Here’s an announcement a year and a half in the making: we now carry De Rerum Natura here at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop!
Inspired by a love of knitting with farm yarns and a passion for color, Solenn Couix-Loarer founded De Rerum Natura in 2012.
Her company is based in France, where all their fibers are sourced, spun, and dyed with careful attention to detail. They are best known for their woolen spun yarns, which are soft, unbleached and non-superwash, grown by Arlés merino sheep that graze peacefully in the southeast of France.
Because they are conscientious about their ecological impact, as well as the quality of every skein, De Rerum Natura’s yarns are produced in small batches. This small scale is why we had to wait so long to become stockists – there’s only so much of this special wool, which, like the sweaters we spend untold hours knitting, is truly worth the wait.
- sport weight
- 2ply
- woolen spun
- 100% merino wool
- 202 yards/50 grams
- gauge: 22-24 stitches/34-38 rows = 4″
- 24 st x 38 rows, 3 mm needles / US 2
- 22 st x 34 rows, 3.5 mm needles / US 4
- recommended care:
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- hand wash cool, lay flat to dry
- please note that very dark or saturated colors are more likely to bleed during blocking. If you plan to mix colours, we recommend that you test a swatch first. If you find excess dye in the first wash, we recommend that you repeat the rinse bath until it is clear before drying your work.
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Ulysse has one of my absolute favorite qualities in a wool: springiness galore. This elasticity makes for a delightful knitting experience, and for lofty garments that hold their shape. What to make with this wonderfully wooly sport weight yarn? I have so many ideas!
- “BonBon Cardi Long Sleeve,” by miir knits – v-neck lace cardigan
- “Pressed Flowers Cardigan,” by Amy Christoffers – v-neck cardigan with floral mosaic motif
- “Dogwood Cardigan,” by Andrea Gaughan – cabled cardigan
- “Drawing Sweater,” by Tomomi Yoshimoto – floral colorwork pullover
- “Trove,” by Emma Ducher – slip stitch striped pullover
- “Minna No Sweater,” by Noriko Ichikawa – raglan pullover
- “Back Yoke Sweater,” by Noriko Ichikawa – saddle shoulder pullover
- “STRIPES!” by Andrea Mowry – striped pullover with circular yoke
- “Reading Room Slipover,” by Aimee Sher – textured v-neck vest
- “BAO BAO shawl,” by Isabell Kraemer – triangular shawl in dip-stitch stripes
- “BAO BAO hat,” by Isabell Kraemer – hat in dip-stitch stripes
- “Alpine Bloom Hat,” by Caitlin Hunter – floral colorwork hat
De Rerum Natura has philosophical roots, and shares its name with a poem by Lucretius, On the Nature of Things. Couix-Loarer writes, “When I sought to understand where the yarn I was knitting came from and what impact it had on the world, I realized that, as Lucretius invited us to do, I was seeking to perceive this yarn as ‘a thing of nature’ and not as a product, anonymous, inert and falsely inconsequential.” The yarns we knit with do make an impact on the world, which is why we feel so good knitting with yarns made as thoughtfully as these. Look for Ulysse and Gilliatt here at HYS!