Lang Yarns

When I first starting planning this business, back in 2021, my friend Ulli, a dedicated and skilled knitter who was born in Germany, asked me if I would consider stocking Lang Yarns, as she said she could never find them in the UK. I have to admit that I had never heard of Lang Yarns either, but I am always up for a challenge, so I did a bit of research and hit gold as the rep for the company that is Lang’s sole distributor was the only person to actually get back to my initial inquiries. She has been an amazing mentor ever since. And even now, although Lang Yarns are a bit more widely distributed in the UK than they were four years ago, when I was one of five retailers stocking them, many people are not familiar with the brand. This seems crazy to me, for it is one of the biggest yarn brands in Europe.

The company was originally founded in the 1860s in Wigger in Switzerland, where the company is still based. Initially Theodor Lang purchased a mill for spinning pure cotton yarns, with very fine counts, which were exported to Germany and France. His son, Ernst Lang took over the factory in the 1890s, electrified it and introduced high quality knitting yarns to the range. Ernst was succeeded by his son, Erich Lang in the 1920s and he decided, during the Great Depression, to create and sell hand knitting yarns under his own brand, Lang Yarns. Before then, the factory had been supplying yarn for other brands. In the 1960’s Ernst Lang II took over and took Lang Yarns to wider international markets in the USA and Japan (but not, strangely, in the UK) and he was succeeded in the early 2000s by Jakob Lang who is still running the company. That is 6 generations in the same family which I consider to be quite amazing.

These days, Lang Yarns is linked with other lindustrial partners in Europe. For example a lot of their wool is created and spun in Italy. Furthermore, it is renowned (but not in the UK) for its quality, constant innovation and amazing fashionable yarns. Both times I have been to the big trade fair in Cologne, I have been amazed by the size and style of Lang’s stand. Furthermore, Jakob Lang is committed to sustainability and good practice. All the wool is mulesing free and, if you choose, you can trace the provenance of the fibres in your yarn to the sheep or goat it came from. This is one of the reasons that I am happy to continue buying their yarns.

In truth, though, my main reason for stocking Lang Yarns is the high quality and the fun of their ‘fashion’ yarns. And, perhaps because I am a sucker for luxury. While Merino 120, their ‘basic’ 100% merino is a steady seller, it is their big variegated yarns that are most successful in the shop. We had a lot of fun in the last couple of years with Cloud and Cloud Tweed, and this year we are bringing in (in September) a yummy super chunky and and we have just taken delivery of all the latest colours in Magnolia, an aran weight blend of Merino and nylon similar to Cloud in its lightness and pleasing variegated colours. The summer cotton/nylon blend Fiesta has done incredibly well in the shop and we plan to bring it back next year for sure. But I also love their luxury yarns – Vaya for example is a blend of wool, cotton and yak and creates a super soft drapey fabric with a slight sheen. I am also impressed by their commitment to innovation – for example the pineapple fibre based yarn Ananas is entirely sustainable and could even be argued to be reducing carbon output given that farmers would otherwise burn the leaves that it made from.

Lang is a big company and has a huge range. I have a sense, every time I look at the list of what is available, that I’m not even dipping my toes in the gorgeousness that they offer. So if there is a range that you would like me to stock, or bring back (such as Alpaca Soxx which I stopped buying in a while ago), or even if you just want one colour in one of the ranges for a special project, please contact me. It will help with the decision-making!