True love on our needles - say hallo to Önling No. 9
We are working on so many exciting projects at Önling these months, that we barely have time to tell all the great stories that we would like to share with all of you. But listen here then – today we want to tell you about our brand-new yarn series made of 100% Danish nature wool. Yarn from happy, fluffy sheep in Hvidovre outside Copenhagen, that we ourselves have had the chance to pat and potter about.
Our new yarn series is called Önling No. 9, and it is a result of our collaboration with Hvidovre Cow and Sheep Herders Guild of 2000 – an organization of volunteers, that keep sheep and cows, and teach local children about the local nature and animal life. A collaboration that we are very proud of.
The closest we get to our own sheepfold
Our hearts beat – and always have – for sustainability, and the process behind Önling No. 9 represents the loveliest of stories in this regard.
The sheep, that this wool comes from, are patted and cared for, and enjoy plenty of open nature at the vast grazing lands of Quark Nature Centre in Hvidovre. These conditions result in happy and harmonious sheep, and we are convinced that the love that is given to these sheep flow all the way to the wool fibers, so we can get true love at our needles. We have met the cute, soft sheep ourselves, they are all of the breeds Texel and Gotland Pelt. It increases the authenticity to follow our product this close from birth to yarn. This is the closest we get to having our own sheepfold here in Søborg.
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Facts about the yarn |
Cut, Spin, Dye
Once a year in June the mother sheep are cut, and thereafter the wool is cleaned, sorted and send to Hjelholts Wool spinnery on the island of Funen, and traditional, family owned spinnery that live up to organic standards. Then it is time for dying, and this is taken care of by the talented Charlotte Spagner from Handdyed.dk in her workshop in Northern Jutland. Önling No. 9 is hand dyed in six of our favorite colors. The grey color is the natural color of the yarn and therefore undyed – the other six beautiful colors are dyed on white yarn.
When Charlotte Spagner has finished her color magic, the wool is returned to us, so we can put it on our shelves.
Right now we are at Önling busy creating new designs in Önling No. 9, and we are looking forward to showing you what we have in the making – the first designs are almost ready. The yarn works perfectly on its own, but you can also add a thread of silk mohair, to get that delicious, fluffy luxury. Its all up to you.
We hope you will love Önling No. 9 as much as we do. See Önling No. 9 here (No longer sold at Önling) - see all our available and responsibly produced yarns here.
Cute bonus info: The next batch of Önling No. 9 is already
in the making at the very earliest stage. The ram at Hvidovre
Cow and Sheep Herders Guild has performed his duty this year,
and small, cute lambs are growing in their mothers’ bellies right now.
By Signe Kamper Kankelborg, knitwear content creator at Önling.
