After a long journey from West Wales to the Pacific Northwest, we’re finally in Seattle for our first ever Flock Fiber Festival. We’re bringing a suitcase full of organic yarns, including the launch of our brand new reclaimed yarn, Fallow, and can’t wait to meet you at Booth 92.
Not every fibre in the mill starts as a yarn plan. In this post, we take a look at how we collect and spin the fibre that doesn’t get wasted, and why it matters.
We never plan a yarn and work backwards. These four new shades of Number 2 began - as all our yarns do - with the fleece. Meet Oatmeal, Snowcap, Mist and Granite: a fibre-first journey from Shetland × Cheviot cross to warm, rugged yarn, crafted entirely under one roof.
Some yarns begin with a plan. This one began with what we chose to keep. A quiet glimpse into how we gather the fibre that didn’t rush, and why it’s becoming something worth holding onto.
We’re building a spinning mill. But the truth is, this story started more than 25 years ago, with a small flock of sheep, a dodgy laser printer, and some yarn sold at the local farmers market. In this first post of our series, we go right back to the beginning - tracing the roots of Garthenor Organic, and the values that still guide us today.
Building our own spinning mill was never about ease - it’s about making yarn that tells a true story. From reviving local industry to controlling every messy, beautiful detail, here’s why we chose to do it ourselves.
It was hot, humid, and filled with fleece. This year’s shearing saw around 50 sheep clipped, two generations in the pen, and a barn full of wool. A joyful, slightly chaotic day, and a reminder that the farming calendar still sets our pace.
A closer look at PetiteKnit’s beloved Novice Slipover, knitted in our Gwlad yarn. It’s the perfect pairing of classic shape and meaningful wool – undyed, marled, and spun right here in West Wales.
Fish doesn’t spin yarn, but he shapes every skein we make. Meet our gill box (or pin drafter, if you like) - a grumpy 1975 machine that aligns, blends and drafts wool into perfectly prepared sliver. He’s loud, fussy with fine fibres, and central to our worsted spinning process.
From scoured fleece to single-ply yarn, this guide explores the key differences between woollen and worsted spinning - and everything in between. Learn how fibre alignment, staple length, and preparation methods shape the yarn you knit with, and discover the role of lesser-known methods like semi-worsted and semi-woollen. Whether you’re a curious knitter or a full-blown fibre nerd, this is your definitive explainer.
From the constant clatter of our own working mill to the eerie quiet of mills long since closed, I’ve spent years listening - to the machines, the stories, and the silences they leave behind. In this piece, I share a few of the places I’ve visited, the machines I’ve rescued, and why I think it’s worth holding onto the noise, even when it fades.
A clean, creamy white. The name Rigging was inspired by old sailing ships - the weathered white ropes of the rigging perfectly encapsulate this undyed shade. Not as harsh as bleached, artificial white.
