Have you ever heard of White Gum Wool, or WGW as it’s sometimes referred to? Any knitter can and will tell you how soft and lovely merino is, but one farm has taken it to the next level. Keep reading to learn more, or you can check out this video I made a few years ago talking about this incredible yarn!
A Tasmanian Farm
White Gum Wool comes from a single farm in Tasmania, Australia. The sheep graze on the natural pastures and live out their natural life on the farm. It is perhaps one of the most ethical farms I know of and the wool that is produced is exquisite. If you want to know more about the farm, then I highly recommend reading more here.
The Yarn
The softness of a yarn type depends on a few factors, but the main one is the diameter of the fibre, which is measured in microns. The smaller the micron, the softer the yarn. Most merino yarn ranges from 15 to 25 microns, and anything less than 18.5 microns is classified as superfine merino.
White Gum Wool is a superfine merino that measures in at about 17 microns. That’s why it’s so soft and perfect for garments that are worn next to the skin such as shawls. To contrast this, most merino that is typically used in knitting is about 19 to 21 microns.
The Downside
The only downside of softer yarns like this is that they tend to pill more than courser fibres. They can also felt quite easily. Whilst I have had no issues with my shawls, the underarms of my short-sleeved crop sweater I made have felted a bit, as have my socks. However, I don’t actually mind this, as other than a change in texture, both the sweater and socks are still going strong!
White Gum Wool Projects I’ve Made
I bet you’re dying to see what I’ve knit with White Gum Wool right? No? Well, I’m going to show you anyway!
I made not just one, or two, but seven Textured shawls. This shawl design by Briony Mannering is really easy to follow but has a lovely shape and only needs one skein of yarn. It is absolutely divine made from this soft yarn. I wish you could squish it and feel how soft it is!
I also made this lovely little sweater, I used the base stitch counts from the So Faded sweater by Andrea Mowry and just stopped early to make it cropped and the sleeves shorter.
One of my favourite projects is the ADVENTuring Scarf, which was designed to use up mini skeins from a yarn advent calendar. I was lucky enough to get a hand-dyed yarn advent from my favourite dyer at the time, and what made it even better was that it was White Gum Wool!
Last but certainly not least, I made these stunning knee-high socks! They are really comfortable and I love how bold the pink is. Whilst I love knitting socks, knee-high socks aren’t the most fun to knit as you often end up playing yarn chicken. But I had just enough yarn for these!
Where to Get Some of This Yarn
Back when I first discovered White Gum Wool, there were a few different people hand-dyeing the lovely yarn. Since then, you can now get commercially dyed White Gum Wool! You can buy these directly from the website here or you can find a list of stockists here. Some of the stockists such as Augustbird hand-dye this yarn.
I still have some of this gorgeous yarn in my stash and I’m just itching to cast on something new. I wonder what I’ll make next? Have you ever knit with White Gum Wool? Don’t forget to check out my knitting tips as well! Happy Knitting!
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