In this page you are going to find a special selection of Italian knitting yarn suppliers. These spinning mills are taking part in FeelTheYarn, the registered trademark of Consorzio Promozione Filati, which aggregates the most important Italian manufacturers processing wool, cotton, cashmere, angora, linen and many other natural and artificial fibers.

Now you can have a direct link with the best Italian fancy and classic yarns suppliers. Get into their showrooms to go through their new collections and have a preview of the next trends regarding knitwear!

fty home
fty home

Now you can have a direct link with the best Italian fancy and classic yarns suppliers. Get into their showrooms to go through their new collections and have a preview of the next trends regarding knitwear in the FTY’s choice section – you’ll find there more than 1.000 yarns picked up for you!

Where to buy yarn in Italy?

Starting from this page, you can navigate the manufacturers’ showrooms and their most recent yarn collections.

Feel free to contact us for any kind of request, we are happy to give an answer to any curiosity and to receive your precious feedback.

Where does the finest Italian yarn come from?

Italy is worldwide known for high-quality clothing production. Besides clothing there is textile and besides textiles, there are Italian yarns. Yarn production in Italy dates back to the Middle Age craftmanship’s corporations history. A unique expertise that nowadays constitutes the very core of the modern industry. So that contemporary yarn mills utilize the most advanced technical solutions while still maintaining an active link with the local artisanry network, a traditional world that preserves its special know-how. This way the whole supply chain can turn promising ideas into valuable products, creating what we call distretti produttivi (production clusters).

Italian yarn mills

What is Italian yarn made of? Italian yarn mills are able to produce almost everything, with a strong focus on raw materials such as wool, cashmere, cotton, silk, linen and also artificial ones such as viscose. Going a little further inside the history of the filati italiani (Italian yarn), we can see family businesses gently transformed into international suppliers. Above all, Italian knitting yarn suppliers are appreciated worldwide for their processing methods, always keeping an eye on quality, human health and sustainability.

So, what is the geographical distribution of the most famous Italian yarn mills? Piedmont in the Italian northwest Alps can count on Biella, where some of the finest Italian wool yarn comes from. Biella deals with standard yarn and brushed products. In Lombardy, especially in Brescia, Bergamo, and Como, we can find many cotton yarn manufacturers. Another key production area is that of Prato, renewed for high-quality fancy yarn, mainly carded yarn. In this area inside of Tuscany, strictly connected with Florence, creating different ‘palette’ yarn means influencing the fashion industries directly.

Italian yarn uses

Italian yarns have different destinations: knitwear, weaving, hand-knitting. We are the best in fancy yarns and classic yarns production. What’s the difference? Classics stay in the collection for some years – sometimes passing through little adjustments, i.e. the color chart. Fancy yarn on the other side means experiencing different solutions year after year, collection after collection. Melange, gradient, multicolor, degradé print, paiette, malfilato or flamed are just a few examples of the different types of fancy Italian yarns.

In recent years there is also much demand for hand-knitting yarn coming from Italy, because more and more people worldwide are fond of knitting needles.

What is Feel The Yarn?

Feel the Yarn is the registered trademark of Consorzio Promozione Filati – CPF, a body aggregating some of the most appreciated Italian yarn manufacturers. FTY’s mission regards not only promoting the visible quality of the Italian yarns, but also their technical and more profitable qualities.

We are committed to organizing events, workshops, and learning experiences in which we display how the raw material is transformed and what are the most important parts of the work of the yarn spinners. Our focus is both on worsted and carded yarn, open-hand yarn, self-acting carded yarns, and unique fancy products.

How do new fashion trends start?

Have you ever thought about new fashion trends? Who is in charge of creating them and how these processes are triggered? 

Italian fancy yarn manufacturers play an important role in this market. They are in some way the first, or better to say, the second passage in the global fashion chain. They pay great attention to the raw materials – using the best natural fibers such as wool, angora, mohair, linen, silk, and cashmere, to offer products compelling the newest sustainable fashion trends and certifications. In addition, they are the ones who first launch new fashion trends in terms of textures, patterns, tactile sensations, and the final yield of the jersey fabrics or of the knitted garments. 

Research and development are necessary in a world where continuous innovation is mandatory. New trends and big ideas in the fashion market always have a precise starting point – that’s the price the big industry has to pay to manufacturers.

What are the advantages of choosing an Italian product?

As previously mentioned, Italian expertise can rely on a vast knowledge about raw materials. Before leaving, let’s have a closer look at the most used textile fibers and their processing methods.

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Textile fibers

Speaking about a fiber, we can describe it as an element, which can be made up of different materials. Flexibility, fineness and a high length-to-diameter ratio. Textile fibers are those fibers suitable for textile applications. They can be obtained directly from nature (natural fiber textile) or be man-made (technofibers).
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Natural fiber textile

They are of animal and plant origin – these are fibers taken from materials currently existing in nature. Natural fibers come to life through mechanical processing, without modifying their inner structure. 
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Cotton

It is the most widespread vegetable textile fiber in the world. Cotton comes from the capsule of a bushy plant called Gossypium and it is used for soft and fresh clothes. It tends to shrink the first time you wash it and it is easily wrinkled. Its quality can be measured by color (degree of whiteness), length, fineness, and strength. Cotton’s applications regard all fields of clothing and furnishings, pure or blended.
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Linen

It is one of the oldest and most valuable natural fibers. Linen comes from the cortical layer of a herbaceous plant called Linum Usitatissimum. Macerating the bark of this plant, we can obtain the fibrous part of the linen. This fiber has excellent hygroscopicity, freshness, and tenacity. Because of its comfort and durability, linen is used in clothing, household linen, and furnishings.
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Hemp

Hemp’s fiber comes from the bark of Cannabis sativa. It displays high strength and absorbency qualities, being difficult to break but easy to glove. Hemp has something in common with linen but is stiffer, rougher, and less shiny. Being woody, this fiber is not recommended for draping and knitting, but good for making ropes and cordage.
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Wool

Here we go with the most widespread and important animal fiber. Wool comes from the fleece of various kinds of sheeps. Different breeds produce different wools, also depending on the shearing period, and the origin of the sheep. Wool quality is connected with length, fineness, and curls: the finer and curlier the fiber, the more valuable it is. Thanks to its particular structure, wool has excellent qualities, such as hygroscopicity, strong thermal protection, elasticity, breathability, and flame-resistance. Pure or mixed with other fibers, wool is used in all textiles’ applications.
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Silk

When we speak about silk, we face luxury, as this animal fiber represents a magical world by itself. Since ancient times silk has been produced by a silkworm, the bombyx mori, or by other silkworms grown on trees (like the wild silk called tussah). It is the only continuous natural fiber. Silk is a rigid and opaque filament that acquires its unique brilliance and softness after boiling it in water and soap. Silk is resistant, thermo-insulating, brilliant, elastic, and bright. Silk’s applications include women’s and men’s outerwear. In addition, when mixed, it is used for fabrics and draperies. It is also used in underwear and home furnishings.
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Angora

Angora fiber comes from the fur of the Angora rabbit. It is very soft, warm, slippery, and smooth. Angora fur is widely used in women’s knitwear. Its natural white color makes it easy to dye in all shades.
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Cashmere

Cashmere is the fiber coming from the hair of the Angora goat, which lives in the mountains of the Himalayas and Tibet and on the Mongolian plateau. The average annual yield a single animal produces is very few. This scarcity is behind the high cost of cashmere fiber. Cashmere has extraordinary fineness and lightness, and it can help retain heat. It is a very short, puffy, and voluminous fiber, giving the best results in yarns and carded fabrics, as well as in knitwear.