Shetland Homespun Yarn in Japanese Indigo | Ashlin Browne
Shetland Homespun Yarn in Japanese Indigo | Ashlin Browne
Homespun Shetland Wool Yarn in Japanese Indigo.
Hand spun and naturally dyed using the leaves of the Japanese Indigo plants Ashlin organically grew in her home dye garden. This Shetland wool yarn is fluffy, with a matte appearance.
Bored by the perfection of the synthetically dyed acrylic yarn selection in stores, Ashlin decided to make some thing with texture. If you are looking for fuzzy, bumpy yarn to add an accent, a stripe, interesting texture, or just something unexpected to an otherwise vanilla project, this is the yarn for you! Please understand that fresh leaf dyeing requires some agitation to work, and this yarn is altered as a result of that agitation. This is not a defect, but an intentional texture to acknowledge as a part of an entire process.
100% Shetland wool
50 grams, bulky weight
Hand wash with pH neutral detergent. Air dry indoors.
Made by Ashlin Browne
Fresh leaf Japanese indigo dyeing requires picking the fresh leaves of the plants first thing in the morning, before the sun warms them up or the blue will not be nearly as strong. The homespun yarn has already been carefully cleaned and pre-wetted so no time is lost before dyeing. The fresh leaves are blended, strained, and squeezed to extract as much dye as possible directly onto the yarn. The emerald green liquid has to be worked into the fibers by hand before oxygenation happens or it won’t bind properly and will wash right out. As the yarn is introduced to the air it magically transforms from green to blue. This entire process is repeated many times over, layering the blue dye onto the fiber. Due to the time-based nature of this particular dye process, the blue of this yarn marks the work of an entire summer’s day from predawn to sunset. The results are unique.
Due to the amazing nature of natural dye, colors can vary greatly depending on the light source. Colors may shift or fade over time, which is one of the many unique qualities of this age old artform. At H+F, we believe that an object has its own life and the signs of its journey are something we fully embrace as added beauty.
