Learn more about our aran yarn

Our brown and white aran knitting yarn is grown by our small flock of sheep in the Scottish island of Tiree. You might have heard the phrase aran wool and wondered what it means. Wonder no more!

What is aran knitting yarn?

Aran yarn is the UK equivalent of worsted weight yarn in the US. It is a medium thickness and knits up nicely on 4-5½mm needles. It is a good choice for beginners.

  • Double Knitting (DK) is 8 ply
  • Aran (Worsted Weight) is 10 ply
  • Chunky (Bulky) is 12 ply and over

What can I make with aran knitting yarn?

Aran weight yarn is warm and cosy and as a result, it was traditionally used to make clothing like jumpers!

As it is medium weight it makes it good for other things too like hats, blankets and cushions.

It knits or crochets up nice and quickly – ideal for folks with less patience! The picture is of an Aran cushion made using our Brown aran wool. It takes 3 balls.

Brown cushion made from aran knitting yarn
A zig-zag Aran cushion

Is aran soft?

How soft the yarn is will depend on how it was spun. A worsted spun yarn is soft and pliable. A woollen spun yarn is firmer and retains more of the coarser fibres.

Our aran was woollen spun by the lovely folks at The Natural Fibre Company in Launceton. This means it is hard wearing and brilliant for making hats to keep the wind out. You can make cosies, cushions and blankets – and more! The aran is your oyster. Check out our patterns for ideas you can use!

Our aran wool

We currently sell:

We decided to produce our first batch of yarn as woollen spun aran because it is so versatile.

It comes from our Hebridean cross Texel sheep. That makes it sturdy and bouncy. If you want to try aran-style knitting and use cables, this is a perfect yarn. It holds a cable beautifully.

The wool can be torn out (frogged), and reused without splitting – even when it has been crocheted repeatedly.

Check out our yarn, and see if there is a wee corner in your stash for it! You know you want to…

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