Finnish Yarns and Design Since 1928
Responsible wool
RESPONSIBLE WOOL
Sustainability is one of Novita’s most important values, which is why the wool we use mainly comes from areas near Finland, such as Norway and the UK. Our merino wool comes from Spain. In this way we minimise our carbon footprint and avoid transporting our materials from across the ocean.
Wool is the most important material to Novita, and responsible wool production is vital to us. Novita takes the wellbeing of animals very seriously and the legislation in the aforementioned countries assures this.
WOOL PRODUCTION IN THE UK
Most of the wool used by Novita is sourced from the UK, where the wool is scoured, classed, washed and prepared for yarn production. The wool is then transported to Finland, to our factory in Kouvola, where it is spun into yarn.
Our English wool is sourced mainly from Cheviot, Southdown, Suffolk, Shropshire, Hampshire and Dorset Down –breeds. These breeds produce fine, resilient, and durable wool, which makes it particularly suitable for hand knitting!
The UK is an important wool producer worldwide. Novita’s long-term partner in the UK is West Yorkshire Spinners (WYS). West Yorkshire Spinners’ yarns have been available on novitaknits.com since autumn 2020. Visit the homepage of West Yorkshire Spinners here.
In the UK the law guarantees animal welfare. In addition to legislation, our wool producers comply with the British Wool Statement on Animal Welfare to ensure the well-being of the sheep.
In the UK, sheep farms are typically small with 350 sheep on average and the sheep graze outdoors on natural pastures. The shearing of the animals is also subject to strict guidelines and regulations.
MERINO WOOL
Novita’s merino wool is also sourced from the EU. Our merino wool comes from Spain. Merino wool is particularly fine and therefore also well suited for knits for children and babies. We never use merino wool that has been produced using the mulesing procedure.
Our 100% merino wools are Novita Merino DK and Novita Merino 4PLY.
WOOL FROM FINLAND
Finnish wool yarn is made of wool sourced from sheep farms around Finland. The Finnish wool comes mainly from Finnsheep. The wool of the Finnsheep is soft and lightweight with moderate crimp and a high lustre. Crimps make the yarn more elastic and durable.
Besides Finnsheep, Finnish sheep farms also raise other breeds, such as kainuunharmas (a rare Finnish breed), so our Finnish wool yarns contain wool from several breeds.
Finnsheep is an original Finnish breed, which has developed over the course of several centuries. These animals are an integral part of Finnish history and cultural heritage. Products made from Finnish wool are durable and retain their beauty for years, if not decades. Wool is a renewable natural material, which returns to nature at the end of its life.
Since 2014, we have used over 36 000 kg of Finnish wool in our production! We have produced over 900,000 balls of yarn which include Finnish wool. In the recent years Finnish wool has been used, for example, in Novita 7 Brothers Lappi and 7 Brothers Pohjola, in which 30% of the wool was sourced from Finland. In Autumn 2020 we launched a new product, Novita Suomivilla, which is 100% Finnish wool.
THE QUALITY OF WOOL
The quality of wool is defined especially by the fineness of the wool fibre. The presence of crimps (or curls) is indicative of the quality of the wool: crimps mean finer and softer wool!
After shearing, wool is sorted according to its characteristics. Fine wool spins thinner and finer yarns than coarse, thick wool. Different kinds of wool are suitable for different usages: coarse wool is used for carpets and rugs, and fine wool for garments. Novita's yarns are made with fine wool, which makes them perfect for hand knitting!