About the Materials: Shetland Wool

About the Materials: Shetland Wool

The Lanam Shop is truly fortunate to have a dedicated and informed customer base. Over time, customers have asked questions, shared knowledge and experiences, and helped shape our seasonal collections with their feedback. We have found that the more we can share with our customers about the exceptional materials, diligent crafting process, and pertinent characteristics of all our garments, a natural distinction between our products and others emerges. Moreover, we wish to share this knowledge with those merely interested in the materials and time-honored techniques used to bring to life our garments. We want to dedicate some time to our men’s and women’s Shetland Wool sweater collections.

What is Shetland?

Great question and the answer may surprise you… as a vendor once mentioned in passing a long time ago “Shetland is a place, a sheep, and a style but seldom is it ever all three.” Those words have stuck with us ever since. Much like those ubiquitous $89 cashmere sweaters, the material (in this case Shetland Wool) is not what it purports to be. In the case of Shetland, it is much more difficult to pin down exact standards and create a corresponding litmus test. Firstly, Shetland is a place, a place that has sheep and makes a particular style sweater from the wool of those sheep. Undeniably, the place came first. So secondly, Shetland can refer to the Sheep living in Shetland, that were bred there by Scottish farmers living on the Shetland Islands. Over centuries, the native sheep adapted to both the rugged terrain and rough climate and also took to the husbandry methods of local farmers. As time passed, a very warm inner fleece layer developed. Perfect for sweater making. Thirdly, the villagers learned that the Shetland Wool they helped to develop had remarkable heat retention properties. As a result, they were able to use less wool and create a looser knit. Often, this knit was so loose it one could see directly through to the shirt worn underneath. Moreover, water was able to permeate the small spaces between the loops of the knit. To combat this, they started to brush their sweaters. This helped loosen the fleece and cover some of the holes between the loops. Rich with lanolin, the natural water-proofing properties of this waxy compound were literally being brushed across the surface of the sweater.

The result is an intentionally fuzzy effect. Practical and very popular throughout Scotland, England, and the United States, the incredible demand for the product outweighs the supply of virgin wool fiber from the Shetland Islands (“Shetland Wool”). Once again, human ingenuity and traditional animal husbandry techniques came in hand: the farmers, rather than grow and collect the sheep wool, started raising lambs and exporting them to places with better climates, including Australia and New Zealand.

Indistinguishable from the “real thing” the imported Shetland Wool from Australia and New Zealand is sold and marketed as Shetland Wool, largely because it is Shetland Wool (wool produced by Shetland sheep… on an extended vacation abroad to ‘the land down-under’). 

So the question of “what is Shetland Wool?” can be answered by asking “do you want the wool from pedigree sheep living on the country estate or do you want the wool of pedigree sheep traveling on the grand tour?” Unfortunately, the export of Shetland sheep was a bit too successful and the bulk ended up abroad. Coupled with declining interest in agriculture and animal husbandry in Scotland, the Shetland sheep might be living abroad, permanently. To combat this non-Shetland sheep were brought in… diluting the stock. Originally believed to have been brought to the Shetland Islands over 1,000 years ago by the Vikings from Norway; these might just be the most well-traveled wool you will ever wear.

So where did we land? (figuratively and literally) 

Purists will want pedigree sheep living on the Shetland Islands; exceedingly difficult to come by. Shetland sheep do however, live comfortably in North America (America & Canada), throughout Europe (Iceland, Norway, England, Scotland, & Sweden), and Australia(Australia & New Zealand) . There is only one yarn spinner in Scotland that spins Shetland Wool and they buy it from New Zealand, because it's just a far better quality when compared to most Scottish products. We have our own yarns spun by them, to our exacting quality standards. Moreover our Shetland Wool is actually considered super-soft lambswool, meaning the fibers are extremely fine (both narrow & long) and it meets all the requirements to be considered lambswool. 

Where is Shetland Wool from?

Originally, they were from Norway but the Viking relocated them to Shetland over 1,000 years ago. Prior to being in Norway, the ancestors of the Norwegian flock are believed to have been the product of mating between indigenous Finnish and Swedish sheep and are believed to be unimproved (not aided by human interaction/husbandry).

We diligently track all of the Shetland Wool fiber used to produce our goods, as much of it is nefariously mislabeled, deceptively marketed, and really just plain confusing to understand. You can be assured you are getting the very best because that is all we will accept. As a testament to our commitment, there are times we must say no to yarns, fiber sources, and finished products. If we cannot verify it, we won't sell it. With that being said, there is always a bit of a Shetland Wool shortage, so to avoid being disappointed get it while we have it. We do have a waiting list for out of stock or special order colors that gets fulfilled on a first-come-first-serve basis. Contact Customer Service to learn more.

How does Shetland Wool differ from “similar” materials?

It differs in two ways: firstly, warmth-to-weight-ratio and secondly, lanolin concentration. When compared to just a traditional lambswool sweater, in order to achieve that same level of warmth you will need noticeably less Shetland Wool. compare one of our Shetland Wool sweaters to one of our lambswool sweaters, the former is thinner but yet somehow, warmer. Unlike most stores, we do not allow a flimsy wool sweater to leave our doors, though we could and you would be just as warm. We have ours knitted to be a little bit thicker than the others out there, giving it what can only be described as our “signature body”. We took the road less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.

What is the refining process for Shetland Wool?

Like most wools, super-soft Shetland needs to be sorted, carded, dyed, and spun. Firstly, the raw wool is carefully sorted mechanically, helping to separate the outer guard hair from the desirable inner coat. The outer guard hair will not make for a comfortable sweater but the soft, silk-like inner fiber will. Secondly, the wool is carded mechanically. The raw wool will make dozens of passes through the carding machine. With each pass, the individual Shetland fibers will start to separate and self-arrange in the same direction. In order to make quality yarn, the individual fibers must all be lined up in the same direction. Thirdly, the wool is dyed. Raw fibers are dumped into large vats containing dyeing compounds. It can be difficult to get a good color out of most Shetland fibers, as the lanolin can interact with some dyes, changing the absorption and distribution rate.

What styles are available in Shetland Wool?

We offer a tailored collection of sweaters for men and women. This includes our classic men’s crew neck (unbrushed). Our women’s collection includes our classic cardigan (unbrushed with grosgrain placket) and long-time staple classic crew neck sweater. Over a dozen colors available and special colors and sizes can be ordered upon request. Please contact us to learn more about this process, as it is not always available.

What are the advantages of wearing Shetland Wool?

The advantages of wearing our super-soft Shetland Wool is just that, it is super-soft and Shetland Wool. With a wonderful, soft hand feel our Shetland sweaters are extremely warm. Less bulky than traditional wool, our specially made collection of Shetland sweaters is only available from The Lanam Shop.

How is The Lanam Shops Shetland Wool Collection unique?

At our main offices, we have dozens of swatch books & cards, knit samples, and yards of knit swatch reels. We comb through a near endless number of sources to find the one or two we want to work with. From there we build our collection. What makes us unique is we sell what we claim to and do it well. We are simply unmatched in knit quality, fiber grade, and available options. 

Index of Terms:

Brushing: refers to the process of brushing the surface of the finished sweater to make it more fuzzy in appearance. Brushing can be done in multiple passes; between one and five times (scale of 1-lightly brushed to 5-shaggy).

Carding: a mechanical process that detangles wool, allowing it to be arranged in a single direction. This is helpful when the wool is spun.

Dye Lot: all the fiber from a specific dying. All of the fibers are exposed to a dye compound at a given time. Fibers exposed to the same compound but at different times are considered a different dye lot. Each lot, though close, produces slight color variations. These are normal, expected, and unavoidable.

Guard Hair: the thick outer layer of wool fiber. It acts as a waterproofing layer and protects the soft inner layer. Guard hair or the “outer coat” is not suitable for the crafting of quality sweaters.

Shetland, Scotland: a cluster of small islands located north of Scotland.

Spinner: someone who transformers finished fibers into yarn. This can be achieved mechanically.