As beautiful and untamed as the green fields, towering sea cliffs, and tumbling waterfalls of its Irish homeland, Wild Donegal is a rustic chunky-weight tweed yarn made by one of County Donegal's last traditional mills. Small flecks of fiber called "burrs" speckle the yarn, giving every stitch lively texture, complex color, and an adventurous spirit!

About This Yarn

• Made with 100% merino wool, Wild Donegal has a firm hand and a pleasantly toothy feel, knitting up into a robust fabric with an appealing, earthy quality. The fabric softens with washing and grows even more supple and inviting with wear, developing the character and comfort of a trusted companion.
• Wild Donegal is a three-ply woolen-spun yarn. Unlike worsted-spun yarns, which are more densely spun from combed fibers for a smooth finish, woolen-spun yarns are spun directly from carded fiber, giving a slightly fuzzy surface. This structure traps more air, making the woolen-spun yarns lighter, loftier, and warmer. They also tend to be very elastic and bouncy and, like Wild Donegal, bloom beautifully after washing.
• This chunky/bulky-weight yarn can be knit on a wide range of needle sizes, even dipping into Aran weight, allowing you to create everything from resilient, weather-proof outerwear to classic accessories. Explore our growing collection of Wild Donegal knitting patterns to find projects that perfectly showcase its natural charm.
• Pick from 26 wonderfully wild colors inspired by the captivating variety of the Irish countryside... Think lush Forest Clover, rich Brown Cedar, and timeless Rock Wall. Every shade is built from a heathered base flecked with seven or eight contrasting burrs, giving the yarn depth and fascination. 
• Within the palette, you’ll find interrelated families of colors that harmonize with one another, making stripes and colorwork feel effortlessly cohesive... So much beauty to explore here!

Product Details

• Content: 100% merino wool
• Weight: 100 grams (3.5 ounces)
• Length: 139 yards (127 meters)
• Gauge: 3.5-4 stitches per inch, chunky/bulky-weight yarn
• Suggested Knitting Needle: US 7-10.5 (4.5-6.5 mm)
• Suggested Crochet Hook: G-K (4.5-6.5 mm)
• Recommended Care: Hand wash, lay flat to dry
• Milled In: Ireland

Sustainability + Environmental Impact

• Wild Donegal's merino wool meets the International Wool Textile Organization's standards on Wool Sheep Welfare and is Woolmark certified, to ensure the quality and traceability of the fiber. It is 80% sourced from Australia and the rest comes from New Zealand, South Africa, and Europe.
• The mill in Ireland avidly modernizes their equipment for more energy efficiency and also has its own waste water treatment plant that is monitored to comply with the local Environmental Protection Agency. It adheres to European REACH regulations that protect human health and the environment from harmful chemicals, and they also send their wool waste to be recycled. We love this mill!

Recommended Substitutions For Wild Donegal

• Looking for more yarn like this? For another wool yarn with a similar weight and a huge palette of brilliant subtly heathered colors, try Till! And for a machine-washable option, check out Partridge Superwash, a single ply of lustrous superwash wool. You'll also love our other two Irish tweed yarns, worsted-weight Hedgerow and lace-weight Spindle!
• Shop our other chunky/bulky-weight yarn, merino wool yarn, and woolen-spun yarn, all available only at Purl Soho.
• Learn more about how to substitute yarn with our confidence-boosting Yarn Substitution Made Easy article!