Cowgirlsblues
South African merino and mohair, hand dyed in Cape Town with colour at the centre.
- Hand dyed in Cape Town
- South African wool and mohair
- Founded by Bridget Henderson
- Tonal and multicoloured yarns
- Merino and Kidsilk collections
About cowgirlblues yarn
cowgirlblues is a Cape Town dye house and design studio specialising in South African wool and mohair. Colour is central to its identity, with hand dyed yarns ranging from tonal shades to multicoloured combinations inspired by the Cape landscape. The collection gives knitters and crocheters ways to explore colour on several different fibre bases.
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Those bases have distinct roles. Merino Lace and Merino DK offer smooth wool options, while Kidsilk combines kid mohair and silk for a fine, fuzzy strand. Proper Sock contains wool and nylon, and Fluffy Mohair offers a much fuller mohair texture. A colour name shared across bases does not make their fabrics interchangeable.
Bridget Henderson's kitchen experiments
Founder Bridget Henderson returned to South Africa after an international career in strategy consulting and took up knitting and crafting again. Difficulty finding suitable yarn locally led her to experiment with spinning and dyeing. The business began in her kitchen in 2012.
It moved into a small space at Montebello Design Centre in 2013, followed by a retail presence at the V&A Watershed in 2014. Production later moved through Woodstock to a larger studio in Maitland in 2017. That progression from personal experimentation to a dedicated dyeing studio remains part of the brand's story.
Choosing colour and fibre together
The appeal of a hand dyed shade depends partly on the yarn carrying it. A smooth strand shows colour differently from a mohair halo, while a multicoloured yarn can form patches or stripes as the width of a project changes.
For a cowgirlblues alternative, first identify the exact base, then compare the colour effect you want to preserve. A solid yarn can match the gauge while changing the design's appearance considerably. For a larger project, assess the skeins together and make a washed sample in the intended stitch before committing to a combination.
- Fiber mix
- Price per skein
- –
- yarn lines
- 0
- Needles
- –
- Typical gauge
- –sts / 10 cm
All Cowgirlsblues yarns
Questions about Cowgirlsblues
Washing, weights, natural fibres and substitutes — answers drawn from the Cowgirlsblues yarns in our catalogue.
Where is cowgirlblues yarn dyed?+
The brand hand dyes its yarns in its Cape Town studio in South Africa. Its background centres on South African wool and mohair.
Who founded cowgirlblues?+
Bridget Henderson started the business in 2012 after experimenting with yarn and dyeing in her kitchen. It later grew into a dedicated studio operation.
Are all cowgirlblues yarns made from merino wool?+
No. Its bases include wool, mohair and blends. Kidsilk is listed as 70% kid mohair and 30% silk, while Proper Sock combines 75% wool with 25% nylon.
Can I substitute one cowgirlblues base for another in the same colour?+
A matching colour is only one part of the decision. Compare thickness, fibre content and texture, and test the pattern's gauge. A smooth wool yarn and a mohair blend can give very different results.