High Tide

This single-ply bulky wool yarn comes in a wide assortment of colors to help you find the perfect shade for your next project. It's very lightly felted to give it a luxurious texture and excellent stitch definition, and has an even, sturdy density to it that means it won't flatten or break as you're working with it.

Its extra-thick weight makes it great for durable, hard-wearing accessories, weaving projects, or even macrame. Generously sized skeins are hand-dyed and spun in small batches.

Please note that due to the small batch hand-dyed process, there may be a slight difference in color between dye lots. Make sure to order enough yarn for your project as we can't ensure matches between lots. Skeins do not come with numbered dye lots. Alternate skeins if necessary to avoid unplanned stripes.

Skeins are available with either S-twist (fibers have \ angle) or Z-twist (fibers have / angle). Crocheters, nalbinders, and weavers will likely prefer Z-twist, while knitters will likely prefer S-twist as it tends to be less splitty while knitting.

Our notes

After making a few of our own projects with this yarn, here's what we've found:

Somewhat scratchy: People who are sensitive to the "prickle factor" shouldn't plan on using this for next-to-skin garments. This yarn is best for hard-wearing items like bags, rugs, outerwear, potholders, etc.

Tips for breaking off new lengths: Hold your hands at least 5" apart on the strand, and untwist it until the fibers are as straight as possible. Then it should pull apart fairly easily. Keep in mind that skeins may come with an S-twist, so you'll need to untwist in the other direction than when working with Z-twist skeins.

Felt joins together thoroughly: Since this yarn is so dense, make sure to thoroughly fray the ends, use plenty of spit or water, moosh all the frayed fibers together, and really felt them together. Give it a good tug afterward to make sure it's secure. When in doubt, keep felting.

Stitch definition: We love how this yarn looks when worked up. The stitch definition is fantastic.

Don't pull stitches too tight: The density of this yarn needs a more moderate tension. If you have very tight tension, it's going to become very hard to work with since there's not a lot of give or elasticity in the yarn to let it stretch. That being said, you don't have to be as careful where you pull on the yarn since it won't just split apart if you look at it askance.

May have knots: Some skeins have had knots in them, while some haven't had any knots. They've all been fairly easy to untie and felt the ends together to keep working. Sometimes the dye won't fully penetrate into the knot though, so if you don't want to risk a lighter spot in your work, just break off the knot on either side instead.

May have vegetable matter (VM) in it: We've found small bits of VM in every skein we've used. Most crafters don't really seem to mind it, but it's still something to be mindful of.

Thick and thin: There's some mild variance in thickness through the yarn. We haven't noticed it in our finished pieces though.

Smells like sheep: This yarn definitely smells like good ol' fashioned natural wool, especially when wet blocked with hot water. To reduce the smell, block in cold water and let dry flat outside. While wool does break down over time in the sun, drying it outside for a few hours or even a few days won't be a problem.

Swatch details

All swatches were wet blocked before measuring.

Knit

• Color: Natural
• Swatcher: Avery
• Needles: 8mm (US 11)
• Stitch: Stockinette with a seed stitch border
• Gauge: 9 stitches and 14 rows per 4" / 10cm

Crochet

• Color: Natural
• Swatcher: Avery
• Hook: 10mm
• Stitch: Half double crochet
• Gauge: 7 stitches and 6 rows per 4" / 10cm

Nalbind

• Color: Natural
• Swatcher: Stephanie
• Tension: Thumb, base of nail, moderate tension
• Stitch: Oslo F1
• Gauge: 14 stitches and 8 rows per 4" / 10cm

Weave

• Color: Natural
• Swatcher: Stephanie
• Sett: 6 ends per inch
• Structure: 2+2 twill, weft face, 10 picks per inch
• Warp: Size 10 crochet cotton

Yarn details

Please note: Certain colors may bleed, especially dark colors and vibrant ones. Always make a test swatch and block it, if you're concerned about color bleeding. To help reduce bleeding, block with cold water, use color catching sheets in the water, only use one color, or stay away from high-contrast colorwork.