Discover Canach

Our beloved Canach range of products all come from the same rare breed of sheep, the Scottish Merino, or Bowmont. All the fleece we spin comes from a single farm in Aberdeenshire where their mix of white and coloured sheep provide our full range of shades.

The Breed

Scottish Merino is originally a cross breed of Shetland and Saxon Merino sheep, creating a sheep hardy enough to withstand the Scottish weather with an incredibly soft and fine fleece. The breed was developed in the 1990s by the Macaulay Institute (Now the James Hutton Institute).

Whilst Scottish Merino sheep are bred to be tougher than pure Merino, the Hebridean winters would still be too much for their fine fleeces, and so we source this special fibre from an established flock in Aberdeenshire.

The Yarns

For us, the bonus of Shetland sheep in the breeding means that we get the variety of gorgeous natural colours that we have blended into our fantastic 4ply knitting yarns and also into weaving yarns for our scarve and wraps. Each of our yarns has extra texture; neps are a result of the combination of the fine fibres and our unique machinery set-up.

Our Canach colours are spun in individual quantities according to the raw fleece available. This means that not only are the yarns in small batches, but that the quantities vary from one colour to the next. As such, some of the colours won’t be around for long, so don’t wait!

Pre2018 yarns: 

Our machinery underwent some tweaks after the first batches of Canach, making huge improvements to the quality and consistency of our yarns. However, it also reduced the amount of nep and nobbly character of Canach and the transformation created a smoother and more consistent yarn, different but by no means less stunning! If you are re-stocking your Canach yarn, or looking to top up an earlier stash, please take note of the batch that you have.

The Cloth

Our Canach Scarves and Wraps are woven exclusively by Sam at Woven in the Bone. We leave the creative process up to her and eagerly await the results, which never disappoint. The results are a beautifully soft and light cloth with a perfectly milled smooth finish, which shows off the coour and texture of the yarn and fibre perfectly. The lightweight nature of the delicate cloth means that it's an ideal all-weather fabric. Something truly special.