Nettle and yak are the two yarns in our new collection that get the least attention, and perhaps that’s exactly why they’re the most intriguing. We already mentioned them when introducing the natural fibers chosen with Maeko Filati and explaining why yak and merino wool are blended. Today, we’re taking a closer look: where they come from, how they’re made into yarn and, honestly, what we know and what still needs to be verified. One note to start: garments made with these yarns aren’t in the catalog yet. We’ll let you know when they arrive, with a full product description for each garment.
Nettle: an ancient fiber we're rediscovering
If you think of nettles as nothing more than weeds, you may be surprised: their stems have been woven into fabric for centuries. A 2022 scientific review published in the journal Materials mentions a Swiss nettle fabric dating back to the 7th century and a British reference to "nettlecloth" from 1391. Between the 19th and 20th centuries, Germany and Austria cultivated it for its fiber and, according to the sources cited by the authors, the German army used nettle fabric for uniforms during the First World War, when sanctions made cotton impossible to find. Then, with the arrival of cheaper fibers, interest in it disappeared for nearly a century.
Making yarn from nettles is no easy task. After the stems are harvested, the fiber must be separated from the woody part through retting, decortication and a series of further cleaning steps: producing fine yarn requires degumming and carding. It takes experience, and that is one reason nettle yarn is so rarely used in knitwear.
Nettle: what we know (and what we don’t)
The plant is perennial, requires little fertilization and, for the European cultivation covered in the review, no registered pesticides have been reported. However, it isn’t a fiber with “zero cost”: it needs water, doesn’t tolerate waterlogging and, as the authors themselves point out, there are still few studies available. That’s why we don’t promise miracles. We’ll tell you what convinced us: a soft yarn, made with a fiber that has a story and supply chain worth sharing, chosen together with a partner that works in Italy. As we’ve explained, Maeko works with Himalayan varieties.
Yak: the undercoat that thrives above 3,000 meters
Yak live on the plateaus of Central Asia, at altitudes above 3,000 meters and in temperatures that can drop to -50 °C. The fiber we’re interested in isn’t the coarse outer hair (79-90 microns, used for tents and ropes), but the undercoat, or yak down, with a diameter of 16-20 microns: comparable to cashmere, which measures under 18.5.
The undercoat is collected before the animal naturally sheds it, between late spring and early summer, often by combing. We identify with this rhythm: our Sopravissana sheep at Controra are also shorn once a year, in May. Two very distant flocks, a similar schedule, guided by the seasons rather than market demands.
How warm is yak, really?
It is often said that yak is warmer than merino wool. That’s plausible: air trapped between the fibers slows heat loss, and myristic acid helps the fiber retain warmth even when damp. But the advantages reported in various tests range from about 10% to about 40% more than merino, and the comparisons are not consistent. Take this as an indication, not a guarantee: that’s why, in the blend with the merino we’ve chosen, yak adds warmth and softness, while merino provides stretch and shape retention.
One more thing should be made clear: like all soft fibers, yak can also form small pills in areas of greater friction, such as the elbows or inner arms. This is not a defect; it is a characteristic of short, fine fibers. A little care is all it takes: a anti-pilling comb for cashmere and wool and gentle washing will help the garment last a very long time.
Why these two fibers in particular interest us
Nettle and yak are not trends. They are two natural fibers with a long history, worked by people who know the material, and part of a vision for knitwear in which origin, durability and repairability matter. As with the rest of the collection, our principle remains the same: a few well-chosen pieces to keep for a long time. If you missed how the partnership came about, you can find everything in the article Lanaioli and Maeko Filati: A partnership for knitwear made from natural fibers.
Sources
- Viotti C., Albrecht K., Amaducci S. et al., Nettle, a Long-Known Fiber Plant with New Perspectives, Materials 15(12), 2022: history, fiber extraction and nettle cultivation.
- Yak fiber, Wikipedia (entry citing FAO sources and academic articles): fiber diameters, harvesting and insulating properties.
- Maeko, Innovation in Italian spinning.
