4/1 Tow linen - UNBLEACHED

About the natural linen colors in our photos

Even though we have photographed these yarns as accurately as possible, the color of natural linen yarns can vary greatly depending on lighting and batch. The photographs on our website attempt to show you the range of what you can expect from these "living" yarns.

Unbleached linen can have the most variation, from a delicate silvery gray to a rich golden brown. The finer the yarn, usually the lighter the tone. Even the same tube of yarn, or woven piece, can appear to be an entirely different color with different lighting, which contributes to linen's elegance and beauty. Every year the crop is different depending on the weather and the soil. The flax plants bloom by late spring with their beautiful blue flowers. Harvest is in mid-summer, and retting time depends on temperature, rain, sun. The longer the fibers stay in the field during this natural process, the darker the tone.

Half-bleached linen is a creamy white. It retains some of the richness from its original unbleached state, which means it is "alive" as well. The outcome of this half-bleached color also depends on weather and soil.

Golden-bleached linen, just as it sounds, is a version of the half-bleached linen, but with more of a golden cast. It, too, can vary from batch to batch due to the growing conditions. Many of us favor this rich golden tone.

Bleached linen shows the least variation, and is pretty dependably nearly as white as this page.

Color #470 is a dyed color made to be as close a match as possible to the unbleached linen color. If you like this darker rich tone, and want your piece to retain this color over time, color #470 is the perfect choice. The natural unbleached linen yarn will always bleach over time and become lighter, whereas the dyed color will be stable.