SPINNING CLASSIC YARNS

From one heritage British brand to another, we talk to West Yorkshire Spinners about Beatrix Potter, sustainability and flying the flag for British wool

- Beatrix Potter

Nestled between the hills in the Yorkshire countryside sits the yarn company West Yorkshire Spinners, one of the few remaining worsted spinning mills left in the United Kingdom. It was formed in 1997 in the small village of Oxenhope, situated in the heart of the original home of the British worsted spinning industry, and now based nearby in the former industrial town of Keighley. We spoke to WYS about how it is one of the most proficient and innovative spinning mills in the industry, and why its yarn is a great choice for making classic Beatrix Potter characters.

Please tell us about WYS’s mission.

The WYS hand knitting and crochet brand was introduced the UK market almost ten years ago and has grown significantly in popularity and reach. This county was once world-renowned for its textile heritage and manufacturing know-how, however, the vast majority of this industry has moved away from our shores. It has been a long-term passion of our managing director to ensure that this heritage skill set and textile infrastructure was preserved. West Yorkshire Spinners was founded to ensure textile manufacturing and worsted spinning continued to thrive in the area. As one of the few remaining hand knitting yarn manufacturers remaining, we are extremely proud to be promoting British wool and manufacturing.

Peter Rabbit is an established British heritage brand. How is WYS similar?