BritYarn Exclusive Colourways

Hello again!  Well it is a smidgen over a week to go before BritYarn's virtual doors open on Tuesday 2nd June so it is time to share some very special yarn with you all.

I am super, super, super excited to announce that BritYarn has an exclusive range of colourways!  These have been hand dyed by Nic from Yarns from the Plain onto her custom spun Mobberley 4 ply base.  Mobberley is 70% Exmoor Blueface and 30% British Alpaca and knits up wonderfully, it is so soft and squishy.  

There are a six amazing and unique colourways available.  Nic has created five colourways based on landmarks and areas of Great Britain.  These are Blackpool Illuminations, Bridge Over The Forth, Ironbridge, Heather on the Moors and Usk Valley.  In addition Nic has dyed a sixth colourway 'BritYarn' using the colours from our logo as inspiration.  Don't they look stunning?  They will be £13.50 each and there is approximately 100g / 333m to a skein. 

The colourways are repeatable but will only be available in small batches.  I will be talking to Nic on the blog in the future. So keep a look out!

Have a relaxing Bank Holiday Monday if you are in the UK.  
Isla
x

As a bit of background I purchased one of Nic's autumnal colours last year as a tester and knitted a Woolly Wormhead hat.  The wool felt smooth and soft to work with and created well defined stitches with a slight halo.  

BritYarn's Ravelry Group

Hello everyone.  Thank you so much for reading and sharing BritYarn's blog posts.  

I want to invite you all to BritYarn's Ravelry group (if you are not sure what Ravelry is I have included some information at the bottom of this post).  BritYarn's Ravelry group is called 'BritYarn' (no shocks there!). 

The aim of the group is 'Celebrating and Sharing our love of British Wool’ - BritYarn's motto.  There are threads set up to chat about your day, share your British Wool WIPs and your British Wool FO's.  If you have bought some British wool or fleece direct from a small farm or you have been to an event and met some rare breed sheep (I am visiting the Lincolnshire Show this year) let us all know.  Feel free to create your own threads if there is anything you want to ask or share with the group.  It will also be the place where I will post BritYarn's news, updates and host Knit Alongs (KAL's).

Hope to see you over on Ravelry and don't forget you can find BritYarn on Twitter and Instagram. 

What is Ravelry? 

Ravelry is a free place where knitters, crocheters, weavers and spinners can keep track of their projects, search for patterns, look up what had been made with different yarns and record their stash.  It also has a community area where people can join groups (like BritYarn's) and chat in the forums.  It is a great way to meet like minded people, share what you have been making with others or help and provide moral support to someone struggling with a pattern.  I have made many online friends by joining groups I have been interested in.  Once you have signed in to Ravelry you can join BritYarn's group by clicking on the Groups heading at the top and search for BritYarn.  Ravelry also has a really useful Getting Started page.  

BritYarn's Ravelry Page

British Wool at BritYarn

Hello everyone!  

Things are really picking up the pace here as it is not long until we open our virtual doors on Tuesday 2nd June.  

I thought I would share with you some of the things BritYarn will have available on the 2nd June.  This is by no means everything, more like an a sneak preview to wet your appetites!    

Image courtesy of Blacker

First up representing laceweight wool is Blacker Yarns St Kilda. This wool is a blend of Boreray (the rarest of British sheep breeds) Soay and Shetland.  The wool feels soft to the touch and comes in the natural fleece colour.  I really love this wool, I think its comparable in softness to Bluefaced Leicester but with a bit more texture.

I love 4 ply yarn and have decided to share two with you here. 

WYS Signature 4 ply Sour Apple

First up is West Yorkshire Spinners Signature 4 ply.  This wool is perfect for socks and shawls and is machine washable. It is 75% British wool (35% Bluefaced Leicester) and 25% nylon.  The colour range is brilliant from the bright 'Sweet Shop' shades to the earthy Spice Rack range. The colours work really well together so a good option if you are thinking about wool for a two colour shawl.  In case you're wondering BritYarn has every colour! 

Britsock Indian Summer

I can't tell you how giddy I got when this next wool was delivered.  This is The Knitting Goddess Britsock which is hand dyed by Joy. I seriously considered keeping them all for myself!  Britsock is British to the core as not only is the wool British (40% Bluefaced Leicester, 20% Wensleydale, 20% Alpaca) the 20% Nylon content is made in Britain.  BritYarn has a selection of semi solid and self striping colours available. 

Bowland DK

Double Knitting (DK) wool is next and I am surrounded by some great options but I thought I would show you this one.  It is Eden Cottage Yarns Bowland which is hand dyed, 100% Bluefaced Leicester and machine washable.  This is one of those brilliant yarns which is perfect for a multitude of uses.  It is really soft so ideal for garments worn next to the skin including little baby knits. It also makes warm and cosy shawls if you are looking for something thicker.  The colours Victoria dyes are stunning and I know you will love them all!

Wensleydale Longwool Buttertubs

Getting onto the aran weights this is Wensleydale Longwool Sheepshop. This wool has a slight halo, amazing lustre and has excellent drape.  The ball on my desk just gleams and I can't help giving it a little squish. I have plans to make a jumper out of this wool - I just haven't decided which pattern yet!  As you might have guessed from the name it is made from 100% Wensleydale wool.     

Last up is chunky wool.  As we all know chunky wool is perfect for quick projects from jumpers to last minute gifts.  This wool is no exception.  It is Jamieson & Smith Real Shetland Chunky. It is made from 100% Shetland wool and comes in seven shades inspired by the Shetland Islands.

J&S Real Shetland Chunky Steekit

I hope this has given you an insight into the treats available to you all come the 2nd June.

Thank you again for all your support, shares and best wishes.  I love hearing from you.

The best of woolly wishes to you all.

Isla

BritYarn's Woolly Principles

Hello!  Thank you everyone for all your lovely comments and sign ups following BritYarn's first blog post.  The love for British wool is strong!

I mentioned in the first post that BritYarn was guided by 'Woolly Principles' and I wanted to share these with you.  They are at the heart of everything BritYarn does.  

BritYarn’s Woolly Principles

• First and foremost, BritYarn must love it if we’re going to stock it. We believe in using materials and patterns we love, to create beautiful, long-lasting items.
• BritYarn embraces provenance. It’s hugely important to us to know, as far as possible, the origins of our products and to share these details with our customers. BritYarn will clearly outline where the wool was spun and dyed; some wool may be spun or dyed outside of Britain, and if it is, we’ll tell you. It’s all about being able to trace the journey of the product and make informed choices.
• BritYarn’s definition of “British” includes British Overseas Territories (e.g. The Falkland Islands). 
• BritYarn celebrates the British Wool industry. Wool content in a yarn must be 100% British grown.  Any natural fibres (where present) in a blend, e.g. linen, will comprise a maximum of 50% of the total content.  Synthetic material (where present) in a blend, e.g. nylon will comprise a maximum of 25% of the total content.
• BritYarn supports British businesses. Wool, patterns and accessories as well as business support will be sourced exclusively from British suppliers. We believe in shopping local and helping to sustain British businesses.

If a product does not meet our Woolly Principles then BritYarn will not stock it!

A little peek

It is a month to go until we launch on Tuesday 2nd June!  The best of woolly wishes to you all.

Isla