Our Fibers RSS

   We are pretty big on natural fibers here at Leviathan Fibres. Wool? All the wool, please. Other natural plant and animal luxury fibers? Why, yes, don’t mind if we do. But, let’s talk nylon. That purely synthetic workhorse of a fiber that is added to some of yarns we stock, sock yarns in particular, to improve durability. As any sock knitter will tell you, adding nylon to a wool yarn can help your well-loved socks last for years and years before they need darning, and help make sure they spring back into shape after wearing. Before nylon existed, or was...

   Targhee sheep, one of the youngest breeds of sheep in North America, have been experiencing a surge of interest from spinners and hand-dyers in the last several years. This American sheep breed has wool that can be as soft as some Merino wools. However, while most of the Merino in the world comes from Australia and China, the majority of Targhee wool comes from farms right here in North America. To tell the story of Targhee sheep, though, we should start with the saga of sheep and the American West. Settlers began to push west around the mid-1700s, but it wasn’t...

   Merino sheep are among the most broadly known and popular sheep breeds for wool today.  Wool from Merino sheep has gained in popularity over the centuries, and has successfully conquered the fine-wool trade.  If you like wool, you have certainly encountered soft, warm and resilient Merino wool at your local yarn shop or clothing store.  Curious about where this wool comes from and what its place in history is?  Read on! Sheep were first domesticated in Mesopotamia sometime between 11,000 and 9,000 BCE. Not too long after that, sheep made their way to the African continent, with nomadic sheep herders...