Why yarn quality and sustainability go hand in hand

At House of Sustainability, we talk a lot about the quality of our yarns. You may wonder why we are so fascinated by fibres – but they really are at the heart of what we do.

Good quality yarn generally equates to a combination of three things:

Long Fibres

Soft Fibres

Fine Fibres

These are all incredibly important, and the softness and fineness influence the look and feel of your knitwear (remember that hot, itchy school jumper??!) but possibly the most important with regards to sustainability is fibre length.

The longer the fibres, or ‘staple’, the better the quality. This is because the shorter the fibres, the more ‘ends’ are required to make the yarn. These exposed ends can lead to pilling or bobbling, which in turn leads to fibre weakness and holes. That is why a cheap cotton cardi goes bobbly after only a few wears, but a merino wool jumper can last for years.

So, it’s simple: long staple is more sustainable!

All of our knitwear is made with yarns that have a longer than average staple, including our recycled cashmere yarn, which is spun with merino wool to give it additional length and durability.

These yarns are a little more expensive simply because they take longer to grow/produce, but they are all natural, biodegradable, and long-lasting which is a win for your wardrobe, and our planet!