High Desert Yarns: The Journey
by on Apr 8, 2021

How does wool harvested in the American West turn into the soft, high-quality yarn that just arrived on your doorstep? Read on to learn about the journey of High Desert, the newest member of the Knit Picks’ fiber family.

Step 1: The Wool – American West

Our wool is 100% USA grown Shaniko Wool from the American West.

Step 2: Processing – South Carolina

The wool is cleaned and prepared for spinning.

Step 3: Spinning & Dyeing – North Carolina

Dyed and spun, the wool is drawn out to create a beautiful worsted-spun yarn.

Step 4: Warehouse – Ohio

The finished yarn is transported to the Crafts Group warehouse for shipping.

Step 5: Customer – that’s you!

High Desert yarn is sent to our customers all over the world, where it is lovingly squished and adored before becoming the stunning sweaters, wraps, and accessories it is destined to become!

11 Comments
Tags: Inspiration, New Products, News, Wool, Yarn

11 comments

  1. Trish / April 23, 2021

    It’s an interesting story of this yarn’s journey from breeding to delivery. My grandparents raised sheep — so it’s like picking up a lil gift of heritage. I am a bit curious however as to the why of it’s many destinations along the way as it seems such travel would create a rather large increase in cost for the average user as well as those wanting to experiment with all things new and squishy as yarn goes. I’d like to sample it myself but in searching — yardage and cost in the yarn line up —I’m missing it — is it in the knitpicks line up yet or a new and upcoming one? Thanks for adding info and clarity to the inquiring minds.
    • Kate M / April 27, 2021

      Thank you so much for your support and interest in High Desert. Our newest wool line has quite a journey from farm to customer, and while we would like to keep our carbon footprint light, we wanted to be sure to preserve the quality of the wool and worked with some of the best yarn processors and mills to ensure that the end product would be vibrant yet remain soft. You can find more information on High Desert on our website http://www.knitpicks.com/yarn/highdesert. There you will find pricing, yardage and our newest patterns. We hope you try High Desert and if you do, please share with us what you create!
  2. Suzanne / April 11, 2021

    A search on Shaniko’s website reveals: The wool comes from Merino and Rambouillet sheep raised in the Great Basin Region of the American west.
    • Nikita / April 28, 2021

      I love this.
  3. Andrea / April 10, 2021

    “The wool used to create the High Desert yarn line comes from Merino and Merino/Rambouillet-cross sheep, raised on family ranches where both sheep and land are husbanded thoughtfully across generations.”

    Took forever to find this. Maybe the breeds should be specified?
  4. Justine / April 9, 2021

    Curious what breed of sheep is this yarn made from?
  5. Sharon / April 9, 2021

    Having grown up in Central Oregon, it’s exciting to see the name Shaniko Wool because I know where it comes from.
  6. Karen Reed / April 8, 2021

    I would love to try a yarn that is American grown and spun, but it’s too pricey for someone on a fixed income.
  7. Amy / April 8, 2021

    From the previous blog post:

    “The wool used to create the High Desert yarn line comes from Merino and Merino/Rambouillet-cross sheep, raised on family ranches where both sheep and land are husbanded thoughtfully across generations.”
  8. Linda Kachinsky / April 8, 2021

    I’m thrilled to see an American wool now being sold by Knit Picks, but I am disappointed with way you market it. As a spinner, I know that “Shaniko Wool” is not a breed, but rather a term for wool from a place in Oregon that subscribes to RWS. A simple Google search will yield this information. Your company has been very good about it’s use of terminology. The Shaniko terninology tells us nothing about the breed and the wool itself.
    • Johnna / April 10, 2021

      I would also like to know the breed – thank you for posting this. I belonged to a yarn of the month club and one of the funniest parts was to know exactly what animal the yarn came from.