New Yarn - Garthenor Snowdonia Sock

We've expanded the range of Garthenor at Knit With Attitude and we have some exciting new yarns to introduce to you. Today I take a look at Snowdonia Sock. A beautiful 100% British, nylon free, organic sock yarn.

Garthenor began in 1999 with a small flock of sheep. When Garthenor began, there were no organic standards for wool yarns. They persisted with organic sheep and environmentally friendly spinning and a fully traceable process. Wanting to go further they worked with the Soil Association and helped write the first ever organic standards for woollen yarns. Since 2003 they were certified and have been producing certified organic woollen yarns ever since.

We are seeing more of a move away from using nylon in sock yarns. By using alternatives like the ramie in Hey Mama Wolf's Sock Yarn #04 or using non virgin, recycled nylon like The Fibre Co's Amble. So its great to see another eco-friendly sock yarn like this Garthenor Snowdonia Sock which relies on the sturdy spinning of the right fibres to produce a strong, 100% wool yarn.

Snowdonia Sock is a 4ply weight, worsted spun, undyed Romney and Hebridean wool yarn. The clever use of these two fibres creates a range of yarns that goes from the natural white Romney, to the dark black of the the Hebridean, with plied and blended shades between. This creates a stunning natural gradient of colours. The fibres have been sourced from around the UK and scoured and spun in Yorkshire before being finished in West Wales . The worsted spinning gives it the strength needed along with the choice of fibres creating an all natural, all organic strong sock yarn.

Each 50g skein contains 200m/219 yrds and we have eight shades available. From the white Lily to the dark Brythdir and the 50/50 plied Idwal combining them both.

Let's take a look at a few sock projects to inspire some fun with this yarn.

Sparks by Andrea Mowry. These cool and graphic colourwork socks have a real contemporary feel. Worked from the cuff down using stranded colourwork and finished with an afterthought heel. I would love to see a dark colour set against one of the lighter marled ones.

Cable & Lace Socks (ravelry link) by Noma Ndlovu. These pretty cuff down socks feature a dramatic cable repeat. I think these would look really special in the solid colours like the creamy white of Lily.

Marguerite Socks (ravelry link) by Sylvie Damey. These simple crochet socks have minimal detail that runs down the centre. Made with an afterthought heel and tall stitches for a speedy make. Stunning in any colour.