Woolen yarn has been spun in Harrisville every year since 1790 and this tradition of quality textiles has shaped the life in our community. The distinctive look of our yarns is a result of care and attention to detail at every step of the spinning process. We have always used Merino Cross wools from New Zealand and now we have added a much softer wool from Australia to create a better 'hand' for knitters. This fleece is dyed-in-the-wool to maximize brightness and fastness and then several colors are blended together. We carefully choose the right combinations to give the yarns depth and interest without sacrificing brightness and variation.

The woolen system of yarn making is much like the process of hand spinning in which the wool is picked, carded, and spun as three distinct steps. Softness and strength are the two qualities that we are careful to balance as the yarns are spun. We want our yarns to be as soft as possible, but they must also have sufficient twist to make them strong. Our standards are very high because our yarns are important to the quality of the products that our customers produce.

Order Line: 1-800-338-9415

Order our Resource Guide Today!

Your monitor may not show the true colors of our yarns. We recommend purchasing our Resource Guide for $15. plus shipping. It contains our Complete Yarn Sample Catalog with our Classic Line, along with sample cards of all our other yarns, plus our Knitting Pattern brochure, Loom, and Friendly Loom® Catalogs, Price Lists and our Vivian Høxbro brochure - all in a convenient 3-ring binder. It’s a wonderful “resource” and the $15. is refundable with your first order of $50 or more!

Skeins for Knitting

Our Classic Line consists of 56 colors, mostly heathers, that are each made from 2 - 4 colors of 100% Virgin Wool

It is available for knitting as washed skeins as listed below:

New England Shetland: approx. 217 yards per 50 gram skein, a fine, 2-ply (fingering weight) perfect for Fair Isle knitting.
Recommended Needle Gauge: 6-1/2 sts. = 1 inch Needle Range: #2 - #4

New England Highland: approx. 200 yards per 100 gram skein, a heavier, 2 ply (worsted weight)
Recommended Needle Gauge: 4-1/2 sts. = 1 inch Needle Range: #5 - #7

Heathered Bulky: approx. 90 yards per 100 gram skein, a lofty single ply available in 18 colors
Recommended Needle Gauge: 2 - 2-1/2 sts. = 1 inch Needle Range: #13+

Knitting With Harrisville's Classic Yarns

Our New England Shetland and New England Highland yarns are available as washed skeins and were developed especially for knitters. The majority of knitting yarns on the market today are spun first and then skein dyed. During the dyeing process they achieve a degree of fulling or fluffing up that our dyed-in-the-wool yarns on cones do not have. We skein our New England Shetland and New England Highland yarns and then wash them to give them that special, softer knitting finish.

Be sure to add an extra skein(s) if knitting oversized or longer than normal garments, very fancy Aran designs, a turtleneck, or other collars, etc.

Our other Knitting Yarns:

Orchid Yarns: 25% Mohair, 70% Fine Virgin Wool & 5% Cashmere. Approx. 240 Yards per 100 gram skein. A single ply yarn with a loft spun twist that is warm and wonderfully lightweight.

Both our Flax & Wool Blend and Orchid Line knit at the same gauge so they can easily be substituted for each other or used together in the same project.

Recommended Needle Range: 5 - 8
Recommended Gauge: 4 - 41⁄2 sts. per inch. Available in 24 colors.

Flax & Wool Blend: 20% Flax & 80% Fine Wool. Approximately 240 yards per 100 gram skein. Our Flax and Wool yarns are created by blending natural flax with our own fine wool and then spinning it with a lofty soft-spun twist. It is a delight to knit and wear because Flax and Wool yarns have the texture of flax, the warmth of wool, and are wonderfully soft and lightweight. Available in 10 colors.

Recommended Needle Range: 5 - 8
Recommended Gauge: 4 - 41⁄2 sts. per inch

Silk & Wool Blend: 50% Silk & 50% Fine Wool. This fine gauge 2-ply combines a pebbly silk with a luscious, soft wool. It is a great choice for a fine gauge sweater. It is the ideal weight for indoor garments or for spring or summer use on a chilly evening. This yarn also dyes beautifully! Approximately 175 yards per 50 gram skein. A luxurious 2-ply lightweight yarn. Available in 10 colors.

Recommended Needle Range: 3 - 5
Recommended Gauge: 5 - 51⁄2 sts. per inch

201.......... Bluebell 202...... Dusty Pink 203............... Fern 204... Pale Daffodil 205............. Peach 206........... Seamist 207......... Veronica 208......Cappuccino 209............... Linen 210................ Coal

Cones for Weaving

Our Classic Line is also available (unwashed) on 1/2 pound Cones for Weaving:

New England Shetland: 100% Pure Virgin Wool - Approx. 900 yards per cone. A fine, 2-ply yarn available in 56 colors.

New England Highland: 100% Pure Wool - Approx. 450 yards per cone. A heavy, 2-ply yarn available in 56 colors.

Weaving with Our Yarns

Our yarns have been used by weavers for over 30 years. In the past few years, we have worked to make our yarns much softer and loftier by adding a much finer and softer wool. After you weave with them be sure to see our finishing instructions because once they have been washed they full becoming more dense with a downy nap.

Shetland Yarns - Cones

Available on 1/2 pound (8oz.) cones of approximately 900 yards.
Suggested setts: 10, 12, 15 e.p.i.

Highland Yarns - Cones

Available on 1/2 pound (8oz.) cones of approximately 450 yards.
Suggested setts: 8, 10, 12 e.p.i.