Fibre Focus Friday: Bio-Nylon

We intoduced our bio-nylon range after a lot of research into synthetic fibres that are kinder to the environment.  We're massive fans of wool (if you hadn't already guessed) but not everyone is able to use wool and in some cases a synthetic fibre is needed to add durability to blends and fibres.

For a few years we carried a range of acrylic fibres which. while popular, were a little bit of a nightmare for our poor packing team!  The tops broke easily, they were very wispy and hard to handle and they also had more of an environmental impact than we would have liked as acrylic is not biodegradable (but it is recyclable).

After a long search we found Amni Soul Eco bio-nylon, which would replace the acrylic.  This product is still synthetic, it's a polyamide 6.6 (if you want the technical name) which has an additive added in production to make it decompose quickly.  Don't panic, your projects and garments won't suddently disappear like those biodegradble shopping bags!  This product is designed to decompose in an anerobic environment, so if it does end up in landfill, it will disappear over the course of around 5 years and will leave behind organic matter, just like a natural product.

Our Sox range (designed for crafters who are spinning for sock yarn) uses a variety of dyed wool bases alongside 25% bio-nylon to give a strong, wearable fibre.  For those who prefer their yarn ready to work with w;'ve got Bionic Yarn which is also machine washable.