Moeke Elena

Elena, the yarn, stands for being close to nature: no harsh chemicals were used while cleaning, washing and spinning the wool. This yarn has personality: its twists and curls were worked by machines that are 100 years old. It is honest: it is about going back to basics, to the core of things. Any garment worked in this yarn will have a rustic, rough feel and even basic textured stitches will be accentuated. 

The wool is washed with water at different temperatures, salt and mild eco-friendly detergent. The wool is so full with grease and lanolin that only water can not remove enough of it and then the spinning machines could not process it. When you work with Elena, you will feel that the yarn retains some of the protective layer of lanolin. Lanolin is the wool wax that help sheep to shed water from their coats and so, our yarns are especially suited for making garments that need to keep moisture at bay, like socks and gloves but of course especially ganseys.

Moeke Yarns recommend that before using the yarn, you wash them in tepid water and a mild pH neutral detergent. This will allow the yarn to blossom and it will improve softness. 

Please note that the weight of the skeins is not identical. The machines of the fiber mill are not modern enough to produce consistent weights. Instead, it is the spinner that knows from experience how much wool has to be processed in every batch in order to get "more or less" the same weight skeins. In addition, after washing, the skeins will loose again in weight and this is again not equal between skeins. As skeins are drying (and they do that even on the shelf), they will become lighter.

The weight of the skeins is decided AFTER having been washed and dried in the sun. Skeins are then assigned to weight categories by following the + / - 5 gr rule: for example, between 46 to 55 we consider to be 50 gr, between 56 to 65 gr we consider to be 60 gr, etc. This is the best compromise in order to respect the technological limitations of the traditional fiber mills and to also ensure some kind of standardization to help you plan for your project. 

Recommended needle size: 3-4 mm.

Gauge obtained with size 3.5 knitting needles: 20 stitches and 31 rows for 10 cm.

Gauge obtained with size 3.5 crochet hook: 19 stitches and 25 rows for 10 cm.

Length: 100 gr is around 330 m.

Washing instructions: hand wash and dry flat.