in the Hebridean air, and supplied in hand-made skeins which may vary in weight. It is priced per 50g at standard conditions. All yarn is weighed to order on balances that are checked daily to ensure that you receive the correct total amount.

Whin is part of the Summer Isle range, which is inspired by summer in the Outer Hebrides.

Story

The shrub called Gorse or Whin is not the most attractive of botanic specimens but it is very tough and spiny. When large enough it makes a hedge that no beast can penetrate, let alone human. Its toughness is so legendary that it has been adopted as a badge by no less than three Highland clans – the Logans, Maclennans and Sinclairs. Its cousins, the Genistas or Brooms have also had a long emblematic history, for they gave their name to the Plantagenet (Planta Genista) dynasty of English kings.

Whin stands mainly by roadsides in the Hebrides, and no-one really pays much attention to it – until May, for that is when it blooms and becomes spectacular, being covered in a profusion of flowers of a rich, golden yellow. If you collect these flowers in season you can obtain a beautiful yellow or gold colour, according to how you mordant the yarn. If you care to risk the spines, then the leaves and chopped bark can also be used to obtain an interesting green, but the process is quite long. The leaves of Whin are said to have antiseptic qualities as a wound dressing, but you will probably be in need of it after harvesting them – those spines again.

I have used Whin’s gorgeous spring colour as the model for our shade – a particularly rich blend of yellows and golds.

£8.00

International Delivery Information

International Shipping

Tracked International Shipping Costs

Orders up to £150 to a single address – Total Shipping £10

Orders up to £175 to a single address – Total Shipping £15

Orders up to £250 to a single address – Total Shipping £20

Orders up to £350 to a single address – Total Shipping £30

Orders up to £450 to a single address – Total Shipping £40

Orders over £451 to a single address – Total Shipping £50

Orders over £551 to a single address – Total Shipping £60

Orders over £651 to a single address – Total Shipping £70

Orders over £751 to a single address – Total Shipping £80

Orders over £851 to a single address – Total Shipping £90

Orders over £951 to a single address – Total Shipping £100

This scale reflects the fact that larger orders will go in separate boxes.

Please ensure that you check our DELIVERY INFORMATION page for full details.

UK Delivery Information

UK Delivery

Orders up to £100 to a single address – Total Shipping £5

Orders up to £150 to a single address – Total Shipping £7

Orders up to £250 to a single address – Total Shipping £10

Orders up to £350 to a single address – Total Shipping £15

Orders up to £450 to a single address – Total Shipping £20

Orders up to £550 to a single address – Total Shipping £25

Orders up to £650 to a single address – Total Shipping £30

This scale reflects the fact that larger orders will weigh more and will go in separate boxes. All of our UK parcels are sent by Royal Mail 1^st Class. Shipping times within the UK are 2-3 days on average.

Please contact us if you wish to make an order over the value of £650.

Please ensure that you check our DELIVERY INFORMATION page for full details.

Purchase Information

Alice Starmore Hebridean 2 Ply yarn is an artisan product and is hand-skeined. The skeins may vary in weight. It is priced per 50g of 2 Ply yarn.

Each order is weighed to ensure that you will receive – at minimum – the full weight ordered, regardless of number of skeins. Our yarn is kept and weighed at standard nett conditions. Our balances are checked daily using analytical weights to ensure that they are accurate at all times.

For further information, please check our PURCHASE INFORMATION page.

Tension & Yardage

Washing Instructions

Please note that all of our yarns are supplied washed and therefore do not require to be washed or fulled after knitting, unless you have an accident. Generally speaking, your garments should not require cleaning/washing any more than a coat would.

All of our designs are made with 100% pure new wool yarns and should be washed either by hand with pure soap in hand hot-water, or in a front loading washing machine which has a specific wool programme using a small amount of non-biological detergent. We do not recommend the use of any fabric softeners or any additives that will remain in the fabric after rinsing.

If hand washing, dissolve a small amount of pure soap flakes – or if using a pure soap bar, grate the required amount – into hand-hot water. Ensure that the soap has thoroughly dissolved before immersing the piece. Use a gentle squeezing motion to wash; do not cause any friction by rubbing or scrubbing as this will cause the fibres to felt. Gently squeeze out the excess soapy water and rinse well in warm water. It is important to remove as much excess water as quickly as possible as the longer moisture is left in wool yarn, the more likely it is to shrink or felt.

The best method for removing water is to spin in a washing machine, but if you prefer to remove the water by hand then gently squeeze the piece to remove the main water load and then lay the piece flat on towels and roll up, squeezing out as much water as possible into the towels. You will have to use several towels and repeat the process to remove as much moisture as you can.

Alternatively, spin to remove the excess water. If using a top loading machine it is important to place the piece in a suitable pillowcase (white cotton is best) so that it does not wrap around the spindle and become distorted. For both top-loading machines and front-loading machines, it is vitally important to remove from the spinner as soon as it has stopped: otherwise the piece can become permanently creased.

In all cases, dry flat on towels away from direct heat/sunlight, and smooth gently into shape. You can place small towels – or even better, cut and finish old towelling into the garment shapes, such as sleeves etc – and place inside the garment so that the two layers are separate. This will greatly help speed up drying process.

For straight, dropped-shoulder pullover styles, a woolly board is an excellent method of drying as the garment is placed on the board and dried to size allowing air to circulate inside. The board can also be used for cardigans in this style so long as you tack the front bands closed using a strong cotton thread, which you then carefully remove once the garment has dried. Glove boards can also be used for gloves which will allow them to dry in perfect shape.