the Adfer recycled wool project
from waste to wonderful yarn
Back in March 2021, we came across an exciting opportunity that had the potential to change our approach to textile waste. We were invited to a webinar hosted by Future Fashion Factory, featuring Dr. John Parkinson, an industry veteran and the founder of iinouiio. The webinar, titled "iinouiio: Recycling Waste Fibres for More Sustainable Fashion" opened our eyes to the potential of giving new life to by-products generated as part of the production process at Melin Tregwynt, into recycled yarn.
the vision of iinouiio
John’s inspiring presentation outlined how iinouiio aims to revive the tradition of ‘shoddy’ manufacturing in Yorkshire by recycling pre- and post-consumer wool and luxury animal fibers into high-quality yarns and fabrics. The webinar showcased the creative possibilities of recycled materials and highlighted how brands and manufacturers could integrate these practices into circular business models.
the spark of collaboration
The concept of repurposing our production by-products intrigued us. After the webinar, we reached out to John to explore a potential partnership. This was the beginning of what would become a three-year journey of innovation and collaboration.
Though we had spun yarn in our early days, by the 1970s, we had shifted away from this practice. Spinning recycled yarn was new to our team, but John was incredibly supportive, guiding us through the complexities of wool processing. Over several months, we discussed various options and logistics. We decided to colour-sort our fabric waste and combine it with virgin British wool for an initial trial.
Our first trial involved collecting approx. 130kg of wool by-products in shades of blue to match with an equal amount of virgin undyed wool. Given our significant volume of blue fabric waste, we chose to focus the trial on this colour.
a long road to realisation
Sorting the wool waste was no mean feat – it was seriously fluffy business! We spent several months hand-sorting the fabric selvedges and offcuts, a task that proved messier and more time-consuming than anticipated. By December 2021, we realised we did not quite have enough colour-sorted waste to meet the minimum needed for processing. As it turned out, iinouiio had infrastructure challenges which meant manufacturing was delayed until April 2022, which meant we had time to meet the minimum!
In June 2022, we sent our sorted materials to iinouiio, and the processing began in August 2022. We asked for a small amount of the single yarn to be kept for weaving trials, and the remainder was processed into hand-knitting yarn, which was ready by April 2023.
expanding the project
With the blue yarn trial complete, we continued diverting enough wool waste for additional colour batches: yellow/green, red/orange, and pink/purple. We held off launching the blue yarn until we had the other colours ready to launch together. In the meantime, we conducted knitting trials with the blue yarn. By September 2023, we were ready to resume discussions with iinouiio and planned to send the remaining by-products for processing in January 2024.
For this second round, we decided to pause at the single yarn stage to evaluate the colour blends and explore other potential shade options. By April 2024, we decided on adding two additional blended shades to give more colour choices - yellow/green + pink/purple, and red/spice + pink/purple
ready for launch
At the end of August, the remaining colours of yarn arrived with us at the mill. Available in 6 colour blends, which can never be precisely repeated. Our hand-knit yarn names are:
- Blue = Storm Cloud
- Green = Sea Foam
- Red/Spice = Apple Blossom
- Pink/Purple = Shale
- Red Spice/Pink Purple = Heather
- Pink Purple/Green = Purple Sage
Our collaboration with iinouiio has been a journey of discovery and innovation, and we’re excited to see how these efforts will contribute to a more sustainable and circular textile industry. Stay tuned for updates on our new yarn collections and our ongoing efforts to reduce waste in the fabric industry.
The official launch date of our ‘Adfer’, hand-knit recycled yarn is 21st September 2024. Whether you’re knitting cosy scarves or intricate jumpers, these yarns offer the luxury feel you love while reducing waste. It’s time to knit with purpose and style!
