About Us

Cheap production elsewhere in the world caused the wool industry to disappear from Europe. With the closure of spinning mills, it became increasingly difficult for shepherds and farmers to sell their wool, let alone get a fair price for it. Shearing became a loss-making process. But because wool grows on sheep, it has to be done every year.

In addition, natural grazing and organic farming became increasingly important to preserve the diversity of our landscape.

At the same time, the supply of cheap yarn produced far away seemed to be increasing, sometimes even with a Dutch twist through the use of old names from the heyday of our own wool industry.

When we were asked if we would do something with the wool from De Schapenstreek in Lutjebroek, that was the start of Schaapjeswol. From the outset, we were determined to pay a fair price for the wool, so that organic farming or natural grazing would remain possible.

We received our first spun wool back from Cornwall in 2016. There's a spinning mill specializing in the somewhat coarser wool of English sheep breeds. We were pleasantly surprised. It turned out to be perfectly possible to knit beautiful and, above all, sustainable items from our robust Dutch wool.

From there, the development of sheep's wool took off.

In addition to wool from Lutjebroek, we primarily purchased local wool from the Utrechtse Heuvelrug region to send to the spinning mill. Because Brexit made processing in England impossible and the Netherlands doesn't yet have the capacity to process larger quantities of our sheep's wool, our wool now travels to Denmark, Germany, and Belgium.

By collaborating with various spinning mills, we're also able to produce a wider range of yarns.

It soon became clear that local farmers of Angora goats and alpacas also couldn't sell their fleeces in the Netherlands. This allowed us to expand our sheep's wool offerings.

Wolkonijn took on the challenge of keeping Angora rabbits in an animal-friendly way, and as a result, we even had access to real Angora wool. This is blended with organic Merino wool from Wolboerderij Blij Bezuiden or soft Shetland wool from the local harvest-your-own garden De Kraaybekerhof.

We now offer a range of sheep's wool, from sturdy, durable wool to the softest baby wool.

Once all these different types from the spinning mills return to Schaapjeswol, Atelier Sarah Jane and Wolkonijn will dye the wool on the Utrechtse Heuvelrug. We use ecologically certified Gots-certified or plant-based dyes, without harmful mordants.

We are constantly working on a wide range of patterns, designs, and books featuring sheep's wool. We also create kits for some projects.

If anyone had told us in 2016 that all this was possible with local Dutch wool, where animal-friendly, environmentally friendly, and local are the norm, we wouldn't have believed them. But Schaapjeswol has been around for 10 years now, and it turns out it's all possible.

That's why our Schaapjeswol now deserves its own store, with an even wider selection, so everyone can discover the possibilities in our area. Of course, our wool is more expensive than yarn produced in low-wage countries. But it's also more sustainable and produced on a smaller scale with a much smaller carbon footprint. Moreover, it's more durable, and most varieties can be machine-washed on the wool cycle.

If you also consider that people, animals, and nature benefit from using local products, the actual price may actually be lower than it first appears.