Thick and cozy yarn for your textile projects!

90% of all yak in the world are in Tibet. Yak play an important role in the nomadic lifestyle and the uses of their wool are varied and plentiful. The yak grow a down coat for winter that they shed each year by summertime. The easiest way to collect the fiber is to follow along the yak’s path to gather what has fallen and been collected in the trees and grass. The fibers are precious, as each yak does not produce very much. It is incredibly soft and gentle on the skin, the short fibers smoothed together as they are spun into one cohesive thread.

• Fiber content: 100% Yak down
  
• Meterage: 47 - 58 m (52 - 65 yards)
• Weight: approx. 100 grams (3.53 oz)
  
• Needle size: US 11-15  or 8-10 mm

About this collaboration

Shangdrok’s yak wool yarn is spun by artisans in Tibet. Shangdrok aims to support the preservation of the knowledge, skill, and tradition of Tibetan craft and to create work opportunities for artisans in the region. April Tang, co-founder of Shangdrok, visited Tibet for the first time seventeen years ago and founded Shangdrok with her partner in 2015. At Shangdrok, artisans create beautiful and unique handmade products from yak yarn and felt. Formerly nomads, the artisans all stopped raising yak and sheep for a variety of reasons before beginning to work at Shangdrok. The materials and products tell stories of the nomadic communities who have fostered these skills over generations. Spinning the yarn and practicing these techniques continues these stories, ensuring they will live into the future.